How to · Serato DJ

Back up your library in Serato DJ.

Your crates, playlists, and track data live in a single folder on your machine. Knowing where it is and how to copy it is the fastest way to protect months of prep work.

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Vibes DJ library app showing a full track collection

A well-organized library is worth protecting. Here is how to back it up.

Back up your library in Serato DJ, step by step.

Serato stores your entire library, crates, and settings in a folder called _Serato_ that lives in your Music directory. Copying that folder is all it takes to create a full backup.

Locate the _Serato_ folder

Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) and navigate to your Music folder. Inside you will find a folder named _Serato_ that contains your library database, crates, smartcrates, and preferences. This is the single folder you need to protect.

Copy the folder to an external drive or cloud storage

Drag the entire _Serato_ folder to an external hard drive, USB drive, or a cloud-synced location such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Keep the folder structure intact so Serato can read it on restore. A full copy typically takes only a few seconds to a few minutes depending on your library size.

Back up your audio files separately

The _Serato_ folder contains metadata and crate references, but not your actual audio files. Make sure your music collection is also backed up to the same external drive or a separate backup service. If your audio files move or are deleted, Serato will show missing tracks even with a perfect database restore.

Restore by replacing the _Serato_ folder

If you ever need to rebuild your library on a new machine or after data loss, copy your backed-up _Serato_ folder into the Music directory on the new machine before opening Serato DJ. Serato will read the existing database and your crates, playlists, and settings will reappear. Relink any tracks if file paths have changed.

The catch

Serato DJ includes an automatic Library Auto-Backup that runs 15 minutes after launch and every 24 hours while the app is open. On exit, Serato may prompt you to run a backup; if you confirm, it creates a folder called _Serato_Backup in your Music directory, sitting alongside (not inside) the _Serato_ folder, duplicating its contents. Only one backup snapshot is kept: each new backup overwrites the previous one. This means the auto-backup does not protect against drive failure, accidental deletion, or theft. The manual copy-to-external-drive workflow described above remains your only offsite protection, and it is only as current as the last time you performed it.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

Where Vibes fits

A second layer of prep data that survives a Serato rebuild.

Vibes stores your vibe tags, energy ratings, and set prep work in its own database, separate from Serato's files. If you ever have to rebuild your Serato library from scratch, your organizational layer in Vibes stays intact and can be exported back into Serato as fresh .crate files.

See how it works

Vibe tags and energy ratings live in Vibes, not in Serato, so they survive a Serato database wipe

Export your prep work back to Serato at any time as .crate files from inside Vibes

Combinations and Set Designer sessions are stored in Vibes and are unaffected by Serato rebuilds

Re-import your Serato library into Vibes after a restore and your tagging layer is already waiting

Organize in Vibes, export to Serato DJ.

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 your vibe tags, sets, and prep work in its own database, but your Serato crates, playlists, and track metadata still live in the _Serato_ folder. You need to back up both. Vibes adds a second layer of data that is independently protected, but it does not replace a proper Serato backup.

After any session where you add tracks, build crates, or change settings. Many DJs plug in their backup drive before opening Serato and copy the folder as a habit. At minimum, back up before any major software update or hardware change.

Serato will show affected tracks as missing because the database references the original file paths. You can relink missing files by right-clicking them in Serato and pointing to the new location. Keeping your music on the same external drive with a consistent folder structure avoids this problem entirely.

Methodology