Library Tools

Serato Crate Reader

Serato crate workspace

Inspect paths and export crate contents without Serato.

0 crates0 tracks

Import crates

Load individual files or select the entire _Serato_/Subcrates folder.

Import a crate to inspect its track paths and export portable lists.

Drop Serato .crate files and see the ordered track list inside each one: filename, folder, and format, with search for big crates. Export any crate (or all of them combined) as CSV, M3U, or plain text. Everything runs in your browser; your files are never uploaded and you do not need Serato installed.

Saved locally
Editable output
Private by default

Vibes launches July 22

The visual way to organize your DJ library. Tag by vibe, export to any DJ app.

What a crate is

A Crate Stores References, Not Music

A .crate file is a small binary list: a version header, some display settings (column layout, sorting), and one record per track containing the file's path. That is all. No audio, no cue points, no beatgrids, no BPM or key data; those live in Serato's database file and in the music files' own tags. This reader parses that binary structure directly in your browser and shows you the ordered paths, which is exactly the part of your library a crate actually owns: which tracks, in which order.

On disk, crates live in Music/_Serato_/Subcrates on Mac and in the _Serato_\Subcrates folder inside your Music folder on Windows. Music on an external drive gets its own _Serato_ folder at the root of that drive. Subcrate nesting is encoded in the filename with %% separators, which this tool displays as a folder path.

Paths

Why Some Paths May Not Resolve on Another Machine

Crate paths are stored relative to the root of the drive the music lives on, without the drive itself: a Mac track shows as Users/name/Music/track.mp3 and an external-drive track as Music/track.mp3. Serato pairs each crate with the drive it sits on, so this works inside Serato. Outside it, the same list only resolves if the files exist at those paths on your machine: copy a crate to a computer with a different user name, drive letter, or folder layout and the references point at nothing, even though the crate itself is intact. The exports here keep the paths exactly as stored so you can see, fix, or re-prefix them deliberately rather than having a tool guess.

Next steps

From Crate File to Another DJ App

The most common reason to crack open a crate outside Serato is a move. For playlists, the path runs through this page: export a crate as M3U, then feed it to the rekordbox playlist converter to get an importable rekordbox XML. For an honest picture of what survives beyond playlists (cues, grids, ratings, tags), see the DJ app transfer matrix. And when you are moving or reorganizing a whole library rather than inspecting single crates, the Vibes app reads your Serato library directly and exports to rekordbox, Traktor, and Engine DJ with the DJ data that crate files never carried.

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

I've been DJing and producing music as "so I so," focusing on downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno. My background in digital marketing, web development, and UX design over the past 6 years helps me create DJ tutorials that are clear, practical, and easy to follow.

DJingMusic ProductionTech HouseMinimal HouseDigital MarketingWeb DevelopmentUX Design

Methodology

Last updated May 4, 2026

Author and Methodology

Maintained by Ben Modigell, founder of Vibes. Ben builds DJ library, preparation, BPM, and harmonic-mixing tools for working DJs.

Source: Vibes DJ-tool taxonomy and page logic maintained by Vibes.
Evidence: Page output checked against the current tool behavior and internal DJ reference data.
How this page is made: Tool pages are built from reusable page logic, internal DJ reference data, and visible on-page calculations. Programmatic reference pages are generated from structured data rather than hand-written one by one.

BPM, key, and genre labels can vary by edit, remaster, detection engine, and DJ software. Use these pages as a practical mixing reference, then verify important tracks in your own library.

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The visual way to organize your DJ library

Tag tracks by vibe. See everything at once. Export to any DJ software.

Discover Vibes

A visual system for organizing your DJ library.

Vibes DJ library organized into custom vibes across Mood, Energy Feel, and Role categories

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, for the playlist structure: open your crates here, export each as M3U, then run those files through our rekordbox playlist converter to get a rekordbox XML. Since crate paths are stored relative to the drive root, you may need to set the music folder prefix in the converter (for example / on Mac, or your drive letter on Windows). Cue points and beatgrids do not travel this way; those live in Serato's database and the tracks' tags, not in the crate file.

Three common reasons. First, it may genuinely be an empty crate; Serato writes the file even when nothing is in it. Second, you may have opened a smart crate (.scrate), which stores filter rules instead of a track list. Third, the file may be damaged or not a crate at all, in which case the tool shows a warning saying so. If Serato itself shows tracks in the crate but this reader does not, that would be a parsing gap; use the report link below.

No. Smart crates are a different file type (.scrate) that stores rules like "genre contains techno", not an actual track list; the matching tracks are computed by Serato at runtime against its database. There is no track list inside the file to read. Regular crates and subcrates (.crate files in the Subcrates folder) are fully supported.

Neither. A crate is a small binary file holding an ordered list of file paths plus display settings like column layout. The audio lives in your music files, and cues, loops, and beatgrids live in Serato's database and in the audio files' metadata tags. That is why deleting a crate never deletes music, and why sending someone a crate file sends them nothing playable.