How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (2025)

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By

Jennifer Allen

How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (1)

Jennifer Allen

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  • Swansea University, Staffordshire University

Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology since 2010. Her work has appeared in Mashable, TechRadar, and many more publications.

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Updated on March 13, 2022

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Lisa Mildon

How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (2)

Reviewed byLisa Mildon

  • Southern New Hampshire University

Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.

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What to Know

  • On the desktop app, you can only remove a playlist from your profile by right-clicking it and clicking Remove from Profile.
  • On the mobile app, tap the playlist > ellipsis > Make Private to hide it.
  • It's also possible to set up a private session by clicking your profile name > Private Session.

This article teaches you how to make a Spotify playlist private and explains what you need to know about the process.

How Do I Make My Spotify Playlist Private on My PC?

While the idea of Spotify might be to share playlists with friends and family whenever you come across something that might appeal, sometimes you also want to keep things private. Spotify has removed the truly private option on the desktop app, but you can hide the playlist so friends can only see what you're listening to via Friend Activity. Here's how to hide a Spotify playlist using the Spotify desktop app.

This method works for both PC and Mac app users.

  1. Open Spotify.

  2. Right-click the playlist you wish to hide.

    How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (3)

  3. Click Remove from profile.

    How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (4)

  4. The playlist is now no longer visible to other people via your profile but you are still able to see it.

How Do I Make My Spotify Playlist Private on My Phone?

If you want to make a Spotify playlist private, you need to set this up via the Spotify mobile app. Here's what you need to do.

This method works for both iOS and Android users.

  1. Open Spotify.

  2. Tap Your Library.

  3. Tap the playlist you wish to make private.

  4. Tap the ellipsis.

  5. Tap Make private.

    How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (5)

  6. Tap Make private.

  7. The playlist is now completely hidden from other users.

How to Set Up a Private Session on Spotify

If you only use the Spotify desktop app and still want to listen to one of your hidden playlists without anyone knowing what you're playing, it's possible to set up a private session to keep things extra secure. Here's how to set up a private session.

  1. Open Spotify.

  2. Click your profile name.

    How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (6)

  3. Click Private session.

    How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (7)

  4. Your session is now completely private as indicated by the padlock next to your name.

Can Friends See Private Playlists on Spotify?

No. Once you have made a playlist private on the mobile app, your friends cannot see it. However, if you have only hidden it from your profile on the desktop app, they can. To circumvent this, turn on Private Session to stop them from seeing.

Can Others See My Spotify Playlist?

If your Spotify playlist is listed as Public, anyone viewing your Spotify profile can see it. If you make a playlist private via the mobile app, they cannot see it even if you are listening to it.

Also, if you remove a playlist from your profile, it's harder for the general public to view, but they can still see it if you are listening to it at the time.

How to Hide and Unhide a Song in Spotify

FAQ

  • Can I see who liked my playlist on Spotify?

    No. You can see how many people follow your Spotify playlists, but you can't see who they are.

  • How do delete a playlist on Spotify?

    To delete a Spotify playlist, go to your Library and open the playlist, then tap or click the three-dot menu > Delete Playlist or on the desktop app select the three-dot menu > Delete.

  • How do I share my Spotify playlist?

    To share your playlists on Spotify, open the playlist and select the three dots >Share > Copy link to Playlist. You can then paste the link in a message or on social media. In the mobile app, you can share directly on social media.

  • How do I find playlists on Spotify?

    If you want to find a friend's playlist on Spotify, go to View > Friend Activity and select the friend who you wish to view. Select See All next to Public Playlists.

  • How do I change my Spotify playlist picture?

    To change a playlist picture on Spotify, open the playlist on the desktop app and selectthe three dots >Edit>Change Image. On the mobile app select Edit Playlist > Choose Photo. You can upload a photo or take one with your device.

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How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private (2025)

FAQs

How to Make a Spotify Playlist Private? ›

To make a playlist private: Tap or click 3 dots vertical / 3 dots horizontal at the top of the playlist. Select Make private. Tip: To make your private playlists public again, select Make public instead."

How do you Make a playlist private on Spotify 2024? ›

To make a playlist private: Tap or click 3 dots vertical / 3 dots horizontal at the top of the playlist. Select Make private. Tip: To make your private playlists public again, select Make public instead."

Can I Make my entire Spotify private? ›

Click the arrow next to your username, and select Settings > Social. Under the Social header, you'll see the option to Share my listening activity on Spotify. Switch this option off, and your friends won't be able to see what you're listening to.

How do I Make my Spotify playlist private and collaborative? ›

How to make a collaborative playlist private:
  1. Open the playlist.
  2. Tap the three dots. Tap the three dots. Credit: Screenshot: Spotify.
  3. Select "Make Private" Tap "Make Secret." Credit: Screenshot: Spotify. Topics Music. Elena Cavender. Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable.
Apr 12, 2022

Can I private a playlist on Spotify? ›

Make playlists public or private

Tap or click. / at the top of the playlist. Select Make private.

How do I turn on private mode on Spotify? ›

Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner of the screen. Select Private Session. A blue padlock next to your profile picture means the Private Session is active.

Where is the Hide button on Spotify? ›

How to hide songs on Spotify
  1. Open the Spotify mobile app and go to a playlist or an album with the song you want to hide.
  2. Tap the three dots next to the song title.
  3. Tap Hide Song on iOS or Hide this song on Android.
Aug 2, 2024

Can people see if you view their Spotify? ›

Spotify's Policy on User Activity Visibility

Spotify prioritizes user privacy and believes in creating a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. While this means you can't see who views your Spotify content, it also ensures that your own activity on the platform remains private.

How to make all Spotify playlists private at once? ›

How to Change Privacy Settings
  1. Log in to your Spotify account and click on the "Profile" tab in the upper-right corner.
  2. Click on the "Edit Profile" button and scroll down to the "Privacy" section.
  3. Under "Who can see your playlists?", select "Only Me".
  4. Scroll down and click on the "Save" button to save your changes.
Apr 13, 2022

Can someone see if you save their playlist on Spotify? ›

Unfortunately, Spotify does not allow users to see exactly who has saved or liked their playlists. Yep, that's right. You won't be able to get a peek at the profiles of those who are vibing to your carefully crafted collection of tunes.

Can people see your Spotify history? ›

By default, anyone who taps on your profile will be able to see the artists you've listened to recently. If you don't want others to see this, you can disable your Recently played artists.

How to make a playlist private on a Spotify laptop? ›

How to make a Spotify playlist private on the desktop app
  1. Open Spotify on your Mac or PC.
  2. Open the playlist you'd like to make private by searching for it, or selecting it from the left-hand sidebar.
  3. Click the three dots to the left of the large green Play button, just below the playlist's name.
  4. Click Make Private.
Jul 25, 2022

Do people get notified when you leave a playlist on Spotify? ›

Even if they playlist is Collaborative and you remove them, they won't be notified. But they might notice it once they try to add/remove tracks from the playlist, because they won't be able to do it. Hope this clears things up. If you need a hand with anything else, we're always a post away!

What is Spotify 2024 locked playlist? ›

The twist to this new feature is that the playlist will be locked by Spotify for a year. Under Spotify's latest in-app feature called 'Playlist in a Bottle', users can create a time capsule that can be opened in 2024. This new experience is designed to let users revisit their music taste after a year.

How do I make my Spotify library private? ›

How to make a Spotify playlist private on the mobile app
  1. Open the Spotify app on your iPhone or Android device.
  2. Open the playlist you want to make private by searching for it or finding it in the Your Library tab.
  3. Tap the three dots under your playlist name. Tap the three dots. ...
  4. Tap Make Private.
Jul 25, 2022

How do I stay private on Spotify? ›

Private Session - overview
  1. Tap Home .
  2. Tap on your profile picture in the upper left corner of the screen.
  3. Select Settings and privacy.
  4. Under Privacy and social, turn Private Session on .
Jun 18, 2024

How do I make my Spotify playlist public to everyone? ›

How do you make your Spotify playlists public? Tap the triple-dot icon if you're on a mobile device or if you're using the Spotify desktop app. Then, hit the “Make public” option, which is accompanied by a globe symbol. Spotify's web player doesn't allow you to change your playlist's privacy settings.

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