'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
How to better organize your Spotify Playlists with folders
I use Spotify daily. At my desk, while running, in the car… you name it. As a regular user, you can bet I have curated a number of playlists for my account. In fact, those playlists have started to get out of hand. This is especially the case when I go to add a song or album to an existing playlist and have to scroll through a long list until I find the one I'm looking for.
After years of using Spotify, it was time for a cleanup. For that, I turned to folders. With Spotify folders, I can organize my playlists such that they are not only easier to add to but also easier to navigate. This is especially true with the mobile version of Spotify, where it's not nearly as easy to navigate as the desktop application. Thanks to folders, if I'm out on a run and I feel like changing playlists, I can locate the collection of songs I want to hear much faster.
Also: What is a Spotify private session and why should you use it?
The first thing you need to know about folders is that they can only house playlists. You cannot create a folder and then add an artist to it (unless it's a playlist you've created for an artist -- such as RUSH: 80s). The next thing you must understand is that folders can only be created on the desktop and web-based app. You can use them in the mobile app, you just can't add them there.
If this sounds like something you could benefit from, keep reading.
How to create a new Spotify playlist folder
What you'll need: The only things you'll need for this are a valid Spotify account (it can be a free account) and either the desktop app installed or a web browser.
1. Open the Spotify desktop or web-based app
The first thing to do is open either the Spotify desktop or web-based app and log in to your account.
2. Create a new folder
Locate and click the + button to the right of the Your Library entry in the left navigation.
Also: How to improve the quality of Spotify streaming audio
Then, from the popup menu, click Create a playlist folder.
Don't let Your Library get out of control with an array of playlists before you start organizing them.
3. Rename the new folder
When you create a new folder, you don't get a chance to name it. Instead, the new folder will be listed as New Folder. If you right-click that entry and select Rename, a popup will appear and you can give the new folder a proper name.
Make sure to give your playlist folder a memorable name.
4. Locate the playlist to be added
From the left navigation, locate the playlist you want to add to the folder.
5. Add the playlist to the folder
Right-click that playlist and then select Move to folder > Folder (Where Folder is the name of the folder). Another method is to simply locate the playlist and drag it to the folder. The only time you'll have trouble with this is if the playlist in question is at the bottom of the list and the folder in question is at the top.
Also: How to add local music files to Spotify on Android
The Spotify desktop app isn't terribly adept at moving playlists that far up the ladder, so I tend to use the right-click method more than any other.
The right-click menu method is the easier way to move a playlist into a folder.
And that's all there is to using Spotify folders. If you have a lot of playlists and have been struggling to keep them organized, this feature is the way to go.