To make a playlist on Spotify, tap Create (the +), choose Playlist, give it a name, and tap Create. To add a song, tap the three dots next to it and choose Add to Playlist. To save someone else’s playlist, tap the save button on it to add it to Your Library.
These steps follow Spotify’s Create and edit playlists help article, plus its articles on saving, sharing and downloading playlists linked below.
In this article:
- Create a playlist on your phone
- Create a playlist on a computer
- Edit or delete a playlist
- Save someone else’s playlist
- Share or collaborate on a playlist
- Show or hide playlists on your profile
- Download a playlist for offline listening
- Recover a deleted playlist
- FAQs
How to Create a Spotify Playlist on Your Phone
- Tap Create (+).
- Select Playlist.
- Name your playlist, and tap Create.
- Tap Add to this playlist to search for songs, or pick from Spotify’s recommendations.
To add songs later, tap the three dots on any song, album or episode, tap Add to Playlist, choose the playlist, and tap Done. Spotify notes that you can hide the Create button from your menu bar, so if you don’t see it, it may have been turned off.
Result: Your new playlist appears in Your Library, ready to play.
How to Create a Spotify Playlist on a Computer
- Go to Your Library.
- Click Create at the top and select Playlist.
- Edit the name and other details, then click Save.
Spotify also lists a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + N on Windows or Cmd + N on a Mac. To add songs, right-click a song and choose Add to Playlist, or drag and drop tracks into the playlist.
If you want your own music files in a playlist, see how to show local files in the Spotify desktop app.
How to Edit or Delete a Spotify Playlist
On your phone
- Open the playlist and tap Edit.
- Tap the remove button next to a track to take it out.
- Tap, hold and drag to reorder tracks. Spotify says reordering on mobile is a Premium feature.
- To delete the whole playlist, tap the three dots on it and tap Delete Playlist.
On a computer
- Right-click a song and select Remove from this Playlist.
- Drag and drop songs to reorder them.
- Right-click the playlist and click Delete.
Spotify also adds Recommended Songs at the bottom of playlists you create, based on what you have already added and the playlist’s title. Tap anything you want to save.
Result: Your playlist has the songs and order you want.
How to Save Someone Else’s Playlist
Spotify’s Save and recover playlists article says to select the save button on a playlist to add it to Your Library. Keep in mind that most playlists update regularly, and you can’t save a particular version. To keep the current tracks, open the playlist’s more-options menu, select Add to other playlist, and choose a playlist or create a new one. You can also save individual songs to Liked Songs.
To let friends add, remove and reorder tracks, Spotify’s Collaborative playlists article says to tap the more-options button at the top of the playlist and select Invite collaborators. That creates a link that works for 7 days, which you can send in a messaging app or copy. To remove someone, tap the profile pictures under the playlist name, tap the options next to their name, and select Remove as collaborator.
To send a single song instead of a whole playlist, see how to share a Spotify song in a text message.
How to Show or Hide Playlists on Your Profile
Spotify now handles playlist visibility with your profile. According to Publishing playlists to your profile, tap the more-options button at the top of a playlist and choose Add to profile or Remove from profile. New public playlists are published to your profile by default. To change that on mobile, tap your profile picture, then Settings and privacy > Privacy and social, and turn Public playlists off.
Spotify points out that a playlist not shown on your profile can still be played, followed and shared by anyone you send it to. To hide what you are listening to as well, see how to change Spotify privacy settings.
How to Download a Spotify Playlist for Offline Listening
Spotify’s Listen offline article says that on Premium you can download albums, playlists and podcasts, while the free plan can only download podcasts. You can’t download individual songs, but you can put them in a playlist and download that. While online, open the playlist and tap the download button. Spotify downloads over Wi-Fi by default.
- You can download up to 10,000 tracks on each of up to 5 devices.
- You need to go online at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads.
For podcasts, see how to download a podcast episode in the Spotify iPhone app.
How to Recover a Deleted Playlist
Spotify says you can restore a playlist you deleted within the last 90 days. On Spotify’s website, go to Recover playlists in your account, click Restore next to the playlist, then open Spotify and find it at the bottom of your playlist collection. If you don’t see it, you may have created it with a different account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I reorder songs on my phone?
Spotify lists reordering tracks on mobile as a Premium-only feature. On a computer, you can drag songs into a new order.
Can I download a playlist on the free plan?
No. Spotify says free users can only download podcasts. Downloading playlists and albums requires Premium. To reach the full album from a track in a playlist, see how to view the album for a song on Spotify.
How do I stop a playlist from shuffling?
See how to turn off shuffle on Spotify.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.