Where Does Traktor Store the Collection and Settings?
Traktor keeps the track collection, settings and backups in a versioned Native Instruments folder. Collection file and paths.
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Traktor's universe is one versioned folder: Documents\Native Instruments\Traktor on PC (or the macOS application-support equivalent), with a version suffix holding collection.nml, the settings file, controller mappings and an automatic Backup subfolder. Every cue point, beatgrid and playlist you have ever made lives in collection.nml.
The file references your music by absolute path, which is the whole backup story in one sentence: move the collection without the music, or the music without updating the collection, and everything shows as missing. Streaming tracks from Beatport and Beatsource are the exception; they live locked inside the Streaming subfolder and never leave Traktor.
Where Traktor stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Native Instruments\Traktor [Ver]
[Ver] is your major version folder holding collection.nml, settings, mappings and the automatic Backup subfolder. Streaming tracks cache under the Streaming subfolder and cannot be relocated. Back up collection.nml before bulk edits; restore from Backup when imports go wrong.
~/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Traktor [Ver]
Same versioned layout under application support: collection.nml, settings, mappings and Backup. Streaming cache path confirmed in NI's own docs at Native Instruments/Traktor/Streaming. Relocation rules match Windows: keep music paths stable or relink after moving.
Frequently asked questions
how do i move traktor collection to a new computer
Copy the versioned Traktor folder plus your music files, keeping relative paths identical. collection.nml references tracks by path, so moved music shows as missing until relinked via Relocate. Traktor's consistency check finds orphans; the automatic Backup folder inside is your rollback for collection edits.
how do i restore a deleted traktor playlist
Open the Backup subfolder inside your Traktor folder and restore the newest collection backup. Traktor writes these automatically, which is why a bad import or mass delete is recoverable. Right-click the Track Collection and Save Collection after any bulk edit so the backup generation has something sane to snapshot.
can i reorganize my music folders after importing
Update the file locations inside Traktor rather than moving files behind its back. collection.nml stores absolute paths, so reorganized folders break every link. Use the relocation tools in the browser tree, or consolidate first and re-import. Beatport streaming tracks live under the Streaming subfolder and cannot be moved at all.
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