Simple Question: How do I create, name, and save a playlist on Windows PC

[Letoria]

I really shouldn't have to waste an entire evening trying to find the answer to a question that shouldn't even need to be asked. One of the most basic functions a media player should be able to perform is to create a playlist. It should not be something that requires a degree in IT to figure out. It should be a simple matter of one or two clicks to create the playlist and give it a name, and then a matter of opening one's music library and highlighting the tracks one wants to add to that playlist, and click a simple "add to" tab, et voila! done. For example, say I want to create a playlist I've decided to name "Beethoven Symphonies". There should be an icon somewhere that says something like "create new playlist", which, when I click on it, asks me to name my new playlist: "Beethoven Symphonies". Then I should be able to go to my music library, highlight all 9 symphonies, and with a simple left or right click find a line that says something like, "Add selected titles to playlist," and then show a list of the playlists I've created as above.

With VLC, this very basic, seemingly very simple, intuitive function is not so basic, simple, or intuitive. That I have to come to a forum, risk ridicule at the hands of other tech savvy members for asking such a simple question, is not a good way to start a relationship. I shouldn't have to wade through nearly 400 forum entries brought up when I search for: "Create new playlist". Am I that obtuse, or are the VLC folks that abstruse?

Surely there must be a way to do it that's at least relatively user-friendly -- or am I wrong, and the playlist function is a totally FUBARed concept in VLC for all but IT engineers? This is extremely discouraging.

[Letoria]

Apparently I'm right, making a playlist in VLC is an advanced skill, understandable by only a select few. It also appears no one is much interested in helping out by at least offering suggestions or hints (at least nothing is showing up when I check back each day.) This is not an auspicious beginning, and it does suggest that open-source "Help" is based on the Microsoft Windows model -- which is to say it doesn't exist. Right now, the only thing VLC has going for it is the sound quality is good, and the program appears stable. That'll have to do until I find another media player that's actually user-friendly, and has a truly functional tech-support feature.

Let down again. It seems we've come to accept mediocrity as the default setting for all things cyber.

[mederi]

View > Playlist (Ctrl+L) or button on control panel >> Playlist or Media Library << use right-click context menu or drag&drop method in the area to get/move media items there
Media > Save Playlist to File... (Ctrl+Y)

[Letoria]

After several hours of playing around, I created my own way to make a playlist. When starting the program, one is greeted by a blank playlist screen inviting us to either drag-and-drop files -- which proved extraordinarily difficult if not impossible, because each time I tried I got the "slashed circle" you-can't-do that here. When a playlist is created using the Ctrl highlight method followed by Save Playlist to File, the playlist disappears and can only be found by doing a *.xspf search using Windows Explorer. This is a tedious method for something that should be intuitive.

Instead, I went to the Media pull-down menu, left clicked Open Files ->> My Computer ->> My Music ->> Music (self-named folder where all music files are stored) ->> Ctrl/Left click each individual music file I wanted for the playlist. Once that was done, Right click ->> Left click Send To ->> Desktop (create shortcut). Close VLC and go to desktop. Right click desktop ->> create new ->> folder ->> name ->> left click. Return to desktop. Find each individual file saved as a shortcut and drag and drop to the new folder. Once the folder is created and left on the desktop, it is accessible relatively easily. Go to Media pull down, click Open File ->> Desktop ->> Open All Files ->> select the appropriate playlist folder ->> open and voila! It comes up in VLC.

What a nightmare! You folks have some serious work to do. I'm reasonably intelligent and a little on the stubborn side, and I refuse to let a program defeat me. On the other hand, you have to wonder how many computer novitiates just give up and uninstall the program in favor of something else. Now comes syncing with my MP3 player. I think I'll use Windows Media Player for that, and use VLC only for PC playback.

[mederi]

Your confusion is caused mostly by insufficient knowledge and experience in usage of your OS Windows. Of course there is a better way of creating playlists in VLC than your one.

[Letoria]

Then please enlighten me! I have been using Windows since 1996, and Windows 7 since it came out. I've never had any trouble creating playlists in Windows Media Player, or even Amazon Music's player, only VLC. It's the VLC interface that's the problem. There is no intuitive icon, button, or pull-down menu to use, or obvious place to keep the playlists. In WMP there is a clearly labeled pull down at the top of the Library view which states, in plain English, "Create Playlist". There are two very simple options: "create playlist" and "create auto playlist". Clicking "Create Playlist" brings up a box to name the playlist. Type in the name, done. Go to the music file I want to add -- or Ctrl click multiple files -- right click and select "Add to", find the playlist you want to put the file(s) in, click on it and its done. It's then stored with all the other playlists accessible by a single left click.

Its hard to believe this very simple function is not available on VLC. The problem with WMP is that the playback is terrible, subject to random pixelating and breaking up, a problem I only occasionally run into with VLC. Heck of a choice -- ease of use, or reasonable sound quality.

[Sonicsnout]

I'm trying to create a playlist on VLC for mac in the year 2019 and it seems like it is still a near impossible task. I could swear that the VLC that I had a few years ago had a simple "new playlist" command, which seems like it should be one of the most basic functions of a media player. I mean if you only had ONE function on a media player short of actually playing the files, organizing files into a playlist should be that. Now it seems to be impossible to do without actually quitting the program and restarting it. WTF. This is ridiculous. I've lost twenty minutes to this so far, including signing up for this forum, and that is nineteen minutes and fifty five seconds longer than I should have to think about how to create a playlist in a media player. W. T. F.

[kpsoileau]

The previous questioners are EXACTLY right!!! The simple act of setting up a playlist on VLC is a nightmare! Please put someone on this forum who can either connect us to what we're missing or just admit that, regarding playlists, this program is terrible.

[kupuna]

I strongly support the previous questioners! There is only one snarky reply that doesn't address the question. I'm sure the VLC users are better than that. Indeed, the fine program needs a comprehensible manual (which could be for sale to raise revenue) or even a book. What is the obstacle?

[unidan]

I strongly support the previous questioners! There is only one snarky reply that doesn't address the question. I'm sure the VLC users are better than that. Indeed, the fine program needs a comprehensible manual (which could be for sale to raise revenue) or even a book. What is the obstacle?

A full user manuel is currently one of the priority of VideoLAN after 4.0 is released but it needs a lot of works and people actually knowing how everything works and wanting to write a manual, so it's not that simple.

On windows, you can mainly save and load playlist into files.

[Lendon Gemini]

VLC Media Player ver 3.0.6 Vetinari / Windows 10 OpSys
To create a playlist:
From VLC menu bar select: View
Select: Playlist
Open File Explorer and locate your music. Drag, drop, and arrange to your preference in the Playlist panel.
Return to VLC menu bar and select: Media
Select: Save Playlist to File
Take Note: Previous command does not have a default folder. Choose a folder logically convenient for yourself.
Name your playlist and save.
To open your playlist:
From VLC menu bar select: Media
Select: Open File
Locate, select your previously saved playlist and click: Open

[kupuna]

Bless you Sir!

[roze]

I work often with playlists, so... CTRL-L is my favorite shortcut

[Doming0S]

Hope someone can help... I would like to create a randomized playlist from a selected group of files in a folder. I know how to create a playlist, but it saves them in the order that they are loaded. Anyway that this can be accomplished?

Many thanks
/d

[rhoneyman]

VLC Media Player ver 3.0.6 Vetinari / Windows 10 OpSys
To create a playlist:
From VLC menu bar select: View
Select: Playlist
Open File Explorer and locate your music. Drag, drop, and arrange to your preference in the Playlist panel.
Return to VLC menu bar and select: Media
Select: Save Playlist to File
Take Note: Previous command does not have a default folder. Choose a folder logically convenient for yourself.
Name your playlist and save.
To open your playlist:
From VLC menu bar select: Media
Select: Open File
Locate, select your previously saved playlist and click: Open

Thank you. I've never used playlists before. I have my classical collection laid out in folders ranked by composer/genre/composition. I'm playing my music on a Denon receiver with a separate HDD plugged into the USB slot, and then running music using their internal app, Heos, by selecting folders. Unfortunately, Heos doesn't seem to have a rational sorting algorithm and I'm sometimes unable to manage the order of tracks. Eventually I'll set up my Pi as a music server, which (I'm hoping) will fix that particular problem (i.e., eliminate Heos from my required lexicon). Until then, I'm hoping setting up playlists can be an interim fix.

Since I've spent my life avoiding playlists, it's really helpful to find a concise explanation, saving me several hours of trial and error. So, again, thank you.

BTW, I don't know that this will fix the sorting problem, but I'm hopeful.

[50stacksteve]

Bless this thread, the clarification it provides, and the pain we've each endured in the path to earn it. This made the last few hours have a shred of meaning, thank you

[Asphyxia 8]

Hi all.

I know this thread is super old -- the last post appearing to be in Aug 2020. But I'm experiencing the very same issue that this thread addresses, and as best I can tell, the issue has never been resolved. Is that correct? If I am just not finding the right place for answers, please, someone point me in the right direction! Because it's really hard to believe that almost 4 years later this is still an unresolved issue. I would be forever grateful to anyone who might be able to help! Thanks so much.

A-8