How to · Serato DJ

Relocate missing files in Serato DJ.

When Serato DJ loses track of moved or renamed files, it flags them as missing. Here is how to relink them without losing your cue points and loops.

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Vibes DJ library management app on desktop

Organize and prep your library in Vibes before moving files around.

Relocate missing files in Serato DJ, step by step.

Serato DJ stores file paths at the time you add tracks. If you move, rename, or reorganize files outside of Serato, those tracks show a missing file indicator. The built-in relocate tool lets you relink them individually or in bulk.

Identify missing files

Open Serato DJ and look for tracks displayed in orange with a question mark icon in the status column of your crates and library. These are tracks whose file path no longer matches what Serato recorded. You can also open the Files panel to browse your folder structure and confirm where your tracks currently live.

Open the Files panel and check iTunes settings

Before using the relocate feature, go to Setup > Library + Display and confirm that 'Show iTunes Library' is turned off. If you skip this step and have an iTunes/Apple Music library loaded, Serato can create duplicate entries after relocation. Then click the Files button in the left panel to open the file browser. At the bottom of the Files panel you will see the Relocate Lost Files button. Do not click it yet: clicking the button alone causes Serato to scan all attached drives, which can take a very long time.

Drag your folder onto the Relocate Lost Files button

In the Files panel (or in Finder on Mac / Explorer on Windows), navigate to the folder where your tracks now live. Drag and drop that folder directly onto the Relocate Lost Files button. Serato will scan the folder and any sub-folders for files currently marked as missing, matching them by filename, and update the database with their new location. Cue points, loops, and beat grids are preserved in the Serato database and should survive the relink.

Confirm your crates and relink any remaining files

After the scan completes, review your crates to confirm the orange missing indicators are gone. For any tracks that could not be matched automatically because they were renamed, right-click the track in your library and choose 'Locate Missing File,' then browse to the file and relink it individually. This preserves crate and playlist membership. Avoid re-adding missing tracks by dragging them in fresh from the Files panel, as that creates a new unlinked entry. Check a few cue points on relocated tracks to verify the metadata survived.

The catch

The relocate tool matches by filename, so tracks that were both moved and renamed at the same time may not be found automatically. Use the right-click 'Locate Missing File' option to relink those one by one without losing their crate or playlist membership.

Mood

Euphoric

Melancholic

Mysterious

Energy

Aggressive

Peaceful

Rave

Function

Afterhours

Club

Home

Where Vibes fits

Import your Serato library before you reorganize, not after.

Vibes imports your full Serato library, including crates and metadata, so your organizational work is captured before you touch your folder structure. If you plan to reorganize your files, importing into Vibes first means your tags, vibes, and categories travel with you through the process.

See how it works

Import your Serato library and .crate files into Vibes before any folder reorganization

Tag and organize tracks with Categories and Vibes so your prep work is stored independently of file paths

Export back to Serato as .crate files once your files are in their final locations

Use Watched Folders to auto-import newly relocated tracks into your Vibes library going forward

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 is a library prep and organization tool, not a performance mixer. Relocating missing files within Serato is a Serato-native task and must be done inside Serato DJ. Vibes is useful before or after that process, for capturing your library state and keeping your organizational work independent of file paths.

Yes, in most cases. Serato stores cue points and loops in its own database tied to the track entry, not inside the audio file. When you successfully relink a missing file, that track's cue points, loops, and beat grids are restored. Tracks you have to re-add manually from scratch will lose that data.

Files go missing when you move, rename, or delete them outside of Serato, for example by reorganizing folders in Finder or Windows Explorer. Serato records the exact file path when a track is added, and if that path changes, it can no longer find the file. Moving files through Serato's own Files panel avoids this problem.

Methodology