Playlists on Youtube allow users to organize and save videos into customized collections for easy access later. Playlists make it simple to find and watch videos again or share a curated set of videos with others.
Creating a Playlist
To create a new playlist on Youtube:
- Click on the icon showing three horizontal lines in the top left corner to open the side menu.
- Under the “Library” section, click on “Playlists”.
- Click the blue “New playlist” button at the top.
- Enter a name and description for your playlist.
- Click “Create” to finish making the playlist.
You can also create a new playlist when watching a video by clicking the “Save” button below the video and selecting “New playlist”.
Adding Videos to a Playlist
There are several ways to add videos to your Youtube playlists:
- When watching a video, click the “Save” button below it and choose which playlist to add it to.
- From a video’s page, click the “Save” button below the title and choose a playlist.
- In the playlist itself, click the “Add videos” button at the top to search for and select videos.
- Drag and drop videos into the playlist page to add them.
- Check videos on a channel’s Videos page and click the “Add to” button to add to a playlist.
Videos can be added to multiple playlists. You can add your own videos or videos from other channels and users.
Editing Playlist Details
To edit details of a playlist you’ve created:
- Go to your Playlists page in the side menu.
- Click the three dot menu next to the playlist.
- Select “Edit details”.
- From here you can change the playlist title, description, privacy settings, and more.
The playlist privacy can be set to public, unlisted, or private. Public playlists can be viewed by anyone. Unlisted playlists can only be viewed by those with a direct link. Private playlists can only be viewed by the creator.
Changing the Playlist Order
The order of videos in a Youtube playlist can be customized:
- In the playlist, hover over a video and click the three dot menu.
- Choose “Move up” or “Move down” to rearrange the video position.
- Videos can also be dragged and dropped to reorder them.
The video order will be updated for anyone viewing that playlist.
Deleting Videos from a Playlist
To remove videos from a playlist:
- Go to the playlist page.
- Hover over the video thumbnail and click the three dot menu.
- Select “Remove from playlist”.
This only removes the video from that specific playlist. The video itself will remain on Youtube.
Deleting an Entire Playlist
Be careful when deleting playlists, as this action cannot be undone. To delete a playlist:
- Go to your Playlists page in the side menu.
- Click the three dot menu next to the playlist.
- Select “Delete playlist”.
- Confirm that you want to permanently delete that playlist.
When a playlist is deleted, all the videos remain on Youtube but are no longer collected together.
Sharing Playlists
There are several ways to share Youtube playlists with others:
- Click the “Share” button above the playlist to copy the playlist link.
- Use the “Email” option to send the playlist via email.
- Click the “Embed” option to get embed code to add the playlist to websites.
- Make the playlist public, then anyone can view it on your channel.
- If collaborative playlists are enabled, you can invite other users to contribute.
Sharing playlists allows you to distribute a set of videos to friends, family, colleagues, fans, and around the web.
Collaborative Playlists
Youtube allows multiple accounts to collaborate on a single playlist.
To enable collaborative playlists:
- Go to your channel’s Playlists tab.
- Click “Settings” next to Playlists.
- Check the box for “Allow users to add videos to your public playlists”.
Once enabled, other users can add videos directly to a public playlist. You can also explicitly invite certain users to collaborate via the playlist’s Edit details page.
Collaborative playlists allow teamwork and give communities a way to crowdsource playlists.
Viewing Playlist Statistics
Youtube provides statistics on views and watch time for playlists:
- Go to the playlist Analytics page.
- Filter stats for different time periods.
- See total views and watch time for the full playlist.
- View stats for individual videos in the playlist.
These metrics can help youtube creators track the performance of their playlists.
Turning Playlists into Youtube Videos
Playlists can be turned into standalone Youtube videos:
- Go to the playlist and click “Create video”.
- Customize the video title, description and settings.
- The playlist videos will be compiled into a Youtube video.
- The new video can be shared and viewed like any other video.
Converting playlists to videos makes it easy to share a collection of videos as one unit.
Downloading Playlists
While Youtube does not have a built-in playlist download feature, there are a couple ways to download full playlists:
- Use a third party website or software to download Youtube playlists.
- Install a browser extension to download playlists.
Downloading playlists allows you to save a collection of videos for offline viewing.
Listening to Playlists as Podcasts
Youtube playlists can be listened to as podcasts using apps like:
- Google Podcasts – Add playlist via RSS feed URL.
- Spotify – Search for playlist and add.
- Apple Podcasts – Search for Youtube RSS feed.
Podcast apps make it easy to listen to Youtube playlists as audio on the go.
