What Files and Folders does TRAKTOR PRO 3 install on my System?

TRAKTOR installs these files and folders on your system by default:

TRAKTOR Application Folder

The default path of the TRAKTOR application folder is:

• macOS: Macintosh HD > Applications > Native Instruments > Traktor Pro 3
• Windows: C: > Program Files > Native Instruments > Traktor Pro 3

After installing TRAKTOR, the application folder will contain the following components: 

• Traktor (icon): This application file is your main TRAKTOR software. The main TRAKTOR application bears a specific version number. You can find out the version number by right-clicking on the app-icon and selecting Get Info (macOS) or Properties > Details (Windows) from the context menu. In our example, we are using version 3.5.1.
  
• Documentation (folder): This folder contains several documents regarding the use of TRAKTOR software and hardware products, as well as TRAKTOR Ready controllers:
  • Controller Mappings (folder): This contains an overview of functions for several TRAKTOR Ready controller mappings.
  • License Agreement (folder): This contains legal information about your Native Instruments user license as well as the use of third-party content and licenses.
  • Traktor *Device Model* (folder): This contains a link to the user manual for this device or controller.
  • Traktor 3 Manual (file): HTML link to the TRAKTOR 3 user manual.
  • Traktor 3 Getting Started (file): HTML link to the start-up guide. Use this to learn the basic concepts of the TRAKTOR software.
  • Readme (file): This text file logs the history of all changes, new features, and software fixes introduced for each TRAKTOR version.
• Backup (folder): When you install a TRAKTOR update from Native Access, a backup copy of your previously installed version of TRAKTOR will be present in this folder.
• Drivers / Resources (folders) / .exe / .dll files: These files and folders only appear on Windows systems. They are necessary for the functioning of the TRAKTOR application.

TRAKTOR Root Directory

The TRAKTOR Root Directory (a.k.a. TRAKTOR database) is where the TRAKTOR user data is stored. This data includes your Track Collection (i.e. your playlists, tags, etc.), TRAKTOR Settings file (your layout and preferences), and other documents.

Important Note: The TRAKTOR Root Directory contains personal user data which cannot be recovered after deleting. Do not delete or modify these contents unless you have specific reasons to do so. It is strongly recommended to create a backup copy of your TRAKTOR Root Directory, and update it regularly.

The default path of the TRAKTOR Root Directory is:

• macOS: Macintosh HD > Users > *Username* > Documents > Native Instruments > Traktor *Version Number*
• Windows: C: > Users > *Username* > Documents > Native Instruments > Traktor *Version Number*

The Root Directory will be created when launching TRAKTOR for the first time. The number in the folder name corresponds to the software version of your main TRAKTOR application in the application folder (i.e. the latest updated version). In our example at the time of writing, it is the Traktor 3.5.1 folder:
macOS

Windows

As shown in the images above, the TRAKTOR Root Directory contains important TRAKTOR data files and subfolders. Here is a list and description of the most significant items:

• collection.nml (file): This file is created on the first time that the TRAKTOR software is launched. This is the most important file of the Root Directory as it contains your current Track Collection. TRAKTOR loads this file every time the software is launched. If you perform changes in the Collection / Playlists, the file will be updated when closing the TRAKTOR software. This file contains all information regarding your tracks, their tags, and Playlists.
• Traktor Settings.tsi (file): TRAKTOR loads this file every time the software is launched. This file determines the layout of TRAKTOR as well as all user-defined parameters in the TRAKTOR Preferences menu. If you perform changes in the Preferences or in the layout of the TRAKTOR user interface, the file will be updated when closing the software. This file is created at the time of launching TRAKTOR for the first time via the Setup Wizard configuration menu.
• Coverart (folder): When a music file (or the folder in which this file is contained) includes cover art information, TRAKTOR extracts this information at the time of import and places it into this folder in order to display the Cover Art in the TRAKTOR Browser.
  
• History (folder): This contains all History Playlists. A History Playlist includes information on tracks played in a given TRAKTOR session. Each Playlist is generated if more than one track has been played in the Decks, and it is automatically saved when closing TRAKTOR. History Playlist files are available through the Explorer > Archive node in the TRAKTOR Browser.
  
• Logs (folder): This contains the Traktor.log file which keeps record of certain operations in TRAKTOR. This file can be useful when troubleshooting specific issues.
• Settings (folder): This contains several TRAKTOR setting (.tsi) files including TRAKTOR Ready controller mappings, audio settings, keyboard, and GUI layout. These files are automatically added to your TRAKTOR configuration when you choose certain options in the TRAKTOR Setup Wizard menu. See this video for more information.
• Stripes (folder): The contents of this folder are generated during the analysis of your music files. Stripes are displayed below tracks that have been analyzed and loaded into the Decks.
  

• Transients (folder): The contents of this folder are generated during the analysis of your music files. The transient files contain beat information which is essential for Beatgridding and Syncing your tracks.
• Backup (folder): This folder is created only after you have made changes in either your Track Collection or the TRAKTOR Preferences / Layout. It may contain subfolders named Collection and Settings, which store backup versions of your collections and settings. You can find detailed instructions on how to restore the state of your collections or settings from the Backup folder in the Related Articles section at the bottom of this page.

TRAKTOR Music Folders

During installation, TRAKTOR creates a separate folder to store specific audio content (e.g. internal recordings or samples) created using some of the dedicated functions in TRAKTOR. The default path of this folder is:

• macOS: Macintosh HD > Users > *Username* > Music > Traktor
• Windows: C: > Users > *Username* > Music > Traktor

macOS

Windows

Note: The Traktor folder stores audio content created through the use of the TRAKTOR Remix Deck, Audio Recorder, and Loop Recorder. These features are not available in TRAKTOR LE versions.

As shown in the image above, the Traktor folder contains the following subfolders:

• ContentImport: This folder holds your Remix Deck content. Each time you import a Remix Set (.trak file) or create a new Remix Set in TRAKTOR, a folder with the name of the Remix Set and all its associated samples will be created here. If you add or modify the samples of an existing Remix Set, the contents of these subfolders will be modified accordingly.
• Recordings: This folder holds all recordings made with TRAKTOR's Audio Recorder. These recordings can also be accessed in the TRAKTOR Browser, within the Audio Recordings folder.
  
• Samples: This folder holds all audio files that have been auto-created and saved in TRAKTOR as Samples (i.e. audio material copied from the Loop Recorder / Track Deck onto a Remix Deck slot or neighboring Track Deck).
  

Note: TRAKTOR allows you the option to define custom music folders (in addition to the default music folder) for manual or automatic import of your music files. Custom music folders can be set or modified in TRAKTOR Preferences > File Management > Music Folders. Please see the TRAKTOR manual for more information on Music Folder management.

When installing a TRAKTOR PRO 3 update, the following important additions will be made to both your TRAKTOR application folder and Root Directory:

TRAKTOR Application Folder

During the installation of a TRAKTOR update, a backup copy of your previously installed version of TRAKTOR will be created. The Backup folder is found in the TRAKTOR application folder here:

• macOS: Macintosh HD > Applications > Native Instruments > Traktor Pro 3
• Windows: C: > Program Files > Native Instruments > Traktor Pro 3

In the image below we have installed TRAKTOR 3.5.1 update, and this is now the main Traktor application. All previous versions can be found and launched separately in the Backup folder. This is known as side-by-side installation.

macOS

Windows

TRAKTOR Root Directory

Each backup version of the TRAKTOR software requires its own unique Root Directory. Therefore, TRAKTOR will create a new Root Directory the first time you launch a newly installed update. Unless you have specific reasons to do otherwise, choose Yes when prompted by TRAKTOR to copy the collection and preferences from the previous installation. Likewise, click Yes for the second dialog box to import to the default path on your main drive.
 
Now TRAKTOR will copy the contents of the previous Root Directory into the new one. This operation may take a while depending on the size of your previous collection.

At the end of the copying process, the new Root Directory will have been created in the Documents > Native Instruments folder. To continue with our example, the latest Root Directory folder is named Traktor 3.5.1. This will now be used by your main TRAKTOR application to manage your collection. The neighboring Root Directories from earlier TRAKTOR versions are stored here as backups.

We strongly recommend to keep and regularly update your TRAKTOR data. You will find helpful advice on how to backup and maintain your TRAKTOR installation in the Related Articles section at the bottom of this page.