With YouTube, making playlists is a flexible way to group your favorite videos. Playlists are easy to make, and they can be optimized for search engines just like individual videos can be.

How to Add Videos to a Playlist

Adding videos to a YouTube playlist is simple. Underneath every video is an Add to the icon (appears as a plus symbol). Any playlists you create appear in the drop-down menu, along with a Watch Later option and a Create new playlist option. 

Select Create a new playlist, name the playlist and select a privacy setting. The privacy settings are:

  • Public – anyone can search for and view your playlistsUnlisted – only people you send a link to can view the playlist Private – only you can see the playlist

Organize Your YouTube Playlists

You can manage and edit your existing playlists from the menu pane on the left side of the YouTube screen. If you don’t see it, select the three-horizontal-line menu icon at the top left corner to expand the pane.

The Library section includes your Watch Later list and any playlist that you’ve created. Select a playlist name to see information about the playlist including a list of each video you’ve added to it. You can remove videos from the playlist, select a Shuffle Play option, and select a thumbnail image for the playlist. 

YouTube allows users to add titles, tags, and descriptions to playlists, just as you do to individual videos. Adding this information makes it easier for people to find your playlists when they do a web search and makes it more likely that YouTube recommends your playlist to people watching similar videos.

Select a playlist and choose Edit Description when the playlist information screen opens. Enter titles, tags, and descriptions in the box provided for that purpose.

In this screen, you can also reorder the videos in the playlist and change the privacy settings.

Share Your YouTube Playlists

Every YouTube playlist has a unique URL so you can share it via email, social networks, or blogs just like a stand-alone YouTube video. By default, your playlists appear on your YouTube channel page, so they’re easy for visitors to find and watch.

Keep YouTube Playlists Private

If you want to keep your playlists private, you can. By not entering any titles, tags, or descriptions for playlists that you have categorized, they won’t appear in any web searches. 

There are good reasons to keep some of your YouTube videos and playlists private or unlisted. You can change the privacy setting on a playlist at any time.

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