How to Export VirtualDJ Playlists, Your Database and Tracks to a USB

Step by step

1. 1

   Save playlists so they exist as files

   Build the list in VirtualDJ's playlist side panel (or the Automix list) and use its save option; the panel asks for a name and writes <name>.vdjfolder into MyLists. Lists dragged onto the Playlists node in the sidebar are saved the same way. If a playlist only exists in the panel, nothing is on disk yet.

2. 2

   Copy or convert the playlist files

   A .vdjfolder is XML with one song element per track and a path attribute. Copy the files to another computer's MyLists and they appear at next launch, provided the music sits at the same paths. VirtualDJ also reads .m3u placed in MyLists, so a list from another app can be dropped in. For the reverse direction, other software rarely reads .vdjfolder; use a migration tool or generate an M3U from the path attributes.

3. 3

   Use Cloudlists for playlists that must follow you

   With a VirtualDJ account signed in, the Cloudlists section of the sidebar syncs the playlists you place there between your computers and can share them publicly. It syncs the playlist file, not database.xml, so cues, tags and the music are not included.

4. 4

   Build a USB that carries cues to another VirtualDJ

   Copy the music to the USB drive, then browse and play a few tracks from it inside VirtualDJ. VirtualDJ creates a VirtualDJ folder at the drive root with its own database.xml holding those tracks' Tags, Scan and Poi elements. To move existing cues onto the drive, keep VirtualDJ closed and copy the relevant Song entries from the main database.xml into the drive's file, or let MixGoat write them: its cue save targets the per-drive database for tracks on that volume.

5. 5

   Migrate to Rekordbox, Serato or Traktor

   Open MixGoat → Migrate Library, choose VirtualDJ as the source and one or more targets. MixGoat reads database.xml and MyLists, converts POIs to hot cues and loops, converts keys and 0 to 5 star ratings, and writes into Rekordbox (master.db, with rekordbox.xml as fallback), Serato (_Serato_ crates and file tags) or Traktor (collection.nml). Close the target app first; the source is never modified. Migration is free. The per-direction pages are mixgoat.com/migrate/virtualdj-to-rekordbox, mixgoat.com/migrate/virtualdj-to-serato and mixgoat.com/migrate/virtualdj-to-traktor.

6. 6

   Prepare the CDJ USB from Rekordbox

   Once the tracks and cues are in Rekordbox, export the playlist to the USB from Rekordbox's Devices panel; that writes the PIONEER folder and export.pdb a CDJ needs. Check formats before you export: 32-bit float or WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE WAV files trigger E-8305 on the player. The full checklist is at mixgoat.com/guides/prepare-tracks-for-cdj-usb.

Why the per-drive database is VirtualDJ's real USB export

VirtualDJ never had an export wizard because it did not need one for its own ecosystem. Any drive that holds music gets a VirtualDJ/database.xml written at its root with drive-relative paths, so plugging the drive into a friend's VirtualDJ shows your tags, BPM, key, cues and loops without importing anything. That is the intended way to gig from a USB with VirtualDJ. The catch is the reverse: the main database.xml on your laptop is what you edit day to day, and cues set there for tracks on the drive are also written to the drive's file only when VirtualDJ has that drive mounted.

If a playlist has to be on the USB too, save it and copy the .vdjfolder into a MyLists folder inside the drive's VirtualDJ folder; VirtualDJ shows drive-local playlists under the drive in the sidebar.

What VirtualDJ can and cannot do with Pioneer hardware

VirtualDJ can browse a Rekordbox-prepared USB in its own browser and read the playlists and cues on it. It does not write the Pioneer export database, so a USB prepared in VirtualDJ shows the CDJ a folder of files with no playlists, no hot cues and no waveforms. To play from CDJs with your VirtualDJ cues, the cues have to pass through Rekordbox, which is what the migration step does. The same is true for Serato and Traktor users; their equivalents of this page are mixgoat.com/guides/export-rekordbox-playlists-and-library, mixgoat.com/guides/export-serato-crates-and-library and mixgoat.com/guides/export-traktor-playlists-and-collection.

What carries over in the migration: title, artist, album, genre, label, comment, year, BPM, key, rating, play count, hot cues with pad numbers and colours, saved loops with lengths, and playlists with their folder structure. VirtualDJ remix points and automix points stay in VirtualDJ, because the other apps have no equivalent. Cue names such as "Drop 8 bars" arrive unchanged.

Frequently asked questions

Can VirtualDJ export a Rekordbox USB for CDJs?

No. It can read a Rekordbox USB, but it does not write the export.pdb database a CDJ needs. Migrate the tracks and cues to Rekordbox first, then export from Rekordbox.

How do I export a VirtualDJ playlist as M3U?

VirtualDJ saves playlists as .vdjfolder XML in MyLists. The song elements carry a path attribute, so an M3U is one line per path; MixGoat's migration writes the playlist straight into the target app instead, which avoids the intermediate file.

Do cue points travel with the USB drive in VirtualDJ?

Yes, for tracks stored on that drive, because VirtualDJ writes a VirtualDJ/database.xml at the drive root. They do not travel for tracks that live on your laptop and were only copied to the drive afterwards.

Does Cloudlists back up my VirtualDJ library?

No. It syncs playlist files through your account. database.xml, the cues in it and the music are not uploaded; see mixgoat.com/guides/how-to-back-up-virtualdj-library for that.

Does migrating from VirtualDJ change my VirtualDJ library?

No. MixGoat reads database.xml and MyLists and writes only to the target app, after backing up the target's database. You can keep using VirtualDJ alongside the new app.