API Guide > Distributing Maya Plug-ins > Limitations of Modules >

# Shared Libraries

If a C++ plug-in links to a custom shared library, special steps must be taken.

- Windows: The shared library (ending in .dll) must go into either Maya's own bin directory or one of the directories in the user's PATH environment variable.
- Linux: The library (ending in .so) must go into either Maya's own lib directory or one of the directories in the user's LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
- Mac OS X: The library (ending in .dylib) must go into Maya's own Maya.app/Contents/MacOS directory. When linking the library you must use the -install_name @executable_path/libName.dylib flag on OS X 10.4, or the the -rpath flag on OS X 10.5.