Creating a new playlist on YouTube

To create a playlist, sign into your YouTube account and click your profile icon in the top right corner. Select Create a playlist from the menu. YouTube will ask you to name the playlist and choose who can see it — you can make it private (only you), unlisted (only people with the link), or public (anyone can find it). After you set these options, click Create and your empty playlist is ready.

The playlist now exists in your account, but it contains no videos yet. You do not have to add videos when ready — you can come back and build it later. YouTube saves your playlist automatically, so you will not lose it if you close the browser.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a playlist by clicking your profile icon, selecting Create a playlist, naming it, and choosing who can view it.
  • Add videos to a playlist by clicking the three-dot menu below any video and selecting Add to playlist, then choosing which playlist to use.
  • Rearrange videos within a playlist by opening it, clicking Edit playlist, and dragging videos to new positions.
  • Remove videos from a playlist by opening the playlist, clicking the three-dot menu next to the video, and selecting Remove from playlist.
  • Share a playlist by copying its URL from the browser address bar or clicking the share icon and sending the link to others.

Adding videos to your playlist

Once your playlist exists, you can add videos to it from anywhere on YouTube. When you find a video you want to add, click the three-dot menu icon directly below the video title. A dropdown menu will appear with several options — select Add to playlist. YouTube will show you a list of all your playlists. Click the name of the playlist where you want this video to go, and YouTube adds it when ready.

You can add the same video to multiple playlists at once. When you click Add to playlist, checkboxes appear next to each of your playlists — check as many as you want, and the video goes into all of them. This is useful if a single video fits into several different themes or categories you are organizing.

Changing the order of videos in your playlist

Videos appear in a playlist in the order you added them, but you can rearrange them anytime. Open your playlist by clicking on it from your profile menu or from your library. Once the playlist is open, look for an Edit playlist button near the top. Click it to enter edit mode.

In edit mode, each video shows a handle icon (six dots) on the left side. Click and hold that handle, then drag the video up or down to its new position. YouTube updates the order as you drag. When you are finished rearranging, click outside the playlist or navigate away — YouTube saves your changes automatically. You do not need to click a separate save button.

Removing videos from a playlist

If you decide a video no longer belongs in a playlist, you can remove it without deleting the video from YouTube itself. Open the playlist, find the video you want to remove, and click the three-dot menu next to it. Select Remove from playlist. The video disappears from that playlist when ready, but it remains on YouTube and in any other playlists where you added it.

Removing a video from a playlist does not affect the original video or your watch history. The video stays on the creator's channel and in your recommendations — it only leaves the specific playlist you are editing.

Sharing your playlist with others

To share a playlist, open it and look for a Share button near the top of the page. Click it and YouTube shows you options to share via email, social media, or a direct link. The simplest method is to copy the link — click the link icon, and YouTube copies the playlist URL to your clipboard. You can then paste it into a message, email, or social media post.

The person who receives the link can view your playlist based on the privacy setting you chose when you created it. If the playlist is public or unlisted, anyone with the link can watch all the videos in it. If it is private, only you can view it, and sharing the link will not let others see it — they will get an error message instead.

Finding and managing playlists you have created

All your playlists live in one place. Click your profile icon in the top right, then select Your channel. On your channel page, click the Playlists tab. YouTube shows you every playlist you have created, along with how many videos each one contains and when you last updated it.

From this view, you can click any playlist to open it, or click the three-dot menu next to a playlist name to edit its title, description, or privacy settings. You can also delete a playlist from this menu — deleting a playlist removes it from your account but does not delete any of the videos inside it from YouTube.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add videos to someone else's playlist?

No, you can only add videos to playlists you created. However, if someone shares a public or unlisted playlist with you, you can watch all the videos in it and create your own copy of the playlist by clicking the menu and selecting an option to save it to your account.

What happens if a video is deleted from YouTube?

If a creator deletes a video, it disappears from your playlist automatically. The space where it was closes up, and the remaining videos shift to fill the gap. You will not see an error or notification — the video straightforward vanishes from the list.

Can I make a playlist that other people can edit?

YouTube does not allow shared editing of playlists. Only the person who created the playlist can add, remove, or rearrange videos. Other people can view public or unlisted playlists and create their own copies, but they cannot change the original.

How many videos can I add to one playlist?

YouTube does not set a hard limit on playlist size. You can add hundreds or thousands of videos to a single playlist. However, very large playlists may load more slowly, and YouTube recommends keeping playlists under 5,000 videos for the best performance.

Can I add a playlist to another playlist?

No, playlists cannot contain other playlists. You can only add individual videos. If you want to organize multiple playlists together, you can create playlists with similar names or descriptions to keep them grouped logically in your mind.