On iPhone, open Music, go to Library > Playlists, tap New Playlist, then Create New Playlist. Name it, tap Done, and use Add Music to choose tracks. On Mac, choose File > New > Playlist; on Windows, select Add beside Playlists in the sidebar and choose New Playlist. The steps and button locations vary by platform and software version. Apple’s current iPhone instructions follow an iOS 26 guide path; people using older versions may see different controls. Apple Music availability also varies by country or region.
Choose a playlist type before you start
A standard playlist is a hand-curated collection: you choose the tracks and can add, remove, or reorder them. A Smart Playlist uses rules to select music from your library, and can update as the library changes. Folders are for grouping playlists; they do not replace either kind.
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| Option | How tracks get included | How you change it | Documented platform scope | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard playlist | Choose tracks manually | Add, remove, or reorder tracks directly | iPhone, Mac, and Windows | A deliberately chosen mix or sequence |
| Smart Playlist | Rules select matching items in the library | Change the rules; individual items cannot be directly added or removed | Creation is documented for Mac; Windows documentation references Smart Playlists | Automatic grouping by criteria such as genre, favorites, or year |
| Playlist folder | Contains playlists rather than selecting tracks | Move playlists and folders into it | iPhone and Mac folder workflows are documented | Organizing a collection of playlists |
Create a standard playlist on iPhone
- Open the Music app and go to Library > Playlists.
- Tap New Playlist, then Create New Playlist.
- Enter a title. If you want, add cover art using one of the artwork options offered.
- Tap Done, then Add Music. Search, select items from your library, or choose suggested songs, then tap Add.
To add music later, touch and hold a song, album, playlist, or music video and choose Add to a Playlist. You can also open the More menu for the item currently in Now Playing and choose the same action.
Optional: create a playlist from a prompt
Apple’s iPhone guide describes Playlist Playground as a beta option that suggests 25 tracks and a custom title from a prompt. Apple labels it U.S.-only and available in English to subscribers aged 13 and older. It is an availability-sensitive alternative, not a universal playlist-creation path.
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Create a standard playlist on Mac
- In Music, choose File > New > Playlist.
- Name the playlist and, if desired, add artwork or a description.
- Add music by dragging an item to the playlist in the sidebar, or Control-clicking the item and choosing Add to Playlist. You can also select songs and drag them to the sidebar, or choose Add to Playlist > New Playlist.
To show the playlist on your Apple Music profile and in search, enable Show in My Profile and in Search. This controls profile and search visibility, rather than just the playlist’s local title or artwork.
Create a standard playlist on Windows
- In the Apple Music app, select Add beside Playlists in the sidebar, then choose New Playlist.
- Add music by dragging an item onto the playlist, using the item’s More menu and choosing Add to Playlist, or selecting a suggested song.
To control whether adding a track to a playlist also adds it to your library, open the sidebar actions, choose Settings > Advanced, and adjust the library-add setting. This is useful if you want to organize playlist tracks without changing what is in your library.
Edit, reorder, and remove playlist content
Rename a playlist or change its artwork
Open the playlist’s edit controls. On iPhone, open its More menu and choose Edit; Mac and Windows also provide playlist edit controls. Use Show in My Profile and in Search if you want to change profile and search visibility.
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Add recommended songs
Apple documents Suggested Songs at the bottom of playlist views on iPhone, Mac, and Windows. Preview a suggestion before adding it, and refresh the suggestions if you want a different set.
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- iPhone: Drag the reorder control beside a song.
- Mac: Choose View > Sort By > Playlist Order, then drag tracks into position.
- Windows: Select Playlist Order in the sorting controls, then drag tracks.
Remove a track without deleting it from your library
Use the track’s remove or delete command from the playlist. Apple says removing a song from a playlist does not remove it from the library when it is already there.
Make a Smart Playlist on Mac
- Choose File > New > Smart Playlist.
- Set one or more rules, such as Genre, Favorite, or Year. Combine or nest rules, and choose whether an item must meet all or any criteria.
- Optionally set a size or duration limit, restrict results to checked items, or enable Live Updating.
- Save the playlist. Qualifying library items can appear as the library changes when they meet the rules and the updating settings apply.
Smart Playlist membership is governed by its criteria: you cannot directly add or remove individual tracks. Change the rules if you want different items to qualify.
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Organize playlists into folders
On iPhone
- Go to Library > Playlists and tap the New Playlist button.
- Choose Create New Folder and name the folder.
- To organize an existing item, touch and hold a playlist or folder, choose Move to Folder, and select its destination.
On Mac
Use playlist-folder controls to create and arrange folders. A Mac folder can contain standard playlists, Smart Playlists, and other folders. Apple’s Mac guide says individual songs, Apple Music playlists, other users’ playlists, and videos cannot be placed directly in a folder.
Deleting a Mac folder also deletes the playlists and folders inside it, but their songs remain in the library.
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Delete a playlist safely
On iPhone, touch and hold a playlist or open its More menu and choose Delete from Library. On Mac and Windows, use the playlist’s delete command in the sidebar. Deleting an ordinary playlist removes the playlist, not its songs from the library.
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A collaborative playlist has a different consequence for its owner: deleting the owner’s playlist ends collaboration and removes it from the owner’s library, while it remains in participants’ libraries.
Understand syncing between devices
Apple says music-library changes sync across devices when Sync Library is enabled. Apple’s folder guide says folder changes made on iPhone update across devices with Sync Library turned on. Without an Apple Music subscription, changes may appear after syncing with a computer. The behavior of every playlist type or feature is not established as identical across all devices and accounts, so check the relevant app and account when an item does not appear where expected.
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