Locally imported music in Apple's Music app on macOS be imported and displayed in Serato DJ Pro & Lite software. On Windows this is still imported through iTunes.

In Serato DJ software this locally imported music is known as the iTunes Library.

This article is strictly about importing and managing the local iTunes Library and does not cover Apple Music streaming functionality. For information on the separate streaming service, read our Using Apple Music streaming with Serato DJ Pro or Using Apple Music streaming with Serato DJ Lite articles.

NOTE: Recent versions of iTunes for Windows have removed the ability to import music. We recommend using version 12.10.11 or earlier, which you can download from Apple's iTunes for Windows article.

Showing your iTunes Library

To import music from Apple's Music app on macOS or iTunes on Windows, ensure the Show iTunes Library preference is checked via Setup > Library + Display in Serato DJ software (steps apply to both Pro & Lite):

In Serato DJ software, locally imported music from Apple's Music app on macOS or iTunes on Windows, is shown in the iTunes library area:

Sharing iTunes Library XML with other applications (iTunes for Windows only)

In addition to the steps above, users on Windows using iTunes will also need to enable the Share iTunes Library XML with other applications preference:

Start (menu) > iTunes > Edit (in the menu bar) > Preferences > Advanced (tab):

Recommended Music app settings

Whether you're starting a new library or want to follow best practice for your existing library in Apple's Music app or iTunes on Windows, we suggest making a few tweaks to avoid potential issues down the track.

If you let Apple's Music app or iTunes on Windows app organize all your music for you, in some cases files can show as missing or become duplicated in Serato DJ Pro or Lite software. To avoid this, please make sure the following settings are set correctly.

Firstly navigate in a macOS Finder window to:

Applications > Music > Music (in the menu bar) > Settings > Files (tab)

Or on Windows:

Start (menu) > iTunes > Edit (in the menu bar) > Preferences > Advanced (tab)

Then disable both of the following:

• Keep Music Media folder organised (on macOS) / Keep iTunes Media folder organized (on Windows)
  
  If you have this checked, the Music or iTunes app will shift your files to a new location (putting them in folders of Artist and Album Name, and renaming the file itself), which can creating issues with missing files in Serato DJ software. Unchecking this will stop the Music or iTunes app from doing so, and thus making the integration with Serato DJ software a more seamless experience.

• Copy files to Music Media Folder when adding to library (on macOS) / Copy files to iTunes Media Folder when adding to library (on Windows)
  
  This will stop the Music or iTunes app from creating duplicates of your audio files when importing them. Having this option on could cause a second copy of tracks to show within Serato DJ software and it will also take up more space on your computer since the Music or iTunes app will be copying the music to its own library rather than reading the file from the location on your hard drive.

Once complete, your settings should look as follows on macOS:

And on Windows:

Using Apple's Music app integration in Serato DJ software for the first time, or after importing a large portion of new music (macOS only)

It's worth being aware that after enabling the Show iTunes Library preference in Serato DJ Pro or Lite software for the first time, or after importing a very large portion of music in Apple's Music app, you may notice Serato DJ software doesn't show the library or display your new content on start-up.

If this happens, it's a good idea to launch both Apple's Music app and Serato DJ Pro and leave them running for a while. Our Apple Music's app - why do my tracks from the iTunes library take so long to load into Serato DJ Pro & Lite? article contains more detail regarding this.

Troubleshooting further issues with Apple's Music or iTunes on Windows apps

If you have problems with Apple's Music app itself, your first stop should probably be contacting Apple Support here.

If you have problems with using Apple's Music app in Serato DJ software, please open a help request with the support team here.