Spotify guide
Marta Kowalczyk writes about design and creative apps for Appcyclopedia, working on a MacBook Air, an iPhone 16 Pro and a Galaxy A55.
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- macOS
- Web
Short answer
On a phone, tap Create, then Playlist, name it and tap Create. On desktop, go to Your Library, click Create, then Playlist, or press Cmd+N on a Mac or Ctrl+N on Windows. Add songs with Add to this playlist, or from any song’s menu with Add to Playlist.
Who can see it: every new playlist is public and published to your profile by default. Use Make private in the playlist’s menu if it is only for you.
Below: the steps on phone and desktop, adding and ordering songs, the privacy settings, and what Free accounts cannot do.
Make a Spotify playlist and fill it, step by step
To make a playlist on Spotify, create it empty, then add songs from wherever you hear them. The first two groups cover the phone and desktop apps; the last covers keeping the playlist to yourself.
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On your phone
Tap Create and choose Playlist
Open the Spotify app and tap Create. From the options that appear, tap Playlist. Type a name and tap Create. The empty playlist opens.
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Add the first songs
Tap Add to this playlist to search for songs, or pick from the suggestions Spotify shows. Later, while listening anywhere in the app, tap the three dots next to a song, then Add to Playlist, choose the playlist, and tap Done.
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Remove or reorder songs
Open the playlist and tap Edit. Tap the remove icon next to a song to take it out. To change the order, tap, hold and drag a song. Reordering on a phone or tablet needs Spotify Premium.
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On a computer
Create the playlist from Your Library
In the desktop app or the web player, go to Your Library and click Create at the top, then Playlist. In the desktop app the shortcut is Cmd+N on a Mac or Ctrl+N on Windows. Change the name and other details, then click Save.
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Add songs by menu or by dragging
Right-click any song, or click its three-dot menu, select Add to Playlist and choose yours. You can also drag a song straight onto the playlist in the sidebar. Drag songs inside the playlist to reorder them.
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Decide who can see it
Make the playlist private if it is only for you
Open the playlist, tap or click the three dots at the top, and select Make private. Nobody else can open a private playlist, not even with a link or by searching for its name. New playlists stay public until you do this.
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Stop new playlists appearing on your profile
On a phone, tap your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Privacy and social, and turn off Public playlists under Playlist visibility. On desktop, click your profile picture, then Settings, and under Social turn off Publish my new playlists on my profile.
A typical first playlist: you create Running on your phone, add ten songs from their menus while you listen, then let the Recommended Songs at the bottom suggest ten more based on what is already there.
Name the playlist before you add anything: Spotify uses the title as well as the songs to recommend more.
More about Spotify
Music, podcast and audiobook streaming, free with ads or paid with Premium.
Playlist not behaving? Common causes
- You cannot drag songs into a new order on your phone
Reordering on mobile and tablet is a Premium feature. On a Free account, reorder the songs in the desktop app or the web player, where dragging works.
- Friends can see a playlist you meant to keep to yourself
New playlists are public and on your profile by default. Open its menu and select Make private. Once it is private, nobody else can open it.
- A link you shared no longer works
Shared links expire after 7 days. Share the playlist again to send a fresh link.
- You deleted a playlist you wanted
Deleted playlists can be restored for 90 days from the Recover playlists page of your account on the Spotify website, not from the app.
Who can see a new Spotify playlist
Spotify treats playlists as public unless you say otherwise. Two separate settings decide who sees one, and changing one does not change the other.
| Setting | Default | What it controls | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public or private | Public | Whether anyone else can open the playlist at all | The playlist’s three-dot menu |
| Published to profile | On | Whether a public playlist is listed on your profile | Settings, under privacy or social |
A private playlist is fully hidden: nobody can open it, even with a link. A public playlist that is not published to your profile can still be found by people who have the link or search for its name.
If a playlist is for you alone, make it private rather than hiding it from your profile.
What Free and Premium change when you edit
Making a playlist and filling it work the same on both plans. The difference is in the phone app.
- Create, add and remove songs: Free and Premium, on every device.
- Reorder songs by dragging: Premium on phones and tablets. Free accounts can drag to reorder on a computer.
- Recommended Songs: both plans see suggestions at the bottom of a playlist, based on the songs already in it and its title.
On a Free account, the workaround for ordering is simple: build the playlist on your phone and put it in order the next time you are at a computer.
Sharing a playlist, or letting others add songs
There are two ways to bring other people in, and they do different things.
| You want | Use | What they can do |
|---|---|---|
| Friends to listen | Share | Play the playlist, not change it |
| Friends to add songs | A collaborative playlist with invited people | Add, remove and reorder songs |
Shared links expire after 7 days, so share again if a friend tries an old one. Only the people you invite can edit a collaborative playlist.
Getting more out of your first Spotify playlist
Creating a playlist takes a minute. What makes it useful is a clear name, a few songs to start with, and a privacy setting that matches who it is for.
Name it, add a handful of songs, and set it to private if it is yours alone. If one disappears after a clean-up, recovering a deleted Spotify playlist shows how to bring it back.
Spotify playlist questions
- Can I make a Spotify playlist with a free account?
- Yes. Free accounts can create playlists and add and remove songs. Reordering songs on a phone or tablet needs Premium; on a computer it works on Free too.
- Are Spotify playlists public by default?
- Yes. Every new playlist is public and published to your profile. Make one private from its menu, or turn off publishing new playlists in your settings.
- Can other people add songs to my playlist?
- Only if you make it collaborative and invite them. Sharing the playlist normally lets people listen without editing it.
- How do I delete a Spotify playlist?
- On a phone, tap the three dots on the playlist and choose Delete Playlist. On desktop, right-click it or open its menu and click Delete.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 14 days ago
When you need this
If you want songs for a run, a party or a long drive in one place instead of searching for them one at a time, make a Spotify playlist. You also choose whether friends can see it.
- Describes
- Spotify app for iPhone and Android · Spotify desktop app for Mac and Windows, and the web player
- Takes
- A minute to create, as long as you like to fill
- Platforms
- iOS · Android · Windows · macOS · Web
- Published
- 10 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 7 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt and 
Daniel Okonkwo
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
- Daniel Okonkwo: the Mac steps on a MacBook Pro (macOS 27.0.1), the iPhone steps on an iPhone 15 (iOS 27.0.1) and the Android steps on a Pixel 9 Pro (Android 17).
Limits quoted here come from Spotify’s documentation and were not tested.
Sources: Spotify Support, Create and edit playlistsSpotify Support, Playlist privacy and accessSpotify Support, Save and recover playlists
Spotify