Crate Hackers Support

You can export any Crate Hackers crate to Virtual DJ as an M3U playlist in just a few clicks.

What this article covers

This article shows you how to export a crate from Crate Hackers into VirtualDJ.

You will learn how to:

• Prepare your crate for export
• Match your local files
• Export the crate to VirtualDJ
• Find the exported playlist inside VirtualDJ
• Fix common M3U playlist issues

Before you start

Before exporting to VirtualDJ, make sure you have:

• Crate Hackers v11.8.0 or later
• VirtualDJ installed
• Local music files matched in Crate Hackers
• VirtualDJ selected in Crate Hackers settings
• The VirtualDJ folder path set correctly in Crate Hackers

You can download the latest Crate Hackers app here:

www.cratehackers.com/ch11

Step 1: Find your crate

Open Crate Hackers and search for the crate you want to export.

Once you find it, open the crate.

This could be a crate you built yourself, a curated crate, or any crate available inside Crate Hackers.

Step 2: Turn on Track Matcher

Inside the crate, turn on:

Track Matcher Options

This lets Crate Hackers connect the crate tracks to the music files already on your computer.

If Track Matcher is off, Crate Hackers may not know which local files to export.

Step 3: Select your matched files

After Track Matcher loads your matches, choose the files you want to export.

You can click:

Select First

This automatically selects the top match for every track.

You can also expand individual tracks and choose a specific version manually.

This is useful if you have multiple versions of the same song, like:

• Clean
• Explicit
• Intro edit
• Short edit
• Extended edit
• Remix

Step 4: Export to VirtualDJ

Once your tracks are selected, go to the export area.

In the Export Options bar, find the DJ Software section.

Click the:

VirtualDJ icon

Wait for the confirmation message:

Exported to VirtualDJ successfully

That means Crate Hackers created the M3U playlist and sent it to the VirtualDJ location.

Step 5: Open the crate in VirtualDJ

Now open VirtualDJ.

In the left sidebar, expand:

M3U Playlists

Click your exported crate name.

Your Crate Hackers playlist should now load inside VirtualDJ.

Troubleshooting

Export fails

If the export fails, open Crate Hackers and go to:

Preferences > DJ Software

Then check the following:

• Make sure VirtualDJ is checked
• Make sure the VirtualDJ folder path is correct
• If needed, click Use Default
• Try exporting again

No M3U Playlists folder appears in VirtualDJ

If you do not see the M3U Playlists folder in VirtualDJ, you may need to turn on M3U playlist visibility.

Inside VirtualDJ, go to:

Settings > Options & Tweaks

Search for:

m3u

Set these three options to Yes:

• showM3UAsFolders
• browserAutoExportM3U
• browserShowLegacyM3UPlaylists

Close the dialog.

The M3U Playlists folder should now appear in your VirtualDJ sidebar.

Tracks appear, but do not load

If the playlist appears but tracks do not load, the file path may be broken.

Check that:

• The original files have not been moved
• The external drive is connected
• The selected matched files still exist on your computer
• The crate was exported after matching local files
• VirtualDJ has access to the folder where the music lives

If needed, go back to Crate Hackers, re-sync your library, reselect the matched files, and export again.

The wrong version exported

If the wrong version of a song exported, go back to the crate in Crate Hackers.

Expand that track in Track Matcher and manually choose the correct version.

Then export the crate again.

This is helpful when you need the clean version, intro edit, extended edit, or a specific remix.

Quick checklist

Before opening VirtualDJ, make sure you have:

• Installed Crate Hackers v11.8.0 or later
• Installed VirtualDJ
• Matched your local files in Crate Hackers
• Turned on Track Matcher Options
• Clicked Select First or manually selected matches
• Clicked the VirtualDJ export icon
• Waited for the successful export message
• Opened VirtualDJ
• Expanded M3U Playlists
• Clicked your exported crate

The main idea

Crate Hackers exports VirtualDJ crates as M3U playlists.

Match your local files first, select the versions you want, export to VirtualDJ, then open the crate under M3U Playlists inside VirtualDJ.

If the playlist does not appear, check your VirtualDJ M3U settings and confirm your Crate Hackers VirtualDJ path is correct.

Need more help?

Crate Hackers changes fast, so some screens or buttons may look slightly different than the examples here. The core workflow should still point you in the right direction.

Watch the latest Crate Hackers guides on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@cratehackers

Join us live every Tuesday night at 8 PM Eastern for the Crate Hackers Hackathon on Twitch and CrateHackathon.com:
https://www.cratehackathon.com

Need help from the team?
Email help@cratehackers.com