Why export your collection at all
If you have catalogued your records on Discogs, that list represents hours of work. Exporting it gives you a copy you control: a backup in case you lose access to the account, a file you can sort and filter in a spreadsheet, and a way to bring your collection into another app without entering every record again.
- Backup: keep a dated copy on your computer or cloud storage.
- Insurance and moving house: a printable list of what you own.
- Analysis: count records by label, format or year in a spreadsheet.
- Portability: import the list into another collection app.
Request the export on Discogs
Discogs has a built-in export for your collection, described in its help article on how the collection feature works. Menu names can change, but the steps have stayed much the same.
Sign in on the website
Use a computer browser if you can; downloading and saving files is easier there than in a phone app.
Open the Export page
Find Export in the menu under your profile or on your collection page.
Choose Collection
Select Collection as the type of data and request the export.
Wait for the notice
Discogs prepares the file and lets you know when it is ready. Large collections can take a little while.
Download the CSV
Save the file somewhere you will find it again, and add the date to the file name.
What is inside the file
CSV stands for comma-separated values: a plain-text table where each line is one record and commas separate the columns. You can open it in any spreadsheet program. The collection export includes columns such as catalogue number, artist, title, label, format and release year, your collection folder and notes, and a release_id column.
- Keep the original file exactly as downloaded and make edits only in a copy.
- Spreadsheet programs can change how numbers or special characters are saved when you re-save as CSV.
- Do not delete the header row: importers use it to find the right columns.
- The file contains your personal notes, so store and share it with the same care as any personal document.
Move the list into the CrateCore app
The CrateCore app can read a Discogs collection export directly. Importing needs a free CrateCore account, because the collection is stored in your account and moves with you to a new phone.
Open your collection
In the app, go to Collection and choose Import from Discogs (CSV).
Choose the file
Pick the CSV you downloaded. The release_id column is required; the standard Discogs export includes it.
Let it run
The import runs on the server, so you can close the screen and it will continue. The app shows how many rows are done and how many failed.
Review the result
Records already in your collection and rows without a release_id are skipped, not duplicated. Rows with errors are listed so you can add them by hand.
Your collection notes from the file come across too. One import runs at a time, and a single file can hold up to 5,000 rows and 5 MB; split a larger collection into several files and import them one after another. If you change your mind midway, you can cancel and choose whether to keep the records imported so far or remove them all.
What happens to your file
The CSV is uploaded so the server can process it, and the uploaded file is deleted once the import finishes or is cancelled. The records themselves become part of your CrateCore collection, which you can export again as CSV from the app at any time. The CrateCore Privacy Policy explains how account data is stored and deleted.
After the import: make the list yours
- Spot-check a few records with unusual pressings and compare the details on the record card with your copy.
- Add your own photo of a record when the cover shown is from a different edition; your photos stay on the phone and are not uploaded.
- Use the collection search in the shop; it works offline, so you can check for duplicates without signal.
- Keep the dated CSV backup even after importing.
If you are not sure which pressing a record is, our guide to identifying a record pressing walks through the clues. For the shelves themselves, see organising a record collection.