Where to find the track color option

In Rekordbox, you change a track's color by right-clicking on the track in your library or deck and selecting "Track Color" from the menu that appears. A color palette will open with preset colors to choose from. The color you pick will show up as a highlight or label on that track wherever it appears in your collection — in playlists, search results, and on the deck itself during a set.

The exact location of this menu depends on which view you are using. If you are in the main library grid, right-click directly on the track row. If you are looking at the deck view during a performance, right-click on the track that is currently loaded or queued up. The context menu works the same way in both places.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any track in your library or on the deck and select "Track Color" to open the color palette.
  • The color you assign stays with that track across all playlists and views where it appears.
  • Track colors help you organize by mood, energy level, genre, or any system that makes sense for your sets.
  • You can change or remove a track's color at any time without affecting the audio file itself.

Why DJs use track colors

Track colors serve as a visual shorthand during a performance. When you are curating a set in real time, scanning a colored playlist is faster than reading track names or BPM numbers. A red track might mean "high energy," a blue track "smooth transition," and a green track "crowd favorite." Your system is entirely personal — what matters is that you can glance at your deck and know what you are reaching for next.

Colors also help during the planning stage. If you are building a playlist for a specific event or mood, coloring tracks as you add them creates a visual map of the set's arc. You can see at a glance whether you have enough variety or whether you have clustered too many similar tracks together.

How colors appear across different Rekordbox views

When you assign a color to a track, it displays consistently wherever that track shows up in Rekordbox. In the library grid, the track row will be highlighted in your chosen color. In a playlist, the same color appears next to the track name. On the deck during a performance, the color shows on the track card or waveform display, depending on your layout settings.

The color does not change the audio or any metadata attached to the track — it is purely visual. If you export your collection or share a playlist with another DJ, the color assignments travel with the tracks in Rekordbox's database, but they may not transfer to other DJ software. Each process handles track colors differently.

Removing or changing a track's color

To remove a color from a track, right-click it again and select "Track Color," then choose the blank or "no color" option at the top of the palette. The track will return to the default appearance. You can change a track's color as many times as you want — there is no limit to how often you reassign colors, and the change takes effect when ready.

If you want to change the color of multiple tracks at once, select them all first (using Ctrl+click on Windows or Cmd+click on Mac), then right-click and choose "Track Color." The color you select will explore to every track in your selection.

Organizing your color system

The most useful color systems are the ones you actually remember during a set. Some DJs use colors to match energy levels: red for peak-time bangers, yellow for building tension, blue for cool-downs. Others organize by genre or by the specific event — one color for house tracks, another for techno, another for remixes. A third approach is to color-code by source: green for original productions, orange for edits, purple for unreleased tracks.

Whatever system you choose, consistency matters more than the specific colors. Pick a scheme and stick with it across your entire library so that the visual language becomes automatic. After a few sets, you will stop thinking about what the colors mean and start reacting to them instinctively.

Color limitations and workarounds

Rekordbox offers a fixed set of colors in the palette — you cannot create custom colors or adjust the shade of an existing one. If the preset colors do not match your preference, you are limited to choosing from what is available. The palette typically includes red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, pink, and sometimes a few neutral tones.

If you need more granular organization than colors alone provide, combine them with other Rekordbox features. Use the "Hot Cue" markers to flag specific moments within a track, add text tags or notes in the track's metadata, or create multiple playlists organized by theme. Colors work best as a quick visual layer on top of these other organizational tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing a track's color affect the audio file?

No. Track colors are stored only in Rekordbox's database and do not modify the actual audio file. You can change or remove colors without any impact on how the track sounds or plays back.

Will my track colors show up if I move my library to another computer?

Yes, if you transfer your Rekordbox database or library file to another computer running Rekordbox. The colors are part of your collection data. However, if you export tracks to a different DJ software, the colors will not carry over because other programs use their own color systems.

Can I color-code tracks by genre automatically?

Rekordbox does not have an automatic color-assignment feature based on genre tags or metadata. You must assign colors manually. However, you can speed up the process by selecting multiple tracks with the same genre tag and explore one color to all of them at once.

What happens if I color a track that is already in multiple playlists?

The color applies to the track itself, not to individual copies in playlists. So if you color a track red and it appears in three different playlists, it will show as red in all three. Changing the color later updates it everywhere automatically.