Creating a playlist takes three steps and takes less than a minute
A YouTube playlist is a list of videos you save in one place so you can watch them in order without searching each time. You create one by clicking "Save" on any video, choosing "Create new playlist," naming it, and clicking "Create." YouTube then saves that video to your new playlist. From that point forward, you can add more videos to the same playlist by clicking "Save" and selecting the playlist by name.
The fastest way is to start from a video you want to save. Open the video, look for the "Save" button below the video title (it looks like a bookmark or flag), click it, and a menu appears. Select "Create new playlist," type a name like "Cooking Videos" or "Workout Routines," choose whether to make it private or public, and click "Create." That playlist now exists in your account and is ready for more videos.
You can also create a playlist without starting from a video. Go to your YouTube channel (click your profile icon in the top right, then "Create a playlist"), name it, and set it to private or public. This empty playlist waits for you to add videos to it later.
Key Takeaways
- Click the "Save" button below any YouTube video, select "Create new playlist," name it, and click "Create" to make a new playlist in under a minute.
- Private playlists are visible only to you; public playlists can be shared with anyone and appear on your channel.
- Add videos to an existing playlist by clicking "Save" on the video and selecting the playlist name from the menu.
- You can rearrange videos in a playlist, remove videos, or delete the entire playlist from your library at any time.
The difference between private and public playlists
When you create a playlist, YouTube asks whether it should be private or public. A private playlist is visible only to you—no one else can see it or find it on your channel. A public playlist appears on your channel page and anyone with the link can watch it. If you are saving videos for personal reasons (a list of recipes you want to try, workout videos for your routine, or shows you plan to watch), private is the right choice.
Public playlists work well if you want to share a curated list with others. For example, you might create a public playlist of tutorials to send to a friend, or a collection of music videos to share on social media. You can change a playlist from private to public (or back) at any time by editing its settings.
How to add more videos to your playlist
Once your playlist exists, adding videos is the same process you used to create it. Find a video you want to add, click the "Save" button below the title, and a menu shows all your playlists. Click the name of the playlist where you want the video to go, and YouTube adds it when ready. The video now appears in that playlist in the order you saved it.
You can add the same video to multiple playlists. If you have a playlist for "Cooking" and another for "Quick Meals," you can save a five-minute pasta recipe to both. YouTube keeps track of which playlists contain each video, so you do not have to worry about duplicates taking up space.
Organizing and editing your playlist
After you add videos, you can rearrange them, remove individual videos, or change the playlist name. Open the playlist, and you will see all the videos in order. Click the three-dot menu next to any video to remove it from the playlist. To rearrange videos, click and drag them into a new order (on a computer) or use the menu to move them up or down (on a phone).
To edit the playlist name, description, or privacy setting, click the three-dot menu at the top of the playlist page and select "Edit playlist." You can change the name, add a description that explains what the playlist is for, or switch between private and public. These changes take effect when ready.
Accessing your playlists from any device
Your playlists sync across all devices where you are signed into YouTube. If you create a playlist on your computer, it appears on your phone, tablet, and any other device you use. This means you can start a playlist on your phone during a commute and continue watching on your computer at home without losing your place.
To find your playlists, click your profile icon in the top right corner and select "Your channel." Scroll down to the "Playlists" section, and you will see all the playlists you have created. Click any playlist to open it and start watching.
What happens when you delete a playlist
If you no longer want a playlist, you can delete it. Open the playlist, click the three-dot menu at the top, and select "Delete playlist." YouTube removes the playlist when ready, but the videos themselves remain on YouTube—deleting a playlist does not delete the videos from YouTube's servers or from anyone else's playlists.
If you delete a playlist by accident, there is no way to recover it. You would need to recreate it and add the videos again. For this reason, if you are unsure whether you want to keep a playlist, you can make it private instead of deleting it, and decide later.
Using playlists to organize content from your library
Playlists work well alongside YouTube's other saving features. You can "Like" a video (which saves it to a "Liked videos" playlist YouTube creates automatically), or you can save it to a custom playlist you created. Many people use custom playlists for specific projects or interests—a playlist for home repair videos, another for language learning, another for music from a particular artist or genre.
If you subscribe to a channel, YouTube notifies you when that channel uploads new videos, but it does not automatically add them to a playlist. You have to manually save videos to a playlist, which gives you control over what goes where. This is useful if you subscribe to a cooking channel but only want to save certain recipes to your "Weeknight Dinners" playlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a playlist with someone without making it public?
No. YouTube playlists are either private (visible only to you) or public (visible to anyone with the link). There is no option to share a private playlist with specific people. If you want to share a playlist with friends, make it public and send them the link, or describe the videos and have them create their own playlist.
What is the maximum number of videos I can add to a playlist?
YouTube does not publish a hard limit, but playlists can contain thousands of videos. In practice, very large playlists (over 5,000 videos) may load slowly. For most uses, this is not a concern.
If I remove a video from my playlist, does it get deleted from YouTube?
No. Removing a video from your playlist only removes it from that list. The video stays on YouTube and in any other playlists where it appears. The original creator is not affected.
Can I make a playlist that plays videos in random order?
YouTube does not have a built-in shuffle feature for playlists, but you can click the shuffle button (two crossed arrows) while watching a playlist to play videos in random order. The playlist itself stays in the order you arranged it.
How do I find a playlist I created a long time ago?
Go to your channel, scroll to the "Playlists" section, and look through the list. If you have many playlists, you can search for it by typing the name in the search box at the top of YouTube. You can also check your "Liked videos" playlist if you are not sure which custom playlist you saved a video to.