Use this guide to export a crate from Crate Hackers into Serato DJ.

The basic flow is simple: make sure Crate Hackers knows where your music lives, save the crate to My Crates, match your tracks, export, then open Serato.

Do not skip the music folder step. Serato cannot play files it cannot find. Computers remain shockingly petty about this.

Fast Fix

  1. Know where your music files live.
  2. Add your music folders inside Crate Hackers.
  3. Choose a crate or build your own.
  4. Click Save to My Crates.
  5. Match the tracks you already own.
  6. Click Export.
  7. Rename the crate if needed.
  8. Open Serato DJ.
  9. Look for the crate in your Serato crate list.
  10. Test a few tracks before using it at a gig.

Step 1: Know Where Your Music Lives

Before you export anything, know where your actual music files are stored.

Your music may live on:

  • Your local computer drive
  • An external hard drive
  • Dropbox
  • Google Drive
  • Another synced folder or storage location

Remember the main folder where your music files live. Serato may need that location later if files need to be relocated.

Step 2: Add Your Music Folders to Crate Hackers

Crate Hackers needs to know where your music is stored so it can match songs correctly.

  1. Open Crate Hackers.
  2. Go to Library.
  3. Open Music Sources.
  4. Click Add Folder.
  5. Select the folder where your music lives.
  6. Add any other folders or drives you use for DJ music.

You can add more than one music source. This is helpful if your library is split between your computer, an external drive, and cloud storage.

Once your folders are added, Crate Hackers can keep matching your library against crates and charts.

Step 3: Pick a Crate

Choose a crate you want to use in Serato.

This can be:

  • A curated Crate Hackers crate
  • A Mixable Crate
  • A crate you built yourself
  • A crate based on a specific gig, genre, room, or moment
  1. Open the crate you want.
  2. Review the track list.
  3. Click Save to My Crates.

Saving the crate to My Crates makes it easier to review, adjust, match, and export.

Step 4: Match Your Tracks

Before exporting, review which tracks you already own and which ones are missing.

  1. Open the crate inside Crate Hackers.
  2. Look for tracks that match files already in your library.
  3. Check off the tracks you want to include.
  4. Download or add any missing songs you need.
  5. Rescan your music sources if you added new files.

Keep BPMs reasonably close if you are building a crate meant for smoother mixing. You do not need every song to be perfectly matched, but do not build yourself a roller coaster unless that is the actual plan.

Also check your versions. Clean, explicit, intro, short edit, extended, remix, and radio edit versions are not the same thing.

Step 5: Export the Crate

Once your crate is saved and matched, you can export it.

  1. Open the crate you want to export.
  2. Click Export at the top of the crate.
  3. Rename the crate if you want a cleaner name inside Serato.
  4. Choose the Serato export option if shown.
  5. Follow the export steps in the app.

You may also see optional export choices like PDF, CSV, or Spotify backup. Those are useful for reference, sharing, or backup, but they are not the same as sending a playable crate to Serato.

For Serato, focus on the crate export first. Save the paperwork for later. Nobody has ever rescued a dance floor with a CSV file.

Step 6: Open the Crate in Serato

After exporting, open Serato DJ and check your crate list.

  1. Launch Serato DJ.
  2. Look in your Serato crate list.
  3. Find the crate you exported from Crate Hackers.
  4. Open the crate.
  5. Load a few tracks to confirm the files work.

If the crate appears and the songs load correctly, you are ready to mix.

Important: Test Before the Gig

Always test the exported crate before using it live.

  • Open Serato.
  • Open the exported crate.
  • Load a few tracks.
  • Confirm the files are not missing.
  • Check that the crate order looks right.
  • Analyze files if BPM or key data is missing.

Testing takes a minute. Fixing a missing-file mess during a set feels like being audited by a dance floor.

Troubleshooting

Missing Files

If Serato shows missing files, use Serato's relocate feature.

  1. Open Serato.
  2. Go to Files.
  3. Use Relocate Lost Files or point Serato to the folder where the music lives.
  4. Make sure your external drive or cloud folder is connected and available.

Crate Not Showing in Serato

  • Make sure you clicked Save to My Crates before exporting.
  • Export the crate again from Crate Hackers.
  • Close and reopen Serato.
  • Check the Serato crate list, not just the main library.

Wrong Crate Order

If the order looks wrong inside Serato, sort by the # column when available.

Duplicates

If duplicates clutter your crate, clean them inside Crate Hackers first using the duplicate tools.

Bad or Unsupported File Types

Use DJ-friendly file types such as MP3, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC. If a file will not load, check whether Serato supports that file type and whether the file is damaged.

External Drive Issues

If your music lives on an external drive, plug in the drive before opening Serato.

If the drive is missing, Serato may show missing files even if the crate exported correctly.

No BPM or Key Data

If BPM or key data is missing in Serato, right click the tracks and choose Analyze Files.

Large Crates Load Slowly

Very large crates can slow things down. If a crate feels heavy, break it into smaller, more focused crates.

Smaller crates are usually easier to use live anyway. Nobody needs a 900-song panic drawer.

Best Serato Export Workflow

  1. Add your music folders to Crate Hackers.
  2. Scan your library.
  3. Choose or build a crate.
  4. Save it to My Crates.
  5. Match the tracks you own.
  6. Add any missing tracks you need.
  7. Export the crate.
  8. Open Serato.
  9. Test the crate before using it live.

That is the clean path. Follow it once or twice and the whole thing gets much easier.

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