About playlists

A playlist is a custom compilation of songs and video. You might want to create a playlist to:

  • Suit a specific mood or occasion. For example, you could create a playlist to listen to at a dinner party, while you’re exercising, or for a wedding.

  • Select certain songs to share with others on your local network or to sync with your iPod.

  • Burn a CD of songs to play on a CD player.

  • Organize your iTunes library.

There are five kinds of playlists (you create the first kind yourself; iTunes automatically creates the other four):

Standard playlists

You create these playlists by dragging items to the list. For instructions, click this link:

Smart Playlists

Specify some rules for iTunes to follow, and it creates a Smart Playlist that updates automatically as your library changes.

Genius playlists

Select a song in your library, and iTunes creates a Genius playlist of similar music in your library.

Genius Mixes

Select a mix and iTunes plays an endless selection of songs from your library in that genre or format.

iTunes DJ playlist

Also called a “live mix,” the iTunes DJ playlist contains randomly selected songs in your library or a playlist.

With some iPod models, you can also create playlists on the iPod when it isn’t connected to your computer. For information about on-the-go playlists, see the documentation that came with your iPod.

About playlists