Reordering tracks in Spotify takes seconds once you know where the drag handle is

On desktop, open the playlist, click and hold the three-dot icon to the left of any track, then drag it up or down to its new position. On mobile, swipe left on a track to reveal a menu, tap the three-line icon, and drag the track where you want it. The order saves when ready — you do not need to confirm or refresh.

The method differs slightly between the desktop app, the web player, and mobile because the interface is different on each, but the principle is the same: find the drag handle, hold it, move the track. This guide walks through each platform so you can reorder your playlists wherever you are.

Key Takeaways

  • On the desktop app, click and hold the three-dot icon next to a track name, then drag it to a new position in the playlist.
  • On the web player at spotify.com, hover over a track to reveal a six-dot icon on the left, then drag the track up or down.
  • On iPhone or Android, swipe left on a track, tap the three-line menu icon, and drag the track to reorder it.
  • Changes save automatically — you do not have to save or refresh the playlist after moving tracks.
  • You can only reorder playlists you created or that you have permission to edit; you cannot reorder playlists made by other users unless they gave you edit access.

Reordering on the Spotify desktop app

Open Spotify on your computer and navigate to the playlist you want to edit. Click on the playlist name in the left sidebar to open it. The playlist will display as a list of tracks with a track number, the song title, artist name, album, duration, and a three-dot icon on the far left of each row.

Click and hold the three-dot icon next to the track you want to move. Your cursor will change to indicate you can drag. While holding the mouse button down, move your cursor up or down to the position where you want the track to go. A horizontal line will appear between tracks to show you where the track will land. Release the mouse button, and the track moves to that position. The change appears when ready in your playlist.

If you do not see the three-dot icon, hover your cursor over the left side of the track row — it should appear. On some versions of Spotify, you may need to hover over the entire row to see it.

Reordering on the Spotify web player

Go to spotify.com in your browser and log in. Click on "Your Library" in the left sidebar, then click "Playlists" to see your list. Click the playlist you want to edit. The web player displays tracks in a table format with columns for the track number, song title, artist, album, and duration.

Hover your cursor over the left edge of any track row. A six-dot icon (called a drag handle) will appear. Click and hold this icon, then drag the track up or down to its new position. A line will show where the track will land. Release the mouse button to drop it in place. The playlist updates when ready.

The web player behaves the same way as the desktop app, but the drag handle looks different — six dots instead of three. If the handle does not appear when you hover, try hovering directly over the track number column on the far left.

Reordering on iPhone

Open the Spotify app and tap "Your Library" at the bottom of the screen. Tap "Playlists" and select the playlist you want to edit. The playlist will display as a scrollable list of tracks.

Swipe left on the track you want to move. A menu will slide in from the right side showing options including a three-line icon (three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other). Tap this icon. The track will now show a drag handle on the left side — you can tap and hold this handle to drag the track up or down. Move your finger to the new position and release. The track moves when ready.

If you swipe too far left, you may see a delete option instead of the menu. Swipe back to the right to close that menu and try again, making sure you tap the three-line icon once the menu appears.

Reordering on Android

Open the Spotify app and tap "Your Library" at the bottom. Tap the "Playlists" tab and select the playlist you want to reorder. The playlist displays as a list of tracks with artist names and duration.

Swipe left on the track you want to move. A menu will appear on the right side. Tap the three-line icon (three horizontal lines). The track will now display a drag handle on the left. Press and hold this handle, then drag your finger up or down to move the track. A line will show where it will land. Release your finger to drop the track in its new position. The change saves when ready.

On some Android devices, the menu may appear slightly differently, but the three-line icon is always the control you need to tap to enable dragging.

Playlists you cannot reorder

You can only reorder playlists that you created yourself or that another user has given you permission to edit. If you follow a playlist made by another user, you cannot change the track order unless that user has made the playlist collaborative.

Collaborative playlists allow multiple people to add and reorder tracks. If a playlist is collaborative, you will see a note at the top saying so. If you want to reorder a playlist you do not own, ask the owner to either make it collaborative or give you edit access through their account settings.

Spotify's own playlists (like "Today's Top Hits" or "New Music Friday") cannot be reordered by anyone — these are curated by Spotify and the order is fixed.

What happens when you reorder tracks

When you move a track in a playlist, only the order changes. The track itself stays the same — it does not get duplicated, deleted, or moved to a different playlist. The new order is saved to your account and will appear the same way on all your devices (desktop, web, phone) within a few seconds.

If you reorder a collaborative playlist, everyone who has access to that playlist will see the new order. If you undo a reorder by accident, you can straightforward drag the track back to where it was — there is no undo button, but you can manually fix the order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I drag tracks in my playlist?

The most common reason is that the playlist is not yours — you cannot reorder playlists made by other users unless they made it collaborative. Check the playlist name at the top; if it says the owner's name and not your name, you do not have permission to edit it. Another reason is that you are looking at a Spotify-made playlist, which cannot be reordered by anyone.

Do I have to save the playlist after I reorder it?

No. Spotify saves the new order automatically as soon as you release the track. You do not need to click a save button or refresh the page. The new order will appear on all your devices within a few seconds.

Can I reorder a playlist on my phone and have it show up the same way on my computer?

Yes. Spotify syncs the playlist order across all your devices. If you reorder tracks on your phone, the same order will appear on your desktop and web player within a few seconds. The sync works in both directions — reorder on desktop and it updates on mobile, and vice versa.

What if I want to move multiple tracks at once?

Spotify does not have a feature to select and move multiple tracks at the same time. You have to move them one at a time. If you need to reorganize a large playlist, it will take longer, but the process is the same for each track.

Can I sort my playlist alphabetically or by artist?

Spotify does not have a built-in sort feature. You can only manually drag tracks to reorder them. If you want your playlist sorted by artist or song title, you will need to drag each track into that order yourself, or create a new playlist and add songs in the order you want.