How to make a playlist on Spotify without Premium—and why mobile forces shuffle. Desktop workaround included for playing songs in order. You don’t need a Premium subscription to create playlists on Spotify. The process works exactly the same whether you pay or not. The only real differences show up when you actually go to play your music back.
Here’s how to do it on every device.
Making a Playlist on Mobile (iPhone and Android)
The app works the same on both operating systems.
Open Spotify and tap Your Library at the bottom of your screen. Look for the Plus (+) icon in the top right corner and tap that. A menu pops up—select Playlist.
Give your playlist a name. Something you’ll remember. Tap Create and you’re done with the setup.
Now you need to add music. Tap Add to this playlist and start searching for specific songs. Or scroll through the recommendations Spotify shows you and tap the Plus (+) icon next to any track that catches your ear.
Making a Playlist on Desktop and Web Player
This is actually the easier method if you’re sitting at a computer.
Open the Spotify app on your computer or go to the web player. Look at the left sidebar where Your Library sits. Click the Plus (+) button at the top of that panel and choose Create a new playlist.
To fill it up, there are two ways:
- Search for a track inside the playlist window and click Add when you find it
- Right-click any song you see while browsing, hover over Add to Playlist, and pick the one you just made
What You Can’t Do Without Premium
This is where the free version gets annoying.
Shuffle is forced on mobile. You can’t pick a specific song and play it in order. Spotify makes you shuffle everything. If you want to listen to track number three specifically, you’re out of luck on your phone.
Desktop is different. On a computer, you can play any song you want in any order. Click whatever you feel like listening to. This works on both the app and web player.
Random tracks show up. Spotify will add recommended songs to your queue on mobile to fill things out. They don’t get saved permanently unless you manually tap the plus icon to add them to the playlist itself.
No offline listening. You can’t download your playlist to listen without internet. That’s locked behind Premium.
Quick Tips If You’re Planning Something Specific
If you’re making a playlist for a road trip or a party, know that collaborative playlists work fine on free accounts. Your friends can add songs too.
Want to organize the order of your tracks? Do that on your computer. Drag songs up and down to rearrange them however you want. The new order will sync to your phone, but remember—you’ll still be stuck with shuffle on mobile.
by MusVibes
Related Post, Spotify Playlist
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