A playlist is a list of songs that are ready to play. It is one of the most personalized ways of showing your taste in music and helping others with similar tastes. A music playlist is the modern-day version of the old-school mixtape. Back then, favorite songs were added onto cassettes so the listener could enjoy their bunch of chosen music.

Eventually, the scene moved to burning CDs with select music, and today, in the technologically advanced world where everything happens online, playlists are a click away. Making playlists in today’s world is effortless, quick, and involves great variety – you can always browse for similar or forgotten music and add it to your playlist.

So, here’s how you can make a playlist on one of the biggest music platforms; Spotify.

Creating Spotify Playlists on Your Computer

Playlist-creating options are a little more legible on your computer than on your phone. It’s slightly evident here, which makes it a little easier and a tad faster (but longer) to create playlists on your computer as opposed to your phone.

First, launch the Spotify application on your computer. Look to the left of the screen (the margin) and click the ‘Create Playlist’ option.

You will instantly see a ‘My Playlist’ window on the right, with your username and a section to add music. You can either edit the details of your playlist or begin by adding music to it. We’re starting with the former as the first step.

To edit the details of your new playlist, click anywhere on ‘My Playlist’.

An ‘Edit details’ window is the next thing on the screen. Here, you can add/change the name of the playlist in the ‘Name’ text field. If you wish to add additional information about the playlist – what the playlist focuses on, the mood it captures, etc., start typing in the ‘Add an optional description’ textbox below.

To add a cover photo for the playlist, click the ‘Choose photo’ box to the left of the text boxes. This is optional because Spotify does make a collage of the album covers of the songs you put into the playlist. If that’s not what you want, customize.

Choose the perfect image for your playlist cover from your computer and click ‘Open’.

The chosen image will show up on the image slot in the ‘Edit details’ window. If you want to change or delete the image, click the horizontal ellipsis icon at the top-right corner of the image field. Then, select the relevant choice.

Once you’re satisfied with the preview of your playlist, hit ‘Save’.

Your playlist’s expressive presentation is all done. Now, for the main part – the music. There are direct and indirect ways to add songs to your playlist. We’ll cover both.

Directly Adding Music

If you know the name(s) of the song(s) you wish to add (even in bits and pieces), type them out in the text field below ‘Let’s find something for your playlist’.

A single entry would generate several results. Choose the suitable song from the list and click the ‘Add’ button to the far right of the song’s title.

The name of the song, the album, the date it was added onto the playlist, and the duration of the song would immediately appear in the playlist.

Indirectly Adding Music

Scenario 1. We don’t always remember the names of the songs we want in our playlist. Heck, most times, we haven’t even encountered the song we want to queue. So, when you unexpectedly come across a song that fits perfectly into your playlist and its mood, hurry!

Double finger tap on the album cover of the song at the bottom left corner of the window. Select ‘Add to playlist’ from the context menu, then choose the playlist you’d like to add the discovery to.

If that teenie tiny album cover is bothersome, hover your cursor over the image and simply click the upward-facing ‘Expand’ arrowhead.

You will now have an expanded (and better) view of the album cover.

Scenario 2. You’re on a different playlist and seem to like or fall in love with a song. You want it on your own playlist. Here’s what you do. Click the horizontal ellipsis icon on the right end of that song. It would open a menu similar to the one in the previous scenario. Select ‘Add to playlist’ and then choose the playlist.

Creating Playlists From Songs on Your Computer

This is the vice versa of the method above. Here, you can quickly create new playlists from the songs themselves. When you’re on the shuffle mode or listening to a Spotify radio playlist, you may come across songs you want on your new playlist.

In such cases, click the album cover to reach the playlist containing the song. You could also click on the name of the song or the artist, but that would require added search work. When you click on the album cover, the song will be #1 on the source playlist, and it will be in green. You can easily identify the song and proceed with the playlist.

Now, click the horizontal ellipsis icon on the right end of the song’s title. Then, select ‘Add to playlist’ from the context menu.

Look to the top of the list and click on ‘Add to new playlist’. This option would stay on top of all your previously created or saved playlists.

This will create a new playlist in the name of and with the chosen song.

You can further scroll down on the new playlist’s window to find a ‘Recommended’ section. Spotify will recommend similar songs based on what’s already on the playlist. Click the ‘Add’ button to include a song.

You can customize the details of the playlist in the same manner as discussed previously. You can also add songs to the playlist either from other playlists, from your liked songs, or by typing out the name of the song.

To type and search for a song, click the ‘Find More’ option.

You will then see a search field. Go ahead, type out the title or anything you remember of the song, and add it to your playlist.

Creating Playlists in Spotify Mobile App

First, launch the Spotify app on your mobile device and head to the ‘Library’ section from the bottom bar.

On your phone’s Spotify Library screen, tap the ‘+’ icon on the top right corner. This is the direct button to create a new playlist.

Next, give your playlist a name in the text field and hit ‘Create’. The name is always editable. You can also choose to skip this stage and edit/add the name later.

Your playlist is made. Now, to add some songs. If you like any of Spotify’s recommendations based on the name of your playlist, tap the music note icon with the plus (+) sign adjacent to the particular song under the ‘Recommended Songs’ section to add it to your playlist.

If you don’t find anything nice, tap on the ‘Add songs’ button to manually add songs of your choice to your playlist.

Type the name of the song and click the ‘+’ button next to it.

When you look for a song, Spotify will give you a list of similar songs. If you find anything nice here, click the same ‘+’ button next to the song. You can also swipe to find songs belonging to the album, songs by the artist, etc. Choose your taste.

To add more songs after a couple, click the ‘Add songs’ button at the top of the list of songs on the playlist.

Editing Playlist Details in Spotify Mobile App

Now, your playlist with a couple of songs is ready. But, what if you aren’t happy with the cover image of your playlist? Or if you changed your mind on the name? To make changes to your playlist’s details, click the vertical ellipsis icon below your username, next to the ‘Collaborate’ icon.

Click on ‘Edit Playlist’ from the menu that appears next.

To change the cover image of your playlist, tap on ‘Change image’ below the image field. Tap and type in the text field to change the name of your playlist. And if you would like a description for your playlist, tap the ‘Add a description’ button below the name field.

A ‘Change image’ pop-up would be the next thing on your screen. Select between ‘Take photo’ or ‘Choose photo’ for your playlist’s cover image.

If you chose ‘Take photo’, your camera will open next, and if you chose ‘Choose photo’, you will be redirected to your phone’s gallery. In any case, you must first grant Spotify permission to your camera and your gallery respectively.

If the choice was to choose a photo, click ‘Allow’ in the permissions box to allow Spotify to access your photos, media, and files on your device.

Select your photo from the gallery and tap on ‘Select’. You will then be back on Spotify to confirm the image. Tap ‘Use Photo’.

Now, the image has been selected and used. Take another look at your playlist’s details. Once you’re happy with the preview, tap on ‘Save’ at the top right corner of the screen.

Adding Songs to an Existing Spotify Playlist

The procedure to add songs to a playlist via the songs themselves is rather simple on your phone. If you’re on a shuffle mode, and you come across a song that you want on your playlist, first tap on the ongoing track to get a full-screen view of the song.

Then, tap the vertical ellipsis icon on the top right corner of the screen.

Tap the ‘Add to Playlist’ option in the context menu that appears next.

You will now see a list of all your playlists. Tap the playlist you want to add the current song to.

Your chosen song will instantly be added to the chosen playlist.

If you want to create a new playlist with the chosen song, then simply tap the ‘New Playlist’ option at the top of the ‘Add to playlist’ screen.

You will be taken to the same ‘Give your playlist a name’ screen. The procedure for customizing your new playlist and adding more songs would be the same.

Playlists are saviors when you’re in for a longer musical session. They help you stay in tune with the emotion without the random and disruptive shuffling. Spotify helps you create playlists in seconds. Happy creating!