How to · any DJ app

Use one DJ library on two laptops.

Put your music on one external drive and keep the app database with it: Serato DJ Pro stores the library information for those files on the drive itself, and Rekordbox can move its master database to an external drive so the same collection works from different computers. If one drive is not an option, name one laptop the master, back up its library after every session and restore it on the second machine, because no DJ app merges two databases that both changed. Traktor and Engine DJ need the same one-way discipline.

See DJ library features

Download trial

$49$79USD one-time purchase. First 250 licenses at this price. 14-day free trial.

Use one library on two laptops in any DJ app, step by step.

The task is the same in every app: one set of files, one database that owns the playlists, and one direction of travel. Here is what that looks like in Rekordbox, Serato DJ, Traktor and Engine DJ.

01

Pick one laptop as the master library

Decide which machine owns the collection. The second one holds a copy, never a second original. This matters because these apps do not cleanly merge two databases that both changed: Serato's own documentation says two _Serato_ folders cannot be completely merged. Edit playlists, tags and cues on the master only, then copy in one direction.

02

Keep every track on one external drive

Put your audio in a single root folder on an external SSD instead of scattered folders on each machine. Serato documents that library information for files on an external drive is stored on the drive itself, so plugging that drive into another computer running Serato DJ Pro makes the crates and tracks show up in its library automatically.

03

Make the drive mount at the same path on both machines

Every app stores a file path, not the file. Give the drive one name and keep it. macOS mounts it under /Volumes with that name, and Windows assigns a drive letter you can pin in Disk Management. Matching name and letter on both laptops means the stored paths still resolve and nothing turns red.

04

Copy the database your app keeps

Rekordbox: Preferences > Advanced > Database > Database management selects the master database and can transfer it to an external device, which the manual calls the way to manage files on different computers. Serato: the _Serato_ folder in Music plus the Library folder in Application Support > Serato or AppData > Local > Serato. Traktor: collection.nml in Documents > Native Instruments > Traktor x.x.x. Engine DJ: the Music/Engine Library folder.

05

Load the library on the second laptop

Rekordbox uses File > Library > Backup Library on the master and File > Library > Restore Library on the other machine; the manual states you can restore the backup library to another computer. In Traktor, right-click Track Collection in the browser tree, choose Import another Collection and pick collection.nml. Serato and Engine DJ read the connected drive.

06

Relocate anything that shows up missing

Rekordbox: File > Display All Missing Files opens the Missing File Manager, then click Auto Relocate or Relocate. Serato: open the Files panel and drag the folder onto Relocate Lost Files, after turning off Show iTunes Library under Setup > Library + Display. Traktor: right-click Track Collection > Check Consistency, then Relocate. Engine DJ: right-click a red track and choose Relocate Missing File or Auto Relocate All.

07

Copy back in one direction after every gig

The laptop you played on now holds the newest cues, playlists and history. Back that library up and restore it on the other machine before you touch anything there. Traktor helps: it writes a collection backup into Backup > Collection inside its root folder every time you close the program.

The catch

This is a copy, not a sync. If both laptops got edited you have to choose which version survives, and Serato states that two _Serato_ folders cannot be completely merged. Rekordbox Cloud Library Sync does sync a whole library between computers, but syncing more than ten tracks needs a Creative or Professional plan or the Cloud Option add-on, and it only covers Rekordbox.

DJ Software

Rekordbox

Import XML or Database

Serato

Import Library Database

Traktor

Import NML Collection

Engine

Import Engine Database

File System

Local Folder

Scan directory

Audio Files

Select files

The faster way

Prep in one place, export to whichever laptop you play on.

Vibes keeps the prep out of the database you keep cloning. Import Wizard reads your Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, Engine DJ or Apple Music library and Smart Import auto-detects which app it came from, so tags, energy levels, key and analysis live in Vibes. When the second laptop needs the same material, export the playlists and vibes back out as a folder tree, with optional Camelot key or BPM sub-folders. Vibes does not sync between machines and does not play music: the DJ app still owns playback, and the drive still carries the files.

See how it works

Import Wizard and Smart Import pull in Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor, Engine DJ or Apple Music libraries without retyping anything

Export playlists and vibes back to Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor and Engine DJ as a folder tree, with optional Camelot key or BPM sub-folders

Duplicate finder with exact, metadata and audio-similarity layers catches the doubles that two-laptop copying leaves behind

Watched folders pick up new tracks, so what you export to the second laptop is current

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.

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, including the trade-offs.

There is no single best one. Rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro, Traktor Pro, Engine DJ, VirtualDJ and djay Pro all run on a laptop and all handle a large library. For a two-laptop setup the choice that matters is running the same app and the same version on both machines, since library files move between versions of one app, not between different apps. Match the app to the gear you plug into.

One folder tree for the audio files, one database that owns the playlists, and tags you can actually filter on: key, BPM, energy and genre or mood. Keep filenames and folder names stable, because every app stores the path and a rename shows the track as missing. Decide the structure once, then apply it everywhere instead of reorganizing per gig. More on that in organizing a DJ library.

There is no reliable count, and both macOS and Windows machines are used on stage every night. What matters for two laptops is duller than the brand: both should meet the current system requirements of your DJ app, both should run the same version, and the backup machine should be tested with a full set before you rely on it. An untested spare is not a backup.

You cannot merge two computers into one system, and for a DJ library you do not want to. The working version is one master library: one laptop owns the database, the other receives a copy. Serato's documentation is explicit that two _Serato_ folders cannot be completely merged, so edit on one machine and copy one way. Keep a real library backup as well.

For playback, do not. Serato says it does not support reading data from a network source, because the transfer rates needed to stream audio live can exceed what a network reliably delivers, which drops audio and waveforms. Move the library with an external drive, a direct data transfer cable or a file-sync tool run while both DJ apps are closed, then always play from local or external storage.

Nothing useful. The HDMI port on a laptop is a video output, so joining two outputs transfers no files and shows no screen. To move a library, use an external SSD, a USB or Thunderbolt data transfer cable, or a shared folder over your local network while the DJ apps are closed. Then open the app and relocate anything it lists as missing.

The path changed. Each app stores where a file was, so a different drive letter, drive name or user folder breaks the link even though the audio is right there. Fix it per app: Auto Relocate in Rekordbox, Relocate Lost Files in Serato, Check Consistency then Relocate in Traktor, Relocate Missing File in Engine DJ. The Serato-only version is in using Serato on two laptops.

Only if the database travels with the audio. Rekordbox Backup Library saves the collection, playlists, analysis information and music files. Serato keeps crates and library data in the _Serato_ folder, including the one on your external drive. Traktor carries the collection in collection.nml, and Engine DJ retains cues, loops and beatgrid data through a relocate. Copy just the audio files and all of it stays behind. See switching apps.

From a Vibes customer

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

Danny

One-time purchase

Get Vibes with a single payment. No subscription.

First 250 licenses at this price, then $79.

Free Trial

14 days • Full access

Full access to all features

No credit card required

Works offline

Download Free Trial

No strings attached

FREE UPDATES FOREVER

$49USD

one-time payment

Includes Vibes Companion Pro

Use on 2 devices (macOS and Windows)

All updates included, free forever

14-day free trial to evaluate

Secure checkout with Stripe

Already have Companion Pro? Upgrade instead

And there's more

Included with every license

Companion Pro comes with Vibes.

Save tracks from Beatport, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, YouTube and more straight into your library. A $19 tool, free with Vibes.

Explore Companion

Vibes Companion saving a track from a music platform into the Vibes library

Methodology

How we keep this honest.

Reviewed by Ben Modigell, founder of Vibes and a working DJ in Cologne.

Verified against the app

Every step is checked against the current version of any DJ app.

We own our bias

We make Vibes. We show the native way first and honestly, then where Vibes genuinely helps, and we say when it does not.

Live pricing

The Vibes price shown comes straight from our checkout, never a hardcoded marketing number.

Kept current

Last reviewed June 2026.

Keep exploring

Compare Vibes

DJ apps head to head

Works with your software

Vibes for DJs

Vibes features

How-to guides

Best DJ software

Move between apps

DJ tools

Learn to DJ

DJ directory