Why does Serato keep crashing or freezing on my Mac?

Crash or hang: which one do you have

The fix depends on it, so check first. In Serato’s own terms:

• A crash is when Serato quits on its own. The audio stops at once, and macOS usually shows a crash report.
• A hang is when Serato freezes but stays open. The interface stops responding, the audio usually stops, and the app may or may not crash later.

With a hang, wait before you force quit. A force quit can stop the crash log from being written, and that log is what Serato Support needs to find the cause.

Crashes at launch

If Serato dies before the library appears, the problem is almost always in what it reads at startup:

• A damaged database. On Serato DJ Pro 4 the library is master.sqlite in ~/Library/Application Support/Serato/Library. On 3.x it is database V2 in ~/Music/_Serato_. Both can be restored or rebuilt without losing crates or cues: see how to fix a corrupt Serato database.
• A drive that is failing or half-connected. If a music drive is slow in Finder too, disconnects on its own or makes noise, deal with the drive first. Rebuilding a library on a dying drive only damages the new one.
• A damaged file that crashes the import. If a fresh database still crashes, add your music back half a folder at a time until you find the folder, then the file, that brings it down.

If Serato opens but shows a message that the library failed to open, that is a different problem with different causes. It has its own guide.

Crashes when you load or analyze a track

This is the most common pattern, and the cause is nearly always the file. A bad download, a copy that was interrupted, a file whose extension was changed to look like audio, or a file of 2 GB or more can all crash a deck or the analyzer. Serato marks many of these with a warning triangle in the library once they have been analyzed, and hovering over it shows the message “This file may not work correctly when loaded”.

Serato’s fix, in order: re-download the file from where you got it, check it really is an audio file, then re-encode it. Some files are too damaged to save, so delete them and get a new copy. If Serato refuses to analyze a file rather than crashing on it, see why Serato won’t analyze some files.

One warning before you re-analyze your whole library to hunt for bad files: Serato notes that re-analyzing overwrites existing beatgrids. If you have adjusted grids by hand, back up first, or analyze only the tracks you suspect.

Crashes or freezes when you connect hardware

If Serato is stable with no controller but crashes when you plug one in, update the controller’s firmware and any driver from the manufacturer’s site, plug it straight into the Mac rather than through a hub, and try a different cable. On some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar, Serato has a known issue with small freezes during playback. Its workaround is to turn off the App Controls setting for the Touch Bar.

Crashes that started after an update

If Serato ran fine until you updated Serato or macOS, roll back: Serato keeps older versions in its download archive. You can keep two versions installed by renaming the old app in Applications before you install the new one, but never run both at the same time. Serato warns that doing so can cause problems with your library database.

Back up before any update. If crates look wrong after one, see crates missing after a Serato 4 or 5 update, and for the full backup routine see how to back up your Serato library.

Freezes during a set

A freeze in the middle of a set is usually a file or a connection, not Serato itself. Close other apps before you play, since Serato lists running several background apps as a crash condition. Plug the music drive straight into the Mac, and keep it connected for the whole session. And check the crate you are about to play before the gig, so a damaged file is not waiting for you in it.

Find the bad files before they find you

Serato only shows a problem file after it has tried to analyze or load it. Crate Cleaner reads every track in your Serato library and flags the ones it cannot read as corrupt, next to missing files and duplicates, so you get the full list in one pass instead of one crashed deck at a time. Before a gig, Pre-Gig Check runs the same checks on just the crate you are about to play and marks missing and corrupt files as blockers. It cannot see hardware, drivers or a damaged database, so the steps above still apply to those. The scan is read-only, and the free plan needs no card.

Try Crate Cleaner free →

FAQ

Why does Serato crash when I load one particular song? That file is almost certainly damaged or not a real audio file. Re-download it, or re-encode it, and delete it from the library if it still crashes. Serato also does not support files of 2 GB or larger.

Should I force quit Serato when it freezes? Wait first. Serato’s support team says a hang can turn into a crash on its own, and a force quit can stop the crash log from being written. If it never recovers, force quit, then report it with your session logs.

Will re-analyzing my whole library stop the crashes? It helps you find the problem files, which is often the cause. But Serato notes that re-analyzing overwrites existing beatgrids, so back up first if you have edited grids by hand.

Can my DJ controller make Serato crash? Yes. If Serato is stable with no hardware connected, update the controller’s firmware and driver, connect it directly rather than through a hub, and try another cable.

Should I delete the _Serato_ folder to fix crashes? No. It holds your crates. Restore or rebuild just the library database instead, as described in the corrupt database guide, and rename rather than delete anything you move aside.