Reorder songs by dragging them in the Spotify app or web player
You can change the order of songs in any playlist you created or own by dragging them to a new position. On your phone or computer, open the playlist, then click and hold a song until it highlights, and drag it up or down to where you want it. Release to drop it in place. The change saves when ready — you do not need to confirm or save separately.
This works the same way on the Spotify mobile app (iOS and Android) and the web player at spotify.com. You cannot reorder songs in playlists you follow but do not own, or in Spotify's own playlists like Release Radar or Discover Weekly. You can only rearrange playlists you created yourself or playlists where you have editing permission from the owner.
Key Takeaways
- Drag and drop a song within your own playlist to move it — no save button needed, the change is when ready.
- You can only reorder playlists you own or have been given permission to edit by the owner.
- On mobile, press and hold the song until it lifts, then drag it to the new spot and release.
- On the web player, click and drag the song the same way — the cursor changes to show you can move it.
- Spotify playlists you follow but do not own cannot be reordered, even if you have the app open.
Reordering on the Spotify mobile app
Open the playlist you want to change. Find the song you want to move and press your finger on it for about one second until the song row highlights or lifts slightly off the screen. You will feel a small vibration on most phones, which signals the song is ready to move.
While holding your finger down, drag the song up or down to its new position. The other songs will shift out of the way as you drag. Once the song is where you want it, lift your finger to release it. The playlist updates right away — you do not need to do anything else.
If the drag does not work, make sure you are pressing on the song itself, not on a button like the play icon or the three-dot menu. Some users find it easier to press on the left edge of the song row or on the artist name.
Reordering on the Spotify web player
Go to spotify.com and log in. Find the playlist you own and click to open it. Hover your mouse over the song you want to move — you will see the cursor change to a four-arrow icon, which means you can drag it.
Click and hold on the song, then drag it up or down to the new position. The other songs shift to make room. Release the mouse button to drop the song in place. The change saves when ready in your account, so the new order will appear on all your devices the next time you open Spotify.
Moving multiple songs at once
If you want to move several songs together, select them first. On mobile, tap the three-dot menu on one song and choose "Add to playlist" or look for a select option in your app version. On the web player, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click each song you want to select — they will highlight in a different color.
Once you have selected multiple songs, drag one of the highlighted songs to move all of them together to a new spot. This is faster than moving songs one at a time if you want to group similar tracks or rearrange a large section of the playlist.
What to do if drag and drop is not working
If songs are not moving when you try to drag them, first check that you own the playlist or have editing permission. You cannot reorder playlists you only follow. Look at the playlist title — if it says "Liked Songs" or has a Spotify logo next to it, those are Spotify's playlists and cannot be reordered.
On mobile, try closing the Spotify app completely and opening it again. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to let you edit. On the web player, try a different browser or clear your browser cache. If you are on a very old version of the Spotify app, update it from your phone's app store — older versions sometimes have bugs with dragging.
If you still cannot drag songs after trying these steps, your account may not have permission to edit that playlist. Ask the playlist owner to check the sharing settings and make sure you have editing rights, not just viewing rights.
Reordering songs on different devices
Changes you make on one device show up on all your devices within a few seconds to a few minutes. If you reorder a playlist on your phone, open Spotify on your computer and you will see the new order. The same is true in reverse — changes on the web player appear on mobile.
If you see a different order on different devices, wait a minute and refresh the app or reload the web page. Spotify syncs your playlists across devices, but sometimes it takes a moment. If the order is still different after refreshing, log out and log back in to force a full sync.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a change if I move a song to the wrong spot?
Spotify does not have an undo button for playlist changes. If you move a song by mistake, you will need to drag it back to where it was. There is no history of playlist edits, so you cannot revert to an earlier version of the playlist order.
Why can I not drag songs in some playlists?
You can only reorder playlists you created or own. If you follow a playlist made by another person or by Spotify, you cannot change the order even if you have the app open. Ask the owner to give you editing permission if you want to rearrange their playlist.
Does reordering a playlist change the order for other people who follow it?
Yes. If you own a playlist and other people follow it, they will see the new order you create. If you share a playlist with editing permission, anyone with that permission can reorder it, and all followers will see the changes.
Can I sort a playlist alphabetically or by artist instead of dragging?
Spotify does not have a built-in sort feature for playlists. You have to drag songs manually to arrange them the way you want. Some third-party apps claim to sort playlists, but Spotify does not officially support them and they may not work reliably.
What happens to the order if I add a new song to the middle of my playlist?
New songs you add usually go to the end of the playlist by default. You can then drag the new song to wherever you want it in the order. Some playlists have settings that add new songs to the top instead, depending on how the playlist was set up.