Extract text from Serato playlists and Rust packages (CRATE)
To convert CRATE Playlists and packages to another format, you need Serato DJ or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Playlist Database / Source Archive" file type, you need software like Serato DJ or a similar tool.
A .CRATE file primarily functions as a DJ playlist database created by Serato DJ (or its predecessor, Serato ScratchLive). These files store track file paths, cue points, beatgrids, and metadata essential for live performances. Alternatively, software developers encounter .CRATE files as GZIP-compressed source code packages managed by the Rust Cargo system and downloaded from the official crates.io registry.
The main disadvantage of the Serato .CRATE format is its proprietary structure. It intentionally locks users into the Serato ecosystem. DJs switching to competitors like Pioneer Rekordbox or Native Instruments Traktor face massive hurdles because these platforms cannot read Serato files natively. Users must extract or convert these files to standard XML, CSV, or M3U targets to migrate their libraries. Meanwhile, Rust .CRATE files cannot be browsed directly without extraction tools since they are essentially standard compressed tarballs masquerading under a custom extension, usually targeting .TAR.GZ or ZIP for broad accessibility.
Because Serato playlists are closed, proprietary binary formats, standard online converters consistently fail to process them. Often, only the original DJ software can properly read or export the library data. However, convert.guru acts as a pragmatic workaround. Drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. If our analysis detects a standard Rust package, we extract the underlying GZIP format automatically. If it is a Serato file, we can inspect the binary file, expose raw text strings, and attempt to salvage readable metadata so you are not completely locked out of your own music library.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CRATE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted FMF, EBT and TOC files.
If you want to convert CRATE file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Serato DJ or similar software from the "DJ Playlist & Rust Package" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to CRATE, try Serato DJ or another comparable tool in the "DJ Playlist & Rust Package" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our CRATE converter.