Why Is Spotify Playlist Not Showing Up? Easy Fix Guide

Is your Spotify playlist not showing up on the phone? It can be a bit frustrating when this happens. Spotify offers its users a massive catalog of diverse music as well as the ability to share your music across all your devices.

But what do you do then when your playlist fails to show? No need to get worked up. I will take you through a few causes of the problem and the solutions.

Your Spotify playlist may not appear in the search due to a failure to sync, improper settings, deleted playlist, or a system bug. You can quickly resolve this issue by resyncing your accounts, clearing the cache, restoring the playlist, then reinstalling the app.

The issue is prevalent in both Android and iOS devices.

This article will provide more insight into the problem, whether it is a playlist of your local files from your computer or an online playlist from one device not showing on the other.

I will also provide a few troubleshooting options.

Why is the Spotify Playlist Not Showing Up?

As pointed out earlier, there are a few reasons you could be facing this problem.

They include:

• An unsynced account in your devices
• Improper playback settings
• A system bug
• Wrong format for local files
• Poor network connection
• The playlist is deleted

How To Fix a Spotify Playlist Not Showing Up on Phone?

Here are a few troubleshooting techniques for when your Spotify playlist isn’t showing up:

Solution #1: Recover Deleted Playlists

The playlist might fail to show up because it was deleted. However, Spotify allows you to restore a playlist deleted within the last 90days.

To do this:

1. Log in to your Spotify account.
2. In the menu on the left side, select Recover playlists.
3. Click Restore on the playlist you want.

The restored playlist will be at the bottom of your playlist collection in the app.

Tip: Use the shortcut keys Cmd+Z (on Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+Z (on Windows) to restore something you deleted quickly.

Solution #2: Change Firewall Settings

If the playlist you are searching for is on your pc, Certain firewall settings could prevent your phone from accessing it.

1. Ensure your pc and phone are connected on the same wifi network before doing this.
2. Open control panel. Search and click on the “MS(Windows) defender firewall”.
3. Select “Allow an app or feature through MS(Windows) Defender Firewall”.
4. If unable to find Spotify on the list, select Allow another app.
5. Look for the spotify.exe file on your pc and select it.
6. Select both the private and public options and click on the OK to save.
7. Restart both devices.

The local playlist on your pc should now be visible on your phone.

Note: If you're using a third-party antivirus on your pc, you will have to disable the firewall on it too. Visit the help section to see what to do.

Solution #3: Move Your Local Files Around

Spotify on pc creates a data file of your local music. The file should update itself whenever you make changes to your playlists.

When this fails, recent changes are not updated to the account on your phone. This results in some files, including playlists missing.

To manually force Spotify to refresh the local files database, you can move your music files around and restore them to their previous positions. This will force Spotify to update the file.

To do this:

1. Back up your local music files in a separate location.
2. Delete the files in the original location.
3. Go to the backup and copy-paste the files back into the old location.
4. Save your changes.

This action will force Spotify to update its database files. Your local music playlist should now be available on all your devices with that account.

Solution #4: Convert Local Files to Proper MP3 Format

Even though Spotify allows you to create a playlist of local music, it requires the files to be in .mp3, .m4p(without video), and mp4(with Quicktime installed on your pc).

Unless your files are in these formats, they will not be playable or even visible in your local playlist on any device.

To be able to play those files, you can:

1. Download them in the required format.
2. Convert the files into .mp3, .m4p or .mp4. There are multiple applications for this.
3. Save the new files in the playlist. These files should now be visible.

Solution #5: Reinstall The Applications On Your Devices

In case the methods have not worked yet, the issue might be a result of a system bug.

You can try uninstalling your Spotify app and then reinstalling it. Do this on both devices just to be sure.

To uninstall the app from your PC

1. On the search bar, type Control panel. Click to launch.
2. In the control panel window, select programs.
3. From programs, click on programs and features. This opens a list of all installed apps.
4. Look for Spotify and right-click on it.
5. Click on the uninstall option. This launches the uninstall wizard.
6. Follow the onscreen instruction to finish.

Note: Ensure you click on Automatically remove residual files to clear the app cache.

You can now install the app from the Spotify website or the Microsoft store.

To uninstall the app from your smartphone

1. Go to settings.
2. Click on apps and notifications>app info(title may differ from device to device).
3. From the app, info click on Spotify.
4. Tap uninstall. You can also clear the cache from here.
5. Reinstall software from the Play store on android or App store on iOS.

Reload your accounts and confirm whether the playlist is now visible.

Tip: Alternatively, you can long-press the Spotify app icon on the screen and drag it to the bin icon to uninstall.

Solution #6: Check Your Internet Connection

To access music online, your device requires a stable internet connection. A poor internet connection will result in the search list coming up empty. Confirm whether mobile data or wifi is on.

To check your internet connection status:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Click on wifi or mobile data depending on what you are using.
3. Turn on and connect.

If the connection is stable, your Spotify playlist will be visible.

Solution #7: Ensure You’re Logged Into The Correct Account

Your Spotify playlists, whether local or online, are linked to the profile that created them.

This means that you’ll not be able to access a playlist if you are not logged on to the correct account. Re-logging into Spotify allows your accounts to sync.

To check the account on your phone

1. With Spotify open, click on the settings icon at the top of the screen.
2. You will see the name of the account that’s logged in.
3. Click on it to view saved playlists.

To change the account on your phone

1. On the settings page, scroll down to the bottom.
2. Click on Log out. This automatically takes you to the sign-up page.
3. Click on the Log-in at the bottom of the page.
4. Input your email for your required account.
5. Input your password.
6. Click on Log-in.

Note: If you have forgotten your password, click on Log-in without password. You will be sent a log-in link via your email.

To check the account on your PC

The name of the logged-in account is visible at the top.

1. Click on the account name to open the drop-down menu.
2. Select account to view your account details.

To change the account on your PC

1. On the account drop-down menu, click Log out.
2. The account name changes to Log in.
3. Click Log in and proceed to input your credentials to complete.

Solution #8: Properly Create A Playlist And A Playlist Folder

To make playlist folders on Spotify, you must have the desktop or web app version. You cannot do this using your phone.

To make a playlist folder

1. Open the web app/player.
2. Right-click on a playlist.
3. Select create a folder.
4. Give your folder a preferred name and tap Enter.
5. This creates a folder on the app.
6. Drag your preferred songs or playlists onto the folder you just created.

To make a playlist

1. Tap on the New playlist.
2. Right-click on it and select rename.
3. Add your preferred music by clicking the like icon, then adding it to your preferred list.

If you create and save the playlist properly, it should be accessible from all your devices with that account.

Read Next: How to View Friend Activity on Spotify?

Final thoughts

Hopefully, you now have an insight into why the Spotify playlist not showing up in search.

I believe you will now be able to tackle any issue that presents itself concerning the playlist. In case you are still facing challenges, please contact Spotify support.