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Migrate · iTunes to Rekordbox

Move from iTunes to Rekordbox.

Moving from iTunes to Rekordbox is the classic step from music collector to club-ready DJ. Here is exactly what carries across, what gets lost, and how to bring your whole library over without starting from scratch.

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

A DJ library organized in Vibes with BPM, key, and vibe tags intact after moving from iTunes to Rekordbox

Bring your collection across without losing your work.

Your music already lives in iTunes, the Music app on current macOS, and Rekordbox can read that library directly. The real work is not the transfer. It is turning a listening library into a DJ library: analysis, organization, and playlists that survive on their own.

What transfers from iTunes to Rekordbox.

CapabilityCarriesWhat happens
Audio filesLocal, DRM-free files link up. Apple Music streaming tracks do not come across.
PlaylistsPlaylists appear via the iTunes import; make them native so they live in Rekordbox without the XML.
Key & BPMiTunes stores no DJ analysis; Rekordbox analyzes tracks fresh after the import.
Hot cuesiTunes has no cue points, so you start clean rather than losing anything.
BeatgridsCreated by Rekordbox's own analysis after import.
Star ratingsCarry where the app reads iTunes ratings; spot-check after import.
Comments & tagsComments saved in the file tags travel with the files themselves.

Using Rekordbox's built-in iTunes import. iTunes never stored DJ data like cues or beatgrids, so those start fresh no matter which path you take.

The easy way

Moving from iTunes to Rekordbox, step by step.

Rekordbox has a built-in iTunes import, so the native path genuinely works. It links your local files and playlists; it just does not create any of the DJ-layer data iTunes never had.

01

Point Rekordbox at your library

On macOS, Rekordbox reads the Music app library automatically and shows it under the iTunes node in the browser tree. If it does not appear, or you are on Windows, open Preferences, go to Advanced, then Database, and set the iTunes Library XML path to your library XML file. Only local, DRM-free files carry; Apple Music streaming tracks stay behind.

02

Pull the playlists into your Collection

The iTunes node is a window, not a home. Drag the playlists you actually use from it into Rekordbox's own Playlists tree so the tracks enter your Collection and stop depending on the XML link. This is also the moment to add folder structure, one folder per residency or style, instead of recreating iTunes' flat list.

03

Analyze and set up the DJ layer

Let Rekordbox analyze BPM, key, waveforms, and grids; iTunes stored none of that. Then switch the key display to Alphanumeric in Preferences under View, which is Rekordbox's name for Camelot-style lettering, and start using My Tag and Intelligent Playlists, the two organizing tools a listening library never had.

04

Export a USB stick for the booth

USB export is part of the free plan: build your playlists, plug in a stick, and export it for CDJs. The stick is a snapshot, so re-export after each prep session, and spot-check a few tracks on hardware before the first gig.

The import only covers local, DRM-free files, and the iTunes node stays read-only. Everything DJ-specific, cues, grids, My Tags, and energy structure, still has to be created in Rekordbox after the move.

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 cleaner path

One library, every app.

Vibes does not need the XML: it imports the folders where your music already lives, analyzes BPM, key, and track sections, and adds the mood and energy organization iTunes never had. Then it exports playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points straight into Rekordbox, so you arrive with a DJ-ready library instead of a flat track list.

See the DJ Library
Import the folders where your iTunes media already lives, no XML needed
Analyze BPM, key, and sections across the whole collection
Add the mood and energy organization a listening library never had
Export playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points into Rekordbox

Organize once, export to Rekordbox.

Your playlists, tags, ratings, and cue points travel 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.

Yes. On macOS, Rekordbox reads the Music app library automatically; otherwise set the XML path in Preferences under Advanced, then Database. Your iTunes playlists appear under an iTunes node in the browser. Drag them into Rekordbox's own playlists to make them permanent parts of your collection.
Yes. Rekordbox's free plan covers the whole export path: manage the collection, build playlists, analyze tracks, and export a USB stick that plays on CDJs and XDJs. Paid plans add things like cloud sync and broader hardware support in performance mode, but the collector-to-club route costs nothing beyond the music.
Not through the library import. Only local, DRM-free files you own, purchased or ripped, come across; Apple Music subscription tracks are protected streams and never become files in your DJ library. Rekordbox and Serato DJ offer separate Apple Music streaming integrations inside the app, and Engine OS players reach Apple Music through Connected Services on the hardware, not in the desktop app. Those tracks stay streams: they need a connection and cannot be exported, pre-analyzed offline, or moved between apps. Traktor has no Apple Music streaming. For music you rely on at gigs, owning the file is still the safe path.
There is nothing to lose: iTunes never stored cue points or beatgrids. Your destination app creates them fresh during analysis. If you prep in Vibes first, it can analyze tracks and export cue points along with your playlists, so you do not start from zero.

Methodology

How we keep this honest.

Verified against the apps

What transfers is tested against the current versions of iTunes and Rekordbox.

We own our bias

We make Vibes. We show the native process and its limits honestly, and we are upfront about what no tool can carry across.

Live pricing

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

Kept current

Last reviewed June 2026.

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