Delete a Playlist You Created

To delete a playlist you made yourself, open Spotify on your phone, tablet, or computer and find the playlist in your library. Right-click the playlist name (or long-press on mobile), then select "Delete Playlist" from the menu. Spotify will ask you to confirm — click or tap "Delete" again, and the playlist is gone permanently. You cannot undo this action, so make sure you want to remove it before confirming.

On the web version of Spotify, the process is the same: navigate to your library, find the playlist, click the three dots next to its name, and choose "Delete Playlist". The confirmation step protects you from accidentally removing a playlist you spent time building.

If you created the playlist but are not sure whether you still have ownership, check whether you see the delete option. If the option does not appear, someone else may have created it and added you as a follower instead. In that case, you can only remove it from your library by unfollowing it — the original creator would need to delete it themselves.

Key Takeaways

  • Playlists you created can be deleted by right-clicking (or long-pressing on mobile) and selecting "Delete Playlist" from the menu.
  • Spotify asks you to confirm the deletion because the action cannot be reversed.
  • If you do not see a delete option, you are following someone else's playlist and can only unfollow it, not delete it.
  • Unfollowing a playlist removes it from your library but does not delete it for other followers or the creator.
  • On mobile, the steps are the same whether you use iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Unfollow a Playlist You Do Not Own

If you followed a playlist created by someone else — a friend, an artist, or Spotify itself — you cannot delete it. Instead, you unfollow it to remove it from your library. Open the playlist, tap or click the heart icon (or the "Follow" button if you have not followed it yet), and it will disappear from your library. The playlist still exists for everyone else who follows it, and the creator can still see it and edit it.

Unfollowing is reversible: you can search for the playlist again later and follow it once more. This is different from deletion, which is permanent and only works for playlists you created.

Remove a Playlist from Your Phone Without Deleting It

If you want to clear space on your phone but keep the playlist in your Spotify account, you can remove the offline read instead of deleting the playlist itself. Open the playlist, look for the read icon (usually a downward arrow), and tap it to remove the offline copy. The playlist stays in your library and on Spotify's servers — you just will not have it stored locally on your device anymore.

This is useful if you have limited storage on your phone but want to keep the playlist for later. When you reconnect to the internet, you can read it again or stream it without downloading.

What Happens to Collaborative Playlists

If you created a collaborative playlist — one where multiple people can add and remove songs — only you can delete it. Other collaborators can add or remove songs, but they cannot delete the entire playlist. If you delete a collaborative playlist, it disappears for everyone who was working on it, and all the songs in it are lost.

Before deleting a collaborative playlist, consider whether anyone else is still using it. If you want to stop collaborating but keep the playlist, you can remove other people's editing access by changing the playlist settings, then keep it in your own library.

Recover a Deleted Playlist

Spotify does not offer a built-in recovery tool for deleted playlists. Once you confirm the deletion, the playlist and all its songs are gone from your account. However, if you remember the songs that were in it, you can create a new playlist and add them back manually, or ask collaborators if they saved a screenshot or remember the track list.

Some third-party apps claim to recover deleted Spotify playlists by accessing your account history, but Spotify does not officially support these tools and using them may violate Spotify's terms of service. The safest approach is to be certain before you delete.

Delete Multiple Playlists at Once

Spotify does not have a feature to select and delete multiple playlists in one action. You must delete each playlist individually by right-clicking or long-pressing and confirming the deletion. If you have many playlists to remove, this takes time, but it also reduces the risk of accidentally deleting something you want to keep.

If you are trying to clean up your library, consider unfollowing playlists you do not use instead of deleting them. Unfollowing is faster and reversible if you change your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a deleted playlist?

No. Once you confirm the deletion, Spotify permanently removes the playlist and all the songs in it from your account. There is no undo button or recovery option. Before you delete, make sure you do not want the playlist anymore.

What is the difference between deleting and unfollowing?

Deleting removes a playlist you created and erases it for everyone. Unfollowing removes a playlist from your library but keeps it for the creator and other followers. You can only delete playlists you made; you can only unfollow playlists created by others.

If I delete a playlist, do my friends still see it?

If your friends were following your playlist, it disappears from their libraries when you delete it. If they had already saved songs from your playlist to their own playlists, those songs remain in their playlists, but your original playlist is gone.

Can I delete a playlist on the Spotify app but keep it on the web version?

No. Your Spotify account is the same across all devices and platforms. When you delete a playlist on your phone, it is deleted from your account everywhere — the web player, desktop app, and any other device you use Spotify on.

How do I delete a playlist I created years ago that I forgot about?

Search your library or scroll through your playlists to find it. Once you locate it, right-click or long-press the playlist name and select "Delete Playlist". Confirm the deletion, and it will be removed from your account.