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How to · Rekordbox

Manage playlists and folders in Rekordbox.

Rekordbox lets you build playlists and nest them inside folders to organize your library for USB export. You create both from [Playlists] in the tree view on the left, drag tracks in from the Collection, and drag them into the order you want. Vibes can do the heavy lifting by exporting a ready-made folder structure, by vibe, Set, and Combination, directly into your Rekordbox database.

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Vibes vibe overview showing tagged tracks organized by energy and mood

Tag once in Vibes, export a structured playlist folder straight into Rekordbox.

Manage playlists and folders in Rekordbox, step by step.

Rekordbox 7 organizes playlists inside the Playlist panel on the left sidebar. You can create standalone playlists or group them inside playlist folders for a cleaner view on CDJs and in Export mode.

01

Create a playlist folder

In the tree view, right-click [Playlists] and choose [Create New Folder]. An [Untitled Folder] appears under [Playlists]. Type a descriptive name (for example, a genre, energy level, or event night) and press Enter. Later, selecting a folder shows the tracks of every playlist inside it in the track list.

02

Add a playlist inside the folder

Select the folder you just created and click the plus icon on its right side in the tree view, or choose [Playlist] > [Create New Playlist] from the menu bar. Either adds an [Untitled Playlist] under the selected folder. Type a name and press Enter. You can also drag an existing playlist into a folder to nest it.

03

Populate the playlist with tracks

Open the sub browser window, show the playlist there, and drag tracks into it from the Collection track list. Or select one or more tracks and choose [Track] > [Add To Playlist] from the menu bar and pick the target. You can also drag tracks in from other playlists, iTunes, or the Tag List. Adding a track to a playlist does not copy the file. The playlist only references the entry in your Collection, so one track can sit in as many playlists as you like.

04

Reorder tracks in the playlist

To reorder tracks in Rekordbox, open the playlist and click the heading of the column that shows the track order, the one that numbers each track's position inside that playlist. Then drag a track up or down to its new slot. While the list is sorted by any other column, such as BPM or Title, dragging does not change the order. If you prefer a sort by another column, choose [Playlist] > [Renumber Track Order] to make that sort the stored order. That stored order is what the playlist keeps when you export it to USB.

05

Export the folder structure to USB

Switch to EXPORT mode with the [EXPORT] selector in the upper-left of the screen. Your connected USB drive appears under [Devices] in the tree view. Drag the playlist folder, or the playlists inside it, onto the USB drive there. Rekordbox transfers each playlist together with its tracks and track information, ready for a CDJ. Some players restrict playlist names and the folder structure on the device, so check the player's manual.

The catch

Building this folder structure by hand is slow: every new event night or genre grouping means creating folders, playlists, and dragging tracks manually every time your library changes.

Mood
EuphoricMelancholicMysterious
Energy
AggressivePeacefulRave
Function
AfterhoursClubHome

The faster way

Let Vibes build your Rekordbox folder structure for you.

Vibes exports directly into your Rekordbox database (master.db via SQLCipher, falling back to XML), writing one playlist per Vibe, one per Set, and one per Combination, all nested into folders automatically. You tag your library once in Vibes and your Rekordbox sidebar stays current.

See how it works
One playlist per Vibe: every tag you apply in Vibes becomes a named playlist in Rekordbox with the right tracks inside.
Sets export as playlists: Sets you build in Set Designer land in Rekordbox in the order you arranged them.
Combinations become ready-made crates: tracks sharing multiple vibes (e.g. House + Peak Time) get their own auto-generated playlist.
Optional BPM or Camelot subfolders: Vibes can subdivide each exported playlist into BPM-range or key sub-playlists for fast on-the-fly filtering at the CDJ.

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 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.

Not entirely. Vibes handles the organizational heavy lifting: it tags your library, auto-generates playlists and folder structures by vibe/set/combination, and exports them into Rekordbox. You still use Rekordbox to export your USB for CDJ gigs, because that export pipeline is Rekordbox-only. Vibes removes the manual folder-building step, not the final export step.
Vibes writes into its own named folder inside Rekordbox (labeled by Vibes), so it does not touch playlists you created manually. Your existing structure stays intact alongside the Vibes-generated one. In the Playlists panel you end up with both side by side: the folders you built by hand, exactly as you left them, and the Vibes folder next to them. Nothing you made by hand is renamed, moved, or merged.
Yes. Rekordbox 7 supports multiple levels of playlist folder nesting. Select any existing folder and choose [Create New Folder] or [Create New Playlist] from the [Playlist] menu. Both are added under the selected folder, so you can build a deeper hierarchy. On a CDJ, the Playlist screen browses those folders level by level, so the structure you built in Rekordbox is the one you navigate at the booth.
To move tracks in Rekordbox playlist order, sort the open playlist by its track-order column, then drag the tracks up or down. To move them into a different playlist, open the target in the sub browser window and drag the selection onto it. Rekordbox adds them there but leaves them in the source, because a playlist only references your Collection. To finish the move, go back to the source, select the same tracks, right-click them and choose [Remove from Playlist]. The files on disk are never moved or copied.
Rekordbox does not use the word crate. The equivalent is a playlist: right-click [Playlists] in the tree view and choose [Create New Playlist]. A Serato subcrate maps to a playlist nested inside a Rekordbox playlist folder. If you are switching apps, the Serato to Rekordbox guide covers how crates and cue points carry over.

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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Methodology

How we keep this honest.

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Every step is checked against the current version of Rekordbox.

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Kept current

Last reviewed September 2026.

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