Skip to main content

How to create a Smart Playlist in Apple Music

Creating a Smart Playlist in Music on a MacBook.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you own a Mac, one of the best ways to take advantage of the built-in Music app is with Smart Playlists. These are automated song libraries that will periodically update, based on criteria you select when building this special playlist. It’s totally free to make a Smart Playlist, and there’s no cap on how many you can have either.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Mac computer

  • Apple's Music app

To help you out, we’ve put together this guide to teach you how to build and customize a Smart Playlist.

Create a Smart Playlist in Music on Mac

Open the Music app on your Mac to get started.

Step 1: Select File > New from the menu bar and pick Smart playlist in the pop-out menu.

Step 2: When the Smart Playlist setup window opens, check the box at the top for Match the following rule. This is where you choose the criteria for your playlist.

Smart Playlist setup, match the rule checkbox.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Use the first drop-down box on the left to select the first condition. You can pick from many options, like artist, date added, genre, love, purchased, year, and more.

Drop-down box for the first condition for a Smart Playlist.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: After you make that selection, use the drop-down box to the right to pick from options like Contains, Begins With, Is After, Is Not, or another option. These choices vary depending on what you choose in the first drop-down box.

Next drop-down box for the first condition for a Smart Playlist.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Next, you may need to add an item to the text box, drop-down list, or calendar that appears on the right. This also depends on the previous two selections.

For instance, if you choose Artist > Contains, you’d enter the artist’s name. Or, if you pick Date added > Is before, you’d enter the date.

Last box for the first condition for a Smart Playlist.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: Once you have the criteria for your playlist, you can add another condition if you like. For example, you may want a list with your favorite artist and songs that are added after a certain date.

Select the Plus sign on the right side of the first rule to add a second one. Then, use the drop-down and subsequent boxes to set it up, just like the first one.

Next to the checkbox at the top, choose Any or All to match any of the conditions or all of them.

Second condition setup for a Smart Playlist.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 7: After you have all of your criteria added, you can optionally check the boxes for the other items for your playlist. You can limit the number of items in the playlist and how they’re selected, match only checked items, and enable live updating.

When you finish, choose OK to save your Smart Playlist rules.

Smart Playlist limit options.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 8: You’ll then see your playlist in the main section of the Music app. Enter a name in the Playlist field and press Return. You can then play your new Smart Playlist right away.

As you continue to listen to, purchase, or add new items in the Music app, those that match the rules you set up for your Smart Playlist will be automatically added to it.

Name field for a Smart Playlist in Music.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Access or edit your Smart Playlist

Listening to or making changes to the rules for your Smart Playlist is just as easy as setting it up on Mac.

Step 1: You can access and play your new Smart Playlist any time by selecting it in the Playlists section of the left-hand menu in the Music app.

Smart Playlist in the Music app menu.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: If you sync the Music app with your iPhone or iPad, you’ll also see the Smart Playlist in the Playlists section of the Library on those devices as well.

Step 3: If you want to make changes to the playlist, you can do so in Music on Mac. Select the playlist and choose Edit rules below the playlist name on the right.

You’ll then see the rules you set up initially. Make any changes you like and choose OK to save them.

Edit Rules for a Smart Playlist in Music.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Why is my Smart Playlist empty?

You go to open your Smart Playlist, but all its songs and albums are missing. No worries: You may have accidentally clicked a button you didn’t mean to when building the playlist in the first place. This is a pretty easy fix, too.

Start by heading into your Smart Playlist settings. If you’re using any kind of “match all” or “match any” filters, you should try resetting them; even if they appear to be set correctly. In many cases, this might be enough of a refresh to put your Smart Playlist back together.

What is a Genius playlist?

Unlike a Smart Playlist, which leverages user settings to automatically add songs, artists, and albums to your Music app, a Genius playlist is a list of songs that Apple’s Genius tool uses to group similar songs together.

To make a Genius playlist in the macOS Music app, simply start playing a song. Then click File > New > * Genius Playlist*. Music will then start automatically building a playlist of similar-sounding material.

Genius Shuffle is another extension of the Genius tool. If you can’t even decide what genre of music you feel like listening to, Genius will pick a random song, and then pair it with similar-sounding songs.

Now that you know how to create a Smart Playlist in Apple Music for automatically updating music, take a look at how to share your Apple Music library.

Sandy Writtenhouse
Sandy has been writing about technology since 2012. Her work has appeared on How-To Geek, Lifewire, MakeUseOf, iDownloadBlog…
Apple preps smart glasses with visionOS and a Meta Ray-Ban rival
Person wearing Meta Orion smart glasses.

It’s no secret that Apple’s entry into the AR/VR segment didn’t quite stir the product revolution that the company may have expected. A cumbersome build married to a sky-high asking price for the Vision Pro headset were some of the key woes, but the company has not given up on its dreams.

On the contrary, Apple might even expand into the wearable category beyond the domains of XR itself. According to Bloomberg, the company is working on multiple ideas for smart glasses, both with advanced AR optics and those without a sophisticated display unit.

Read more
The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air M3 is down to $899 on Best Buy
The MacBook Air on a table in front of a window.

If you've been thinking about buying the latest version of the MacBook Air but it's been just beyond your budget, this might be the chance you've been waiting for. The 13-inch model of the Apple MacBook Air M3, which usually sells for $1,099, is available from Best Buy with a $200 discount that brings its price down to $899. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer expires, so if you want to take advantage of the savings, you're going to have to complete your purchase right away.

Why you should buy the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air M3
The Apple MacBook Air M3 is the most recent release in this popular line of laptops, and it's powered by the Apple M3 chip for supercharged performance. The eight-core CPU, eight-core GPU, and 16GB of RAM pushes the boundaries of the device -- in fact, the Apple MacBook Air M3's gaming performance is better than expected. It's not going to challenge the best gaming laptops, but the ability to play video games on what is more widely known as a productivity tool is a huge bonus.

Read more
Apple could finally be about to fix the Mail app on your Mac
Apple Intelligence's Mail features being presented at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024.

If you’ve ever used the Mail app on your Mac and then compared it to more or less any of the best email apps, you’ll know that Apple’s offering is some way behind its rivals. After all, it lacked features like inbox sorting, message snoozing and undo send for years -- not exactly the height of technology, yet Mail strangely went without.

Sure, Mail has the advantage of solid privacy and security, including a Mail Privacy Protection feature that thwarts trackers’ attempts to harvest your data. But that’s never really been enough to make Mail particularly exciting. It’s simple and functional, but not much else.

Read more