You can also connect securely from anywhere using a VPN. In this guide, we’ll use Tailscale, a free VPN service that can be set up in just a few minutes. You can also use another VPN solution if you already have one configured.

This is an advanced but useful feature, especially if you already leave your computer running for agents, media servers, backups or other services.

Once connected, you can:

• Stream music from Crates Desktop
• Download tracks for offline listening
• Sync crates 
• Sync your full library

Note: This currently works on iOS only. Android support is coming soon.

Before You Start

You’ll need:

• A Mac or Windows computer running Crates Desktop
• An iPhone or iPad running Crates for iOS
• An internet connection on both devices
• A free Tailscale account

Your computer must be powered on, connected to the internet, and running both Crates Desktop and Tailscale.

1. Install Tailscale on Your Computer

Download Tailscale from:

https://tailscale.com/download

1. Install and open Tailscale.
2. Create a free account or sign in.
3. Leave Tailscale running.

Tailscale runs quietly in the background and does not normally affect your internet connection or other applications.

2. Install Tailscale on Your iPhone or iPad

1. Install Tailscale from the App Store.
2. Sign in using the same account you used on your computer.
3. Allow the VPN permission when iOS asks.
4. Turn on the Tailscale connection.

Your computer should now appear in the Tailscale device list.

3. Enable VPN Connections in Crates for iOS

Open Crates for iOS and go to:

Library → Settings Cog (top right) → Allow Connection via VPN

Enable the switch.

4. Copy Your Computer’s Tailscale Address

In the Tailscale app on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Select your computer from the device list.
2. Copy its MagicDNS hostname.

Crates also supports the Tailscale IP address, but we recommend using the MagicDNS hostname.

You do not need to add a port number.

5. Connect Crates for iOS

1. Open Crates for iOS.
2. Tap the device icon in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Connect.
4. Select Connect Manually.
5. Paste the MagicDNS hostname.
6. Tap Connect.

Crates for iOS should now connect to Crates Desktop over the VPN.

Using the VPN

You do not need to keep the VPN connected all the time.

Turn it on when you want to stream from Crates Desktop, download tracks, or sync your library remotely. You can turn it off again when you are finished.

Mobile Data Usage

When you are not connected to Wi-Fi, streaming, downloading and syncing will use mobile data.

Large downloads or a full library sync may use a significant amount of data, so check your mobile data allowance before starting.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot connect, check that:

• Your computer is powered on and connected to the internet.
• Crates Desktop is running.
• Tailscale is running on both devices.
• Both devices are signed in to the same Tailscale account.
• Allow Connection via VPN is enabled in Crates for iOS.
• You copied the correct MagicDNS hostname or Tailscale IP address.

If the problem continues, contact Crates Support and include screenshots of the Tailscale device list and the Crates connection screen.

1. Create a Playlist

You can create a playlist anywhere in your library, but a Playlists crate is a good place to start.

• Right-click on Playlists (or any folder)
• Click Add New → Playlist
• Give it a name (you can change it later)

2. Add Music to Your Playlist

You can add tunes in multiple ways:

• Right-click on the playlist → Import files or folders
• Drag and drop files into Crates
• Use the browser extension to import from online sources (Bandcamp, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.)
• Drag and drop or copy-paste supported links directly into Crates
• Use Online Search to search for tracks online

A useful tip is to open the playlist in the right side panel: right-click → Open in side panel. This makes it easier to drag and drop tracks from the main panel while browsing your library.

You can then use Search, or right-click a tune and select Add to… the playlist. This sub-menu contains the playlists open in the right side panel.

3. Organize and Edit

• Reorder tracks via drag and drop
• Right-click a track → Edit to update metadata (genre, title, artist, album, year, etc.)
• Use the Get Info action to automatically fetch metadata from connected sources

4. Add Audio Sources (Important)

For others to listen to your playlist, each track needs a public audio source.

• Crates will try to auto-find sources when publishing
• If it does not find a public audio source for a track, you’ll be prompted to add one

You can also add sources manually in advance:

• Invoke the Find Audio Source action: right-click a track → Actions → Find audio source
• Open Edit → check the Audio Sources section
• Drag and drop a supported URL directly into Audio Sources

5. Add Timestamped Comments (Optional)

• Right-click on the waveform area at the time you want the comment to appear → Add comment
• To add a link, highlight the text and click the link icon, then enter the URL
• Each comment appears as an icon on the waveform
• Right-click a comment to edit or remove it

6. Share Your Playlist

• Click Share playlist
• Review the title, description, and tags (used for discoverability)
• Tip: Start with Unlisted first if you want to test before the playlist appears on the crates.app/playlists page.
• Click Share 

Your playlist is now published on Crates.app and can be discovered by other users in their Crates installation.

7. Update Your Playlist

You can update your playlist anytime:

• Change the order of tracks, add or remove tracks, update metadata or comments
• Click Share again → Update

Notes

• Publishing sends your playlist data to Crates servers so others can discover it
• Tracks without valid audio sources won’t be playable by others, but they can search for a public audio source themselves based on the track’s metadata
• Advanced: It is recommended to populate the ISRC of a tune to improve discoverability. The ISRC is the unique identifier of the track across streaming platforms. A useful way to do this is to pull metadata through the Get Info action, after connecting as many sources as possible.

Step-by-step

1. Open Settings
2. Go to the Advanced tab
3. Find the Cloud Backup section
4. Enable Save a copy of your database to the cloud

Choose your cloud provider

• Select Google Drive (currently supported)
• Make sure your account is connected in Settings → Accounts

Set backup frequency

You can choose how often backups are created:

• Hourly
• Daily
• Weekly

Manual backup options

• Backup now → creates an immediate backup
• Open backups folder → view local backups
• Open cloud backups → view files in your cloud

How it works

Crates automatically saves a compressed copy of your database at the selected interval. You can see when the last backup was completed directly in the Cloud Backup section.

Restoring a backup

If you ever need to restore your data, follow this guide:

How to manually restore a backup

Why this matters

Your database contains your entire music collection metadata, organization, and activity. With cloud backups enabled, you’re protected against data loss from system crashes, lost devices, or accidents. Your database will be able to be restored at another computer and you keep your archive forever.

How it works

• Your friend gets 5€ off when they become a Supporter through your referral link.
• You receive a special thank-you gift once they upgrade.
• You’ll be notified when someone signs up through your link.

It’s our way of saying thanks for helping grow the Crates community.

How to refer a friend

1. Open Tell a Friend inside the app.
2. Copy your personal referral link.
3. Share it with friends via message, email, or social media.
4. When they sign up and become a Supporter, it will be tracked automatically.

Track your referrals

You can view your referrals and rewards at:

https://crates.app/tell-a-friend/

• See who signed up through your link
• See which referrals became Supporters
• Track your rewards status

Important notes

• The discount applies when your friend becomes a Supporter through your link.
• Each user has a unique referral link.
• Your friend must use your link before signing up so the referral is properly recorded.

Thank you for helping Crates grow <3

The same syntax works in both:

• Search – for temporarily filtering your library
• Smart Crates – for creating saved, auto-updating collections

A Smart Crate is simply a saved search that updates automatically as your library grows.

Here’s how to use queries in Crates:

Using queries in Search and Smart Crates

1. Use a query in Search:
   Type a query in the search box to instantly filter your tunes.
   
   
   
   
2. Create a Smart Crate with the same query:
   Navigate to your Crates library through the left-side tree, right-click the Crate that you want to insert a Smart Crate under, and select ‘New Smart Crate.’ Then enter the same kind of query there to create a saved, dynamic result.
   
   
   
   
3. Define the filters:
   Use the supported fields below to define which tunes should be included.
   Here’s a loaded example:
   
   in:Collection bpm>100 bpm<105 genre:bass tags:vinyl grouping:primetime discovered>2024-10-01
   
   This query returns tunes that:
   • Are under the crate named ‘Collection’
   • Have BPM between 100 and 105
   • Have genre ‘bass’
   • Are tagged with tag ‘vinyl’
   • Have grouping ‘primetime’
   • Were discovered after October 1, 2024
     

All fields in the example above are combined using AND (which can be included or omitted), meaning all criteria must be met for a tune to match.

How to think about it

• Search = temporary filtering
• Smart Crate = saved, auto-updating search

Operators & Syntax notes

Crates also supports advanced query syntax to create more complex filters:

• Wildcards:
  Use * to match multiple characters and ? to match a single character.
  Example: genre:*hop will match any genre ending with ‘hop’ (e.g. trip hop, glitch hop, hip hop).
• Quotation Marks:
  Use quotation marks " for exact matches or when string values contain spaces.
  Example: genre:"uk garage"
• ‘OR’ and parentheses for nesting logic:
  Use parentheses () to group multiple conditions. This allows you to combine AND and OR operations.
  Example: (genre:house OR genre:"uk garage") bpm>128 bpm<136 tags:boatparty
• ‘NOT’ Operator:
  Use ! to exclude specific terms.
  Example: genre:dub !genre:techno matches all dub tunes but excludes the ones with genre ‘dub techno’

Supported Fields

Other Notes

• Additional text fields supported: label, composer, remixer, albumartist, filename
• Text fields will have * appended by default to return incomplete terms, e.g. title:circl will return ‘circle’ as well.
• Please mind the spaces between fields and operators. bpm>100 is correct, "bpm > 100" is not valid.
• You can use the same query in both Search and Smart Crates.

More examples

• Jazz In collection but not in playlists: in:Collection!in:"DJ Playlists" genre:jazz
• Recently discovered: discovered>2026-03-01
• Your vinyl-only collection: tags:vinyl
• Ambient / chill selection and key A :(genre:ambient OR tags:chill OR grouping:chill) and key:A*