How To Save A Playlist On YouTube: The Definitive Guide

Saving a playlist on YouTube is simpler than finding the perfect avocado at the grocery store. Essentially, you have two primary methods: saving someone else’s playlist to your own library, or creating and saving your own custom playlist. This guide will walk you through both processes with clarity and precision.

Saving Someone Else’s YouTube Playlist

This is the act of taking a pre-existing playlist you stumble upon – perhaps a curated collection of vintage jazz, epic movie soundtracks, or cat videos – and adding it to your personal YouTube library for easy access. Here’s how you do it:

The Step-by-Step Process

1. Navigate to the Playlist: Locate the playlist you want to save. This could be through a search, a recommendation, or a link someone shared with you.
2. Locate the Three Dots: Look for the three vertical dots (the “more options” menu) either directly under the playlist title, or near the top right corner of the playlist’s video list, depending on the YouTube interface. Click on these dots.
3. Select “Save to Playlist”: A menu will appear. Choose the option that says “Save to Playlist.”
4. Choose an Existing Playlist or Create a New One: A pop-up will appear listing your existing playlists. You can select one of these to add the playlist to. Alternatively, you can click the “+ Create new playlist” option to create a brand new playlist just for this collection of videos.
5. Set the Playlist Privacy (If Creating New): If you chose to create a new playlist, you’ll be prompted to set its privacy. You have three options:
   • Public: Anyone can find and view your playlist.
   • Unlisted: Only people with the link to the playlist can view it.
   • Private: Only you can see the playlist.

Why This Matters

Saving a playlist is about more than just convenience. It’s about curating your own digital ecosystem. Instead of constantly searching for individual videos, you have organized collections ready to go. This is especially useful for learning new skills, following artists, or simply enjoying themed content.

Creating and Saving Your Own YouTube Playlist

This involves assembling a collection of videos from across YouTube and organizing them into a playlist that reflects your personal taste or purpose.

The Step-by-Step Process

1. Find a Video to Add: Start by finding a video you want to include in your playlist.
2. Locate the “Save” Button: Underneath the video player, you’ll see a row of buttons, including “Like,” “Dislike,” “Share,” and “Save.” Click the “Save” button.
3. Choose an Existing Playlist or Create a New One: A pop-up will appear listing your existing playlists. You can select one of these to add the video to. Alternatively, you can click the “+ Create new playlist” option to create a brand new playlist.
4. Set the Playlist Privacy (If Creating New): If you chose to create a new playlist, you’ll be prompted to set its privacy. Remember the three options: Public, Unlisted, and Private.
5. Repeat for Other Videos: Repeat steps 1-4 for all the videos you want to add to your playlist.
6. Access and Manage Your Playlists: To access and manage your playlists, click on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the YouTube page (the “hamburger menu”). Then, click on “Library” in the sidebar. Your playlists will be listed under the “Playlists” section.
7. Reorder Videos: Within a playlist, you can easily reorder the videos by dragging and dropping them into your desired sequence.
8. Add or Remove Videos: You can add more videos to an existing playlist at any time by following steps 1-4. To remove a video, open the playlist, hover over the video you want to remove, click the three dots next to it, and select “Remove from [Playlist Name].”

The Power of Personalization

Creating your own playlists allows you to be a digital curator. You can create playlists for workout routines, language learning, inspiration, or simply your favorite music genres. It’s a powerful way to organize the vast landscape of YouTube content to suit your specific needs and interests.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About YouTube Playlists

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding YouTube playlists:

1. Can I save a playlist to watch later offline?

While you cannot directly save an entire playlist for offline viewing, you can save individual videos from the playlist to your “Watch Later” list. If you have YouTube Premium, you can download individual videos for offline viewing within the YouTube app.

2. What’s the difference between “Watch Later” and a playlist?

“Watch Later” is a single, automatically managed list. A playlist is a curated collection that you create and organize. “Watch Later” is ideal for videos you intend to watch soon, while playlists are better for organizing content by topic or interest.

3. How do I find a playlist that someone shared with me?

If someone shared a playlist with you via a link, simply click on the link. This will take you directly to the playlist on YouTube. You can then save it to your library by following the steps outlined above. If they shared the name of the playlist, search for the name on Youtube and filter by playlist to find the desired playlist.

4. Can I collaborate on a playlist with friends?

Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t offer a direct collaboration feature for playlists. However, a workaround is to share the playlist’s link with your friends and have them suggest videos for you to add. You can then manage the playlist yourself.

5. How do I delete a playlist?

To delete a playlist, navigate to your YouTube Library. Then find the specific playlist you want to delete. Open the playlist, click on the three dots next to the playlist title, and select “Delete playlist.” Confirm the deletion.

6. Can I make a playlist private after it’s been public?

Yes, you can change the privacy settings of a playlist at any time. Open the playlist, click the “Edit” button (it looks like a pencil), and change the visibility setting from “Public” to “Unlisted” or “Private.”

7. How many videos can I add to a playlist?

YouTube doesn’t officially disclose a hard limit on the number of videos you can add to a playlist. However, very large playlists (thousands of videos) may experience performance issues.

8. Why can’t I save certain videos to a playlist?

Some videos may have embedding disabled by the uploader. This prevents you from adding them to playlists or embedding them on other websites. This is a setting the video creator controls.

9. How do I share a playlist with others?

Open the playlist you want to share. Below the playlist title, you’ll see a “Share” button. Click it, and you’ll be presented with options to share via social media, email, or by copying the playlist’s link.

10. Can I automatically add videos to a playlist based on keywords?

No, YouTube doesn’t offer automatic playlist creation based on keywords. You must manually add videos to your playlists.

11. How can I see all the playlists I’ve saved?

Navigate to your YouTube Library by clicking on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the YouTube page. Then click on Library in the side bar. All your saved playlists will be listed under the “Playlists” section.

12. Can I download a playlist as a file?

No, you cannot download a playlist as a file (like an .m3u or .pls file). YouTube doesn’t offer this functionality. You can only save and manage playlists within the YouTube platform.

Mastering the art of YouTube playlist management is a skill that empowers you to take control of your viewing experience. Whether you’re saving existing playlists or curating your own, these tools allow you to transform YouTube from a chaotic stream of videos into a personalized library of entertainment and information. Go forth and organize!