How to Sync a Rekordbox Library Between Two Computers (Laptop and Studio Mac) Without Losing Cues

You prepare tracks on the studio Mac, set cues and hot cues, build playlists for Saturday, then open the laptop you actually take to the club and none of it is there. Or worse, half of it is there, with the cues from last month. Every DJ who works on two computers hits this wall eventually.

Most answers online are forum threads from the Rekordbox 5 era or old manual PDFs. This guide covers what works in Rekordbox 7 in 2026: the official sync feature, what each plan actually gets you, the free manual method, and the mistakes that leave you with two thousand duplicate tracks.

What is the official way to sync Rekordbox between two computers?

The official answer is Cloud Library Sync. It keeps your library database, meaning your playlists, cue points, hot cues, beat grids and track information, the same on every computer and mobile device logged in to the same AlphaTheta account. Your music files are uploaded to a cloud storage service so each device can download them.

According to AlphaTheta's own documentation, Cloud Library Sync works with Dropbox and Google Drive. When you change a cue on one computer, the change reaches the other once it syncs. A track whose title shows greyed out has not yet been transferred from your other device.

Which Rekordbox plan do I need for Cloud Library Sync?

This is where most DJs get confused, because the feature appears in every version but only works fully on some plans.

• Free and Core: Cloud Library Sync is limited to a trial playlist. AlphaTheta's current documentation describes a 20 track trial playlist, while older guides mention fewer, so check what your version shows. Core also includes Cloud Export for a limited number of files.
• Creative: full library sync, with Dropbox storage included according to AlphaTheta's plan information.
• Professional: full library sync with a larger storage allowance, and the option to choose specific playlists and tracks to upload or upload everything automatically.
• Cloud Option: an add on for the Free, Core or Creative plans that unlocks full library sync with cloud storage, for DJs who do not need the rest of a higher plan.

Plans also limit how many devices you can activate, with more devices on higher tiers. A studio computer, a gig laptop and a phone can use up a lower plan's allowance quickly. Check the current plan page before you buy, because prices and storage allowances change.

How do I set up Cloud Library Sync step by step?

Do this on your main computer first, the one with the most complete and accurate library.

• Update Rekordbox to the latest version on both computers. Mixing versions is asking for trouble.
• Log in on both computers with the same AlphaTheta account and make sure both are activated on your plan.
• On the main computer, open Preferences, go to the Cloud category, choose the Library Sync tab and turn on the option to sync your library to another device.
• Choose Dropbox or Google Drive and log in to that service.
• Upload your tracks. You can right click tracks or playlists and choose to upload them, and Rekordbox asks whether to move or copy the files. Copy is the safer choice until you trust the setup.
• Only then open Rekordbox on the second computer, log in and let it pull the library down.

AlphaTheta recommends a fast, stable connection. The first upload of a large library can take a long time, so start it at home overnight, not in a hotel the afternoon before a gig.

Why do I have duplicate tracks after syncing?

Duplicates are the most common complaint, and the cause is almost always the same. If you imported the same tracks on both computers before turning on sync, Rekordbox treats them as different tracks and you end up with two of each.

The clean way to avoid this is to treat the second computer as empty. Remove its local library, or start it fresh, and let the main computer be the only source. If you already have duplicates, AlphaTheta's FAQ suggests filtering by the Cloud column to see where tracks are stored and deleting the unwanted copies. Back up your library before you delete anything.

One computer is the master. The other is a mirror. If both try to be the master, you get duplicates.

Can I sync Rekordbox without paying for a subscription?

Yes, with discipline. The manual method that many DJs still use is to keep everything on one external SSD.

• Put your music folder on the external drive.
• Use only one computer at a time with that drive, and close Rekordbox before unplugging it.
• Back up the Rekordbox library from the File menu regularly, and keep a copy off the drive.

Some DJs go further and copy the Rekordbox database folder between machines with file sync software. It can work, but it is fragile, especially between Windows and Mac, where drive paths differ and Rekordbox can lose track of where files live. Forum users report spending hours relocating missing files after a bad copy. If your music career depends on that library, the official sync or one drive and one master computer is the safer choice.

What if I just want to move my library to a new computer for good?

Moving to a new laptop is a different job from syncing two. You do not need a subscription for it, but you do need to do it in the right order, or you end up with a library full of tracks Rekordbox cannot find.

• On the old computer, update Rekordbox and make a full library backup from the File menu.
• Copy your music folders to the new computer or to an external drive, keeping the same folder structure.
• Install the same version of Rekordbox on the new computer and restore the backup.
• If tracks show as missing, use Rekordbox's tools for relocating missing files and point it at the top level music folder rather than fixing tracks one by one.

Keeping the same folder structure is what saves you. Rekordbox stores where each file lives, so if you rename or reorganise folders during the move, you create work for yourself. Reorganise later, inside Rekordbox, once everything is found.

Is syncing worth it for a hard techno or club DJ?

It depends on how you work. If you dig and prepare on one machine and play from another every week, the time you lose re-setting cues and rebuilding playlists adds up fast, and one wrong USB before a peak time set costs more than a year of a higher plan. If you prepare and export from a single laptop, you probably do not need cloud sync at all. A good backup routine matters more.

What about my gig USB?

Syncing two computers is about preparation. Your USB is about performance, and it needs its own rule: export to the stick from one computer only. If you export from the studio Mac one week and the laptop the next, you risk playing a stick with an older version of your cues or playlists.

Pick the computer you trust most as the exporter. Before every gig, export from it, check a few tracks on the stick, and keep a second USB as a backup. We covered the backup routine in detail in our guide to backing up a Rekordbox USB before a gig.

What to do this week

• Decide which computer is your master library and stop editing cues on the other one until sync is set up.
• Check your plan in Rekordbox and decide between the official sync, the Cloud Option, or the single external drive method.
• Back up your library before you change anything.
• Set up sync from the master computer, then bring the second computer in fresh to avoid duplicates.
• Choose one computer as the only one that exports your gig USBs.

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