Youtube allows users to create playlists to organize and save videos for easy access. But there is a limit to how many videos you can add to a single playlist. The current playlist limit on Youtube is 5000 videos per playlist.
What is the Playlist Limit on Youtube?
The maximum number of videos you can add to a single Youtube playlist is 5000. This limit applies to all Youtube accounts regardless of whether you are using a free account or paid Youtube Premium account.
If you try to add more than 5000 videos to a playlist, you will get an error message saying “Playlist limit reached”. At this point, you will no longer be able to add any more videos to that particular playlist.
Why Does Youtube Have a Playlist Limit?
Youtube imposes a 5000 video limit per playlist to ensure optimal performance and usability. Some reasons why Youtube enforces this playlist size limit are:
- Keeps page load times fast – Large playlists with thousands of videos can slow down page loading and impact playback.
- Avoids cluttered playlists – Playlist with too many videos become unusable and difficult to navigate.
- Reduces server strain – Storing and delivering huge playlists strains Youtube’s infrastructure.
- Alignment with usage patterns – Most users create playlists well under 5000 videos.
By restricting playlists to 5000 videos max, Youtube aims to balance utility for users with technical limitations on their end.
What Happens When You Hit the Playlist Limit?
When you try adding a video to a playlist that already contains 5000 videos, you will see an error message saying “Playlist limit reached”. The video will not be added to the playlist.
You have following options when you hit the playlist limit:
- Remove videos from the current playlist to make space for new ones.
- Create a new playlist and start adding videos to the new playlist.
- Make the current playlist public or unlisted, so you can view it even if you cannot add to it.
Unfortunately there is no way around the 5000 video limit on a single playlist. Youtube does not allow exceptions to this limit.
Does the Limit Apply to Liked Videos Playlist?
The playlist limit also applies to your automatically generated “Liked Videos” playlist. This playlist contains all the videos you have liked on Youtube.
When your Liked Videos playlist reaches 5000 videos, you will stop being able to like new videos. The only way to like new videos at this point is to unlike some of the existing videos in your Liked Videos playlist.
So even your Liked Videos playlist cannot exceed the 5000 video limit imposed by Youtube.
Does the Limit Apply to Other Playlists?
The 5000 video limit applies universally to all playlists you create on Youtube. This includes:
- Regular playlists you create to organize collections of videos.
- Automatically generated playlists like Liked Videos, Watch History etc.
- Playlists generated from your Youtube Music library.
- Playlists created by channels you are subscribed to.
No matter what type of playlist, there can never be more than 5000 videos in a single playlist.
Tips for Managing Large Video Collections
Here are some tips for creators and power users who have large video libraries they want to manage and organize on Youtube:
- Break up your videos into multiple smaller playlists instead of hitting the limit on one giant playlist.
- Use descriptive playlist titles and descriptions so you can find the right one easily.
- Make liberal use of playlist folders to group multiple similar playlists.
- Utilize Youtube search to find videos in large playlists.
- Consider creating an index spreadsheet to track your different playlists.
- Set some playlists as public or unlisted so anyone can view them.
With smart organization and cataloging, you can work around the 5000 video playlist limitation on Youtube.
Why Doesn’t Youtube Increase the Playlist Limit?
Sometimes users request Youtube to increase the playlist video limit beyond 5000. However, Youtube is unlikely to make such a change due to technical constraints.
Increasing the playlist size limit would put additional strain on Youtube’s infrastructure including storage, database load, content delivery networks etc. Supporting playlists with say 10000 or 50000 videos may degrade performance.
Also, usage patterns indicate most users don’t create such large playlists anyway. So the additional engineering work to handle bigger playlists is not a priority for Youtube currently.
Maybe someday if technology advances further, we could see Youtube double the playlist limit. But 5000 videos per playlist is likely to remain the limit for the foreseeable future.
Can You Report Playlists That Exceed the Limit?
In rare cases, you may come across Youtube playlists that seem to exceed the 5000 video limit. This can happen in two ways:
- Bug in Youtube’s code that allowed extra videos to be added.
- The playlist contained fewer than 5000 videos earlier, and new videos were auto-added over time.
When you encounter such oversized playlists, you can try reporting them to Youtube. Use the “Report” option on the playlist and select the “Infringes my rights” option.
However, Youtube may or may not take any action on such reports. These oversized playlists are rare edge cases that slipped through cracks. Youtube allows them to exist unless they cause serious platform issues.
FAQs
Why do some channels have playlists with more than 5000 videos?
In rare cases, channels that existed before the 5000 limit was imposed were allowed to keep their larger legacy playlists. These grandfathered playlists can have 10000-20000 videos. But new playlists cannot exceed 5000 videos.
Can I merge multiple playlists to create a super-playlist?
No, there is no way to combine multiple smaller playlists into one large playlist exceeding 5000 videos. The limit is technically enforced at the platform level.
If I delete videos, can I add more to a full playlist?
Yes, when you remove videos from a playlist that has reached 5000, space frees up to add new videos again until you hit the limit again.
Does deleting videos reduce my playlist size forever?
No, if you delete videos from a full playlist, the total playlist size remains 5000. Those deleted slots can be filled with new videos again later.
The Bottom Line
To summarize, all Youtube playlists are capped at 5000 videos maximum. This limit exists primarily to ensure optimal technical performance. When your playlist hits 5000 videos, you cannot add more to it. Workaround options include removing existing videos or creating new playlists.
While the 5000 video cap may seem restrictive for power users, it’s necessary from Youtube’s perspective. For most casual Youtube users, it is not a major hindrance. With smart organization into multiple playlists, even creators with large video catalogs can work around this limit.