How to · Traktor

Back up your library in Traktor.

Your Traktor library lives in a handful of files on your hard drive. Back them up regularly and you can restore everything, from track metadata to crates, after a crash or a new machine.

Discover Vibes

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Vibes DJ library app with track list and vibe tags visible

Vibes stores your prep work independently, so it survives even a full Traktor reinstall.

Back up your library in Traktor, step by step.

Traktor stores your library in a plain NML file alongside a settings folder. Copy those to a safe location and your entire collection, crates, and analysis data comes with it.

Locate your Traktor root folder

Traktor writes all its data into a root folder on your computer, typically inside your Documents folder under Native Instruments, then a subfolder named for the version you are running (for example, Traktor 3.11.0). Open that folder to see your collection file and settings. You can confirm the exact path inside Traktor's preferences under the File Management section.

Copy the collection NML file

The file named collection.nml contains every track entry, crate, and playlist in your library. Copy it to an external drive or cloud storage folder. This single file is the most important thing to preserve.

Back up the full root folder

For a complete backup, copy the entire Traktor root folder, not just the NML. This captures your settings, custom mappings, effects settings, and subfolders like Recordings, Samples, and Remix Sets. Do this before any major Traktor update or OS migration.

Back up your analysis cache separately

Traktor stores waveform and beatgrid analysis in a subfolder called Analysis Data inside your Traktor root folder, alongside your collection. This data can be regenerated, but backing it up saves hours of re-analysis time on large libraries. Include it in your regular backup routine alongside the NML.

The catch

The catch: Traktor's NML backup only preserves what Traktor itself knows about, so any prep work or tagging you did outside Traktor, such as in a separate library app, is not included unless you back that up independently.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

Where Vibes fits

Your prep work lives outside the NML.

Vibes stores your vibe tags, energy categories, and set prep in its own database, separate from Traktor's NML file. That means your organizational work is safe even if your Traktor collection gets corrupted or you start fresh on a new machine.

See how it works

Vibe tags and Categories are stored in Vibes' own library, not inside Traktor's NML, so they survive a full Traktor reset.

Re-import a clean NML into Vibes after a restore and your vibe prep maps back onto the tracks immediately.

Vibes exports back into Traktor via NML, so you can rebuild your Traktor crates from your Vibes library at any point.

Analysis data like BPM, key, and energy curves computed by Vibes is also stored independently and travels with your Vibes library backup.

Organize in Vibes, export to Traktor.

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.

No. Vibes stores its own prep data independently, but your Traktor collection, crates, and settings still live in the NML and Traktor root folder. You need to back both up: Traktor's root folder for your Traktor-side data, and your Vibes library for your vibe tags and set prep.

Reinstalling Traktor does not automatically delete your root folder or NML file. Your library should still be present as long as you did not manually delete that folder. To be safe, copy the entire Traktor root folder to a backup location before reinstalling.

Back up at least before any major change: a Traktor version update, an OS upgrade, or a new machine migration. For active libraries, a weekly copy of the collection.nml to an external drive or cloud folder is a reasonable routine.

Methodology