Add a song to a playlist in Apple Music without adding it to your library

If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can add songs to playlists without adding them to your library.

With Apple Music, when you add a song to a playlist from the Apple Music catalog, you can turn off the option for it to automatically add to your Library. For example, if you create a playlist for holiday music, you can add songs to that playlist, but the songs won't play when you listen to your Library on Shuffle.

Before you change your settings, make sure that you have the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and the Apple Music app on Android.

Learn how to create and share playlists.

Turn off add playlist songs

Follow the steps below for your device.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap Music.
  3. Turn off Add Playlist Songs.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Apple Music app.
  2. In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Deselect "Add songs to Library when adding to playlists."
  5. Click OK.

On your Apple TV

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Select Apps > Music.
  3. Scroll down to "Add Playlist Songs to Library," then turn it off.
    An Apple TV showing the Music Settings screen. The "Add Playlist Songs to Library" setting is turned off.

On your Android device

  1. Open the Apple Music app.
  2. In the upper-right corner, tap the menu button the Sort Options button.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Turn off Add Playlist Songs.

Move songs from your Library to a playlist

  1. Delete the song from your library. This also removes the song from all playlists and from devices that have Sync Library turned on.
  2. Search Apple Music for the song you deleted.
    • On iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, press and hold the song.
    • On your Mac, click the more button  next to the song.
  3. Tap or click Add to Playlist.
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