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How to · any DJ app

Import an iTunes playlist into your DJ library.

In iTunes on Windows, choose File > Library > Import Playlist and pick the exported XML file; the Music app on Mac has the same command. That file carries track information only, never the audio, so it fills in nothing that is missing from the library it lands in, which is why DJ software reads the whole iTunes library XML instead of a single playlist file. This guide covers the export, the import, and how the same playlist reaches Rekordbox, Serato DJ, Traktor, and Engine DJ.

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The Vibes library table after an import, with title, BPM, key, and vibe columns filled in

One imported playlist, every track matched to the file on your drive.

Import an iTunes playlist in any DJ app, step by step.

Apple exports a list, never the audio. Every DJ app reads that list from the same iTunes Library XML file, so the reliable way to import iTunes playlist data anywhere is to keep that file current, then point each app at it.

01

Export the playlist from iTunes or Music

Select the playlist in the sidebar, then choose File > Library > Export Playlist and pick XML from the Format pop-up menu. Choose Text files instead when you only want a readable track list. To save every playlist in one go, choose File > Library > Export Library, which writes the whole set as a single XML file.

02

Import the XML back into the library

On the receiving computer, choose File > Library > Import Playlist and select the XML file. Apple is blunt about the limit: the imported playlist includes only songs and videos already in your library, and unavailable items are removed from the list. So copy the audio across and add it to the library first, then import the list.

03

Turn on the library XML for other apps

DJ software does not read your exported file. It reads the library XML that iTunes maintains for other applications, and on Windows that file is not always written. Open iTunes, go to Preferences > Advanced, tick Share iTunes Library XML with other applications, then quit and reopen iTunes. Pioneer DJ notes that recent rekordbox versions need no such setting on Mac.

04

Open the playlist in Rekordbox or Traktor

In rekordbox, double-click [iTunes] in the Tree view, open [Playlists], and select your playlist; tracks stay hidden while only [iTunes] is selected. If the tree stays empty, point Preferences > Advanced > Database at the right xml file. In Traktor, select the iTunes node in the Browser Tree, then right-click the playlist and choose Import to Collection > as Tracks.

05

Open it in Engine DJ or Serato DJ

In Engine DJ, open Settings > Library and switch Apple Music Library on under Integration, then click the Apple Music icon on the left and click Update. In Serato DJ Pro, go to Setup > Library + Display and tick Show iTunes library. On Windows, Serato needs iTunes itself: it cannot import a library from the Apple Music app there.

06

Bring the same playlist into Vibes

Open the Import Wizard and choose your iTunes or Apple Music Library.xml. Smart Import detects the source, reads the playlists, and matches each entry to the file on your drive. Tag import can pull the Genre, Mood, and Grouping fields in at the same time, so the playlist arrives as a set of vibes rather than a flat list.

The catch

An exported playlist is a list of pointers. If the audio files are not on the machine you import into, the list arrives empty or half empty and no setting fixes it. Move the files first and keep them in one folder tree, or every import after this one hunts for the same missing tracks.

DJ Software
Rekordbox
Rekordbox
Import XML or Database
Serato
Serato
Import Library Database
Traktor
Traktor
Import NML Collection
Engine
Engine
Import Engine Database
File System
Local Folder
Scan directory
Audio Files
Select files

The faster way

One import, and the playlist is ready for every DJ app you use.

Point the Import Wizard at your iTunes or Apple Music Library.xml and Smart Import reads the playlists in one pass, files and all. Vibes then analyzes BPM, key, and energy for the tracks behind the names, so the list arrives sorted rather than merely copied. From there you export it back to Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, or Engine DJ as a folder tree, with Camelot key or BPM sub-folders if you want them. It works on files you own, so nothing that depends on a subscription travels with it.

See how it works
Smart Import detects an iTunes or Apple Music Library.xml and keeps your playlist structure
Tag import pulls your Genre, Mood, and Grouping fields straight into vibes
BPM, key, and energy analysis runs on the files behind the playlist, not just the names
Export back to Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, or Engine DJ, with optional Camelot key or BPM sub-folders

Organize in Vibes, export to any DJ app.

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 by Artist A

Track 001

Artist A

128
3A
Track 002 by Artist B

Track 002

Artist B

124
5B
Track 003 by Artist C

Track 003

Artist C

132
8A
Vibes App
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.

Apple split iTunes rather than killing it. On macOS Catalina and later, music, video, and podcasts each got their own app, and device syncing moved into the Finder. On Windows, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices now divide the job, while iTunes remains the home for audiobooks and free podcasts. The library file and its playlists survived both moves, which is why DJ software still reads an iTunes library XML today.
Choose File > Library > Export Library on the old machine, which writes every playlist into one XML file, then choose File > Library > Import Playlist on the new one and select that file. Copy the audio over and add it to the library first, because the import keeps only songs that are already there. For a DJ collection, moving the files and re-importing beats chasing the XML: see using one DJ library on two laptops.
Exporting the playlist copies no audio at all: the XML or text file holds track information only. Select the tracks in the playlist, drag them into a folder on the drive, then export the playlist file into that same folder so the running order survives the trip. For a gig, build the drive from your DJ app instead, so it writes the database the players expect: prepare a USB for a gig.
With an Apple Music subscription and the same Apple Account, turn on Sync Library in the Music app settings: your local playlists upload by themselves, with no import step. For playlists held by another service, the Apple Music app has a built-in Apple Music transfer tool: on iPhone, open your account and tap Transfer Music from Other Music Services. Browser services such as Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic do the same job from a computer, though none of them transfer music from Spotify to Apple Music as files: they match names.
Yes, three ways. Choose File > Library > Import Playlist and pick an exported XML, which rebuilds the list from tracks already in the library. Use Apple's own transfer feature to pull playlists in from another streaming service. Or run a Spotify to Apple Music playlist converter such as SongShift or Free Your Music: whether you transfer playlist from Spotify to Apple Music, export Apple Music playlist to Spotify, or transfer playlist from Apple Music to Spotify, only the names travel.
iTunes is still available for Windows, where it holds audiobooks and free podcasts and still runs the classic library if you skip the newer apps. On macOS it is gone: the Music app took over the same library and the same menu commands. Nothing was deleted in either move, so an existing iTunes library keeps working with DJ software that reads its XML.
Yes on Windows, no on Mac. Windows users can still download iTunes from Apple, and Serato actively recommends it there, because the Apple Music app on Windows does not generate the library XML that DJ software needs. Mac users work in the Music app, which keeps the same library file and the same File > Library > Export Playlist command. See use your iTunes library in Serato.
Music you bought, ripped, or imported stays put, and iTunes Store purchases remain in your library. What goes is anything added from the Apple Music catalog, plus playlists built from it, and Sync Library switches off when the subscription expires. Catalog downloads are DRM protected, so there is no supported way to convert Apple Music to MP3 for a set: organize your Apple Music library for DJing around the files you own.
On Mac, the Music app, alongside Apple TV and Podcasts, with the Finder handling device syncing. On Windows, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices split the job, and Apple Devices is where you put music on iPhone from computer now. Anyone looking to transfer music from PC to iPhone without iTunes uses that app, and if you still want to transfer songs from iTunes to iPhone the old way, iTunes on Windows syncs too.
No. A free music transfer service moves lists between streaming accounts: transfer Spotify playlist to Apple Music free up to a track limit, transfer playlist from Spotify to YouTube Music, and so on. Free tiers cap how much you can transfer Spotify to Apple Music in one run. What travels is names, not audio, and Vibes works on files you own. Once the files are on your drive, import your library from the Library.xml or a plain folder.

From a Vibes customer

The import worked perfectly. Have created several sets now and my life is so much easier
Danny

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Last reviewed June 2026.

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