Creating a playlist takes three steps and takes less than a minute

To create a new playlist on YouTube, sign into your account, click your profile icon in the top right corner, select "Create a playlist" from the menu, give it a name, choose who can see it, and click "Create." Once the playlist exists, you can add videos to it while watching them by clicking the "Save" button below the video and selecting the playlist name. You do not need any special software or editing tools — YouTube handles all the organization for you.

The playlist appears in your library when ready and stays there until you delete it. You can add videos from your watch history, from search results, or from any video page. You can also rearrange videos within the playlist, remove individual videos, or change the playlist's privacy settings at any time.

Key Takeaways

  • A new playlist is created by clicking your profile icon, selecting "Create a playlist," naming it, and choosing its privacy level.
  • You add videos to a playlist by clicking the "Save" button below any video and selecting the playlist from the dropdown menu.
  • Playlists can be set to private (only you see them), unlisted (only people with the link see them), or public (anyone can find and watch them).
  • You can reorder videos within a playlist by dragging them, and you can remove videos without deleting the original video from YouTube.
  • Playlists appear in your library under the "Playlists" tab and can be shared with others through a direct link or by changing the privacy setting to public.

Finding the create playlist option

Open YouTube and sign into your account. In the top right corner of the screen, you will see your profile picture or initial inside a circle. Click it to open a dropdown menu with several options.

Look for the option that says "Create a playlist." Click it. A small window will appear asking you to name the playlist and choose its privacy setting. Type a name that describes what the playlist will contain — for example, "Tutorial Videos" or "Cooking Channels I Follow." The name can be changed later, so do not worry about getting it perfect.

Setting privacy for your playlist

When you create a playlist, YouTube asks you to choose one of three privacy levels. Private means only you can see and access the playlist. Unlisted means the playlist does not appear in your public profile or in search results, but anyone with the direct link can watch it. Public means anyone on YouTube can find the playlist through search and see it on your profile.

For a playlist you are building for yourself, choose Private. For a playlist you want to share with specific people, choose Unlisted and send them the link. For a playlist you want other people to discover — such as a collection of videos about a topic you care about — choose Public. You can change the privacy setting later by going to the playlist, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting "Edit playlist."

Adding videos to your new playlist

To add a video to your playlist, navigate to any video on YouTube. Below the video title, you will see several buttons. One of them says "Save" with a bookmark icon. Click it. A dropdown menu will appear showing all your playlists. Click the name of the playlist you want to add the video to. The video is now saved to that playlist.

You can also add videos from search results or from your watch history without opening the full video page. Hover over a video thumbnail and click the three-dot menu that appears. Select "Save to playlist" and choose your playlist from the list. This method is faster when you are browsing and want to save multiple videos at once.

Organizing and reordering videos in your playlist

Once you have added videos to your playlist, you can change their order. Click on your profile icon, go to "Your channel," and select "Playlists" from the left menu. Click the playlist you want to edit. You will see all the videos in the order they were added.

To reorder videos, click the three-line menu icon (called a "drag handle") that appears to the left of each video when you hover over it. Hold down your mouse button and drag the video up or down to a new position. Release the mouse button to drop it in place. The new order is saved automatically. To remove a video from the playlist without deleting it from YouTube, click the three-dot menu next to the video and select "Remove from playlist."

Sharing your playlist with others

To share a playlist, open it and look for the "Share" button near the top of the page. Click it to see options for sharing. You can copy the playlist link and send it to specific people, or you can share it directly to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or email. The person receiving the link can watch the playlist without needing a YouTube account, as long as the playlist is set to Public or Unlisted.

If your playlist is Private, only you can access it, and sharing the link will not work for other people. If you want to share a private playlist, change its privacy setting to Unlisted first, then share the link. You can change it back to Private after you have shared it if you want.

Editing playlist details after creation

You can change a playlist's name, description, and privacy setting at any time. Open the playlist and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select "Edit playlist." A window will open where you can type a new name, add a description that explains what the playlist contains, and change the privacy level. Click "Save" when you are done.

Adding a description is useful if your playlist is public or unlisted, because it helps other people understand what they will see. For example, a description might say "Step-by-step guides for beginners learning video editing" or "My favorite cooking channels." The description does not appear on the playlist page itself, but it may show up in search results if your playlist is public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add videos to a playlist after I create it?

Yes. Click the "Save" button below any video and select the playlist from the dropdown menu. You can add videos to a playlist at any time, and there is no limit to how many videos a playlist can contain.

What happens if I delete a video from a playlist?

Deleting a video from a playlist removes it only from that playlist. The original video remains on YouTube and in your watch history. You can remove a video by opening the playlist, clicking the three-dot menu next to the video, and selecting "Remove from playlist."

Can other people add videos to my playlist?

No. Only the person who created the playlist can add or remove videos from it. Other people can watch a public or unlisted playlist and save videos to their own playlists, but they cannot edit yours.

How do I find a playlist I created?

Click your profile icon, select "Your channel," and then click "Playlists" in the left menu. All your playlists appear there, organized by the date you created them. You can also search for a playlist by name using the search bar at the top of YouTube.

Can I make a playlist that automatically adds new videos from a channel?

No. YouTube playlists do not automatically update. You must manually add each video you want to include. However, you can subscribe to a channel and turn on notifications so you know when new videos are posted, then add them to your playlist yourself.