To rearrange songs in Spotify playlists on a mobile phone, open the playlist, tap the three-dot menu, then tap Edit. Press and hold the handle icon on the right side of any track and drag it to your desired position, then tap Save to lock in the new order. This manual curation lets you craft the perfect listening flow directly from your device, and this guide covers the official method using Spotify mobile features.
How to rearrange songs in Spotify playlists on mobile
Manually reordering your playlist on iPhone or Android gives you full control over the listening experience, whether you want to build energy with upbeat tracks first or end with a calm closer. The steps below use Spotify’s own mobile edit screen, which is the same on both iOS and Android. Spotify says the song menu includes a remove option, and the same edit screen is used for rearranging tracks.
Step-by-step: manually reorder your playlist
- Open the Spotify app and navigate to the playlist you want to edit.
- Tap the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon) near the top of the playlist screen.
- Select Edit from the menu that appears.
- Press and hold the reorder handle (the parallel lines icon on the right side of a song) and drag the track up or down to its new position. The other songs will shift to make room.
- Repeat for any other tracks you want to move, then tap Save in the top-right corner to confirm the new order.
Once saved, the playlist will reflect your manual arrangement immediately on that device and sync across your account.
Why your playlist order isn't saving (custom order fix)
If your manually rearranged songs do not appear in the order you set, the playlist’s sort option is likely not set to Custom order. Spotify requires this specific view to display your drag-and-drop changes correctly. To fix it, pull the playlist down to reveal the Sort button, tap it, and select Custom order from the list. Once selected, your manual arrangement will be shown every time you open that playlist. Spotify says on mobile to pull the playlist down to reveal the Sort button, then choose a sorting option, and tap again to reverse the order.
Important notes for rearranging songs
Manual reordering on mobile is a Spotify Premium feature; free accounts cannot drag tracks into a custom position. Reordering songs on a mobile playlist is Premium only, per a Spotify community answer. Additionally, if you activate any automatic sorting option, such as Title, Artist, Album, Date added, or Duration, free manual reordering becomes unavailable until you clear that active sort. Once a sorting column is active, you cannot freely reorder tracks manually until that sort is turned off. To restore manual control, tap the Sort button again and choose Custom order or turn off the active sorting column. Desktop-style drag and drop language also appears in Spotify's sort-and-filter help for playlists in Your Library, not inside a playlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rearrange songs in a Spotify playlist on a computer?
The changes sync automatically to your mobile devices.
Will rearranging songs affect followers of my public playlist?
No, followers will see the updated order as soon as you save the changes. The playlist’s URL and sharing links remain the same.
Can I move multiple songs at once on mobile?
Spotify’s mobile edit screen only supports dragging one track at a time.
Does rearranging a playlist remove songs from my library?
No, reordering only changes the sequence within that specific playlist. The songs remain in your library and in any other playlists they belong to.
How do I undo a manual reorder after saving?
You cannot undo the save, but you can manually drag each song back to its original position or use the Custom order sort to reset the view. If you want a fresh start, create a new playlist and copy the songs in the order you prefer.
