The “add to playlist” feature on Facebook allows users to save videos into playlists for easier watching later. When you come across a video you want to watch again, you can add it to a playlist to find it more easily rather than scrolling through your entire video history.
What is a Facebook Playlist?
A Facebook playlist is a collection of videos that a user has saved to watch later. Playlists allow you to organize and group videos together by topic, category or any other criteria you want.
For example, you might have a “Funny Videos” playlist where you save funny videos to watch when you need a laugh. Or you could have a “Recipes to Try” playlist where you save cooking videos you want to come back to.
Playlists make it easy to find and access videos you’ve previously watched and want to watch again, without having to dig back through your video history or remember where you saw a certain video.
How to Add a Video to a Playlist
Adding a video to a playlist on Facebook is easy:
- While watching a video, click on the “Add to Playlist” icon. It looks like a “+” inside a circle.
- Select an existing playlist from the dropdown menu or click “Create New Playlist.”
- If creating a new playlist, give it a name and click “Create Playlist.”
- The video will now be added to the selected playlist.
You can also add videos to playlists from your video history:
- Go to your video history under the Videos section in your sidebar.
- Hover over a video and click on the “Add to Playlist” icon.
- Pick an existing playlist or create a new one.
Videos can be added to multiple playlists. For example, you could have a “Funny Dog Videos” playlist and also add certain dog videos to your “Funny Videos” playlist.
Managing Playlists
Once you’ve created some playlists, you can manage them through the Playlists section on Facebook:
- Edit playlist details – Change the name, description or privacy of a playlist
- Add/remove videos – Add new videos or remove existing videos from a playlist
- Reorder videos – Drag and drop to rearrange the video order in a playlist
- Delete playlists – Permanently delete a playlist you no longer need
You can make your playlists either public or private. Public playlists are visible to anyone on Facebook, while private playlists can only be seen by you.
Accessing Your Playlists
There are a couple ways to access and view your Facebook playlists and the videos they contain:
- Go to the Playlists section in your sidebar and select a playlist
- Go to the Videos section and filter by a specific playlist
- Use the playlist dropdown menu when watching a video to switch between playlists
You can scroll through your playlists like a feed and click on any video to start watching it. Videos will automatically play one after the other within a playlist.
Sharing Playlists
If you want to share a playlist full of great videos with friends and family, you have a couple options:
- Make the playlist public so anyone can view it
- Share the playlist directly with specific people
- Copy the playlist URL and share where you want
Public and shared playlists will allow people to see the full list of videos you’ve added. The URL method just shares a link but doesn’t allow viewing the playlist contents.
Playlist Use Cases
Here are some examples of how Facebook users can utilize playlists:
- Save DIY project videos into a “How To/DIY” playlist
- Collect funny videos into a “Haha” playlist for when you need a laugh
- Make playlists for your favorite TV shows, bands, sports teams, etc.
- Gather hair/makeup tutorials, recipe videos, book summaries, etc. by topic
- Share playlists publicly for things like workout routines, kids songs, relaxing music, etc.
Playlists are a great way to organize all kinds of videos for personal viewing or sharing with family and friends on Facebook.
Playlists vs Saved Videos
Adding a video to a playlist is different than using Facebook’s Save button on videos:
- Saved videos are all stored together under the Saved Videos section
- Playlist allows you to separate videos into different collections
- You can have multiple playlists, but only one saved video collection
- Playlists are customizable, saved videos are one long stream
Think of playlists as a way to categorize and group sets of related videos for better organization. Saving just adds videos into one big, chronological collection.
Facebook Video Playlists on Mobile
Playlists are available both on the Facebook website and in the Facebook mobile apps for iOS and Android.
To access and manage playlists on mobile:
- Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines)
- Scroll down and tap on “Playlists”
- Tap a playlist to view videos or edit details
- Tap the + icon to create a new playlist
You can add videos to playlists directly from your News Feed by tapping the “Add to Playlist” icon on a video post.
Overall, playlists work very similarly on mobile as they do on desktop. The core functionality is the same.
Limits on Facebook Playlists
Facebook does limit the number of playlists and videos per playlist:
- You can create up to 100 playlists
- Each playlist can contain up to 100 videos
So in total, you could save up to 10,000 videos across all your playlists combined.
Once you hit the limit, you’ll need to delete existing playlists or remove videos before being able to add new ones. But for most users, 100 playlists with 100 videos each should be sufficient.
Facebook Watchlist vs Playlist
Facebook Watch is the platform’s dedicated section for shows, live streams and other longer-form videos. Users sometimes get Watchlists and playlists confused. Here’s the difference:
- Watchlist – Videos from Facebook Watch that you want to easily access later
- Playlist – Collection of regular videos you’ve saved from News Feed, pages, etc.
So think of Watchlist as related to Facebook Watch content specifically. Playlist is for saving and organizing all other Facebook videos.
Troubleshooting Facebook Playlists
If you’re having issues creating, managing or viewing Facebook playlists, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you have the latest version of the Facebook app
- Double check your network connection and try over WiFi if on mobile
- Restart the Facebook app and clear any cached data
- Update your device software in case of OS issues
- Report bugs to Facebook if persists across devices
Stuck playlists or videos usually come down to an app glitch or connectivity problem. Trying the usual troubleshooting steps like restarting, reinstalling or clearing app data typically resolves many playlist problems.
Conclusion
Facebook playlists give users a powerful tool to organize, categorize and save videos for personal or shared viewing. Creating tailored playlists by topic or user interest provides an improved video experience over a single chronological feed.
The “add to playlist” button makes it easy to quickly save videos as you discover them for later viewing. Playlists are available across devices and integrate seamlessly into Facebook’s existing video interfaces.
While simple in concept, playlists deliver a lot of value to regular Facebook users who watch a lot of videos. They cut down on wasted time trying to re-find videos and give users granular control over their video collections. For video-hungry Facebookers, utilizing playlists is a must.