How to Export Traktor Playlists, Your Collection and Tracks to a USB

Step by step

1. 1

   Export one playlist with its tracks

   In the browser tree, right-click the playlist → Export Playlist. The dialog asks for a playlist name, a destination directory and has a "Copy Tracks To Destination" checkbox. Point the destination at the USB and tick the box: Traktor writes the playlist as an .nml file and copies every audio file into the same folder. Leave the box unticked and you get only the .nml, useful when the other machine already has the music at the same paths.

2. 2

   Export the whole collection

   Right-click Track Collection → Export the Collection. It is the same dialog, and with the copy option Traktor duplicates your entire music library to the destination, so check the free space first. Without copying, the export is just an .nml with paths and is equivalent to copying collection.nml straight out of the Traktor folder, which is what Traktor's own Backup folder and MixGoat Cloud Backup do.

3. 3

   Import on the other Traktor

   Plug the USB into the second computer and open Traktor. For a playlist, right-click the Playlists node → Import Playlist and choose the .nml; for a full library, right-click Track Collection → Import Another Collection. Traktor adds the tracks with their cues, loops, grids, ratings and comments. If the music was copied with the export, the .nml already points at the copied files; if not, relocate them afterwards.

4. 4

   Play from the USB on another Traktor

   Traktor can play directly from the USB: after Import Another Collection the entries point at the drive, and as long as it mounts under the same volume name (or drive letter on Windows) each time, the tracks stay found. For a permanent move, copy the music to the new machine's drive and run Relocate once.

5. 5

   Prepare a USB for CDJs instead

   Traktor cannot export a Rekordbox USB: CDJs and XDJs read the PIONEER folder and export.pdb that only Rekordbox writes. Migrate the collection into Rekordbox first, so cues, loops, grids and playlists follow, then use Rekordbox's Device export. MixGoat's Traktor to Rekordbox migration is free and writes into Rekordbox's own library; from there follow the CDJ USB guide.

6. 6

   Move to Serato or VirtualDJ with the cues

   A Traktor .nml means nothing to Serato or VirtualDJ. Run MixGoat → Migrate with Traktor as the source and Serato, VirtualDJ or both as targets: cues, loops, key, rating and every playlist folder are converted, Serato gets crates plus cue tags in the files, VirtualDJ gets database.xml entries. Migration is free; see the Traktor to Serato and Traktor to VirtualDJ pages for the per-app details.

What a Traktor export contains, and what it does not

An exported .nml is a slice of collection.nml: full ENTRY elements for each track, including CUE_V2 cues and loops, TEMPO, MUSICAL_KEY, ratings and comments, plus the NODE tree for the playlist. That is why an import on another Traktor restores hotcues on the pads. With "Copy Tracks To Destination" the LOCATION of each entry is rewritten to the copied files, so the export is self-contained.

It does not contain the Stripes or Transients caches (the second Traktor analyses on load), Traktor Settings.tsi (export that separately from Preferences), History, or anything Traktor Pro 4 keeps for stems. Pro 3 exports import into Pro 4 without change; Pro 4 exports into Pro 3 lose only Pro 4-specific grid data.

Traktor to Traktor on a new computer

For a whole-library move, the fastest path skips the export dialog: copy collection.nml and Traktor Settings.tsi into the new machine's Traktor 4.x.x folder while Traktor is closed, copy the music to the same relative location, and relaunch. If the music path differs, right-click Track Collection → Check Consistency and Relocate. Import Another Collection is the right choice when the new machine already has its own collection you want to keep, because it merges rather than replaces.

Alternatives for the CDJ and cross-app cases

Rekordbox itself can import a Traktor collection through its Traktor library import under the File menu (rekordbox 6 and 7 read .nml directly), which brings tracks, cues and playlists but not always loops or the exact grid. Lexicon and DJ Conversion Utility are paid converters that handle the same move with more options. MixGoat's migration is free, reads collection.nml without touching it, writes into Rekordbox's master.db (falling back to rekordbox.xml), Serato's crates, VirtualDJ's database.xml or several at once, and backs up each target with a .bak first.

Frequently asked questions

How do I export a Traktor playlist with the music files?

Right-click the playlist → Export Playlist, choose the destination and tick "Copy Tracks To Destination". Traktor writes the .nml and copies the audio into the same folder.

Can Traktor export to a USB for CDJs?

No. Pioneer CDJs need the PIONEER folder that Rekordbox's Device export creates. Migrate to Rekordbox (MixGoat does this free, or use Rekordbox's Traktor import), then export the USB from Rekordbox.

Where does Traktor save exported playlists?

Wherever you set the destination in the Export Playlist dialog; the default is the Playlists folder inside Documents/Native Instruments/Traktor 4.x.x/.

How do I import an .nml playlist into Traktor?

Right-click the Playlists node in the browser tree → Import Playlist and pick the .nml. For a complete library, right-click Track Collection → Import Another Collection.

Do exported playlists keep my hotcues?

Yes. The .nml carries every CUE_V2 entry, so cues, loops and grid markers appear on the pads after import on another Traktor. Serato, VirtualDJ and Rekordbox need a conversion to read them.

Is MixGoat's Traktor migration free?

Yes. Library migration between Rekordbox, Serato, Traktor and VirtualDJ is free on every plan; only cue detection saves, loudness matching, metadata repair, organizing and cloud backup are GOAT features.