How to · Rekordbox

Back up your library in Rekordbox.

Your Rekordbox database holds years of cue points, playlists, and metadata. Backing it up regularly means a corrupted database never costs you your prep work.

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Vibes DJ library app showing a full track collection

Your prep work is only as safe as your last backup.

Back up your library in Rekordbox, step by step.

Rekordbox has a built-in backup tool that exports your database and settings to a single archive file. Running it before any major change is good practice.

Open the backup tool from the File menu

Launch Rekordbox. In the top menu bar, click File, then Library, then Backup Library. This is the dedicated backup path in Rekordbox. It is not located in Preferences.

Choose your backup options and destination

Rekordbox will warn you that the process may take a long time. Click OK. You will then be prompted to choose whether to include your actual music files in the backup, or back up the database only. Choose your preference. After that, you will be prompted to pick a save location. Choose a folder on an external drive or somewhere outside your main system drive. Click Save to begin.

Wait for the export to complete

The process exports your database, playlists, cue points, and beatgrid data. If you included music files, the backup will be significantly larger and take much longer. The progress bar may appear stalled near the start but will jump quickly later. Do not quit Rekordbox until you see the completion confirmation.

Store the archive somewhere safe

Copy the finished backup file to at least one additional location, such as an external drive or cloud storage. A backup that lives only on the same machine as the original is not a real backup.

The catch

The catch: Rekordbox backups capture everything in its own proprietary format, so if the database becomes corrupted in a way that prevents restoring, or you switch DJ software entirely, that prep work is locked inside a format you may not be able to read.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

Where Vibes fits

Your tags and energy ratings live outside Rekordbox.

Vibes stores your vibe categories, energy ratings, and cue point prep in its own library independently of the Rekordbox database. If Rekordbox gets corrupted or you move to a different platform, your organizational work is still intact in Vibes and can be exported again.

See how it works

Import your Rekordbox library into Vibes and your tags, vibes, and ratings persist in Vibes even if the source database breaks

Re-export to Rekordbox, Engine DJ, Traktor, or Serato from a single Vibes library without starting your prep from scratch

Vibe categories and energy ratings are stored in Vibes natively, not dependent on any one DJ app's database format

Watched Folders auto-import new tracks so your Vibes library stays current alongside whatever backup routine you run in Rekordbox

Organize in Vibes, export to Rekordbox.

Your playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points travel back to the gear you play on, so nothing you do in Vibes is locked away.

Track 001

Artist A

128

Afterhours

Mysterious

Introspective

Track 002

Artist B

124

Cozy Floor

Peaceful

Home

Track 003

Artist C

132

Rave

Aggressive

Festival

Build & Release

Playlists

Vibes

Mood

Aggressive

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Peaceful

Playful

Tense

Function

Arrangement

Sets

Club Night 12/28

NYE Closing Set

Rooftop 01/04

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, including the trade-offs.

Before any software update, before a major reorganization, and on a regular schedule such as weekly if you prep frequently. The more recent the backup, the less you stand to lose.

No. Vibes is a prep and organization tool, not a backup solution for Rekordbox. It stores your vibe tags and ratings independently, which means your organizational work survives platform changes, but you should still back up Rekordbox itself using its built-in export tool to protect cue points, playlists, and settings that only live there.

Yes. Rekordbox includes a restore option in the same Preferences area. Point it at your backup archive on the new machine and it will rebuild the database and settings. Your music files need to be accessible at the same paths or you will need to relocate them after restoring.

Methodology