Quick Answer
Yes, it is possible to restore a deleted playlist in iTunes in most cases. There are a few methods you can try to recover a deleted iTunes playlist:
- Restore from a backup – If you have an iTunes or iCloud backup from before the playlist was deleted, you may be able to restore the playlist from the backup.
- Use iTunes playlist recovery software – Third party tools like iMyFone TunesFix can scan your iTunes library and recover deleted playlists.
- Restore from iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch – Syncing your iOS device with iTunes may recover the playlist if it still exists on the device.
The sooner you attempt playlist recovery after accidental deletion, the better your chances of getting it back intact.
What happens when you delete a playlist in iTunes?
When you delete a playlist in iTunes, it is removed from the iTunes library but the individual songs and files themselves are not deleted.
iTunes simply removes the playlist structure that organized and grouped those files together. The songs remain in your iTunes music library and on your computer or external drive where iTunes content is stored.
This is good news for playlist recovery, as the music files are still present so the playlist can be rebuilt, provided you act quickly before the files are potentially overwritten.
How to restore a deleted iTunes playlist from backup
If you have an iTunes or iCloud backup available from before the playlist was deleted, you can restore the entire library or device backup to get the playlist back.
Here’s how to restore from iTunes:
- Open iTunes and go to Edit > Preferences on Windows or iTunes > Preferences on Mac.
- Go to the Devices tab.
- Select “Restore iTunes library from backup” and choose the desired backup.
- Click OK and confirm to overwrite your existing library.
For iCloud:
- Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage > Backups.
- Select the desired backup and tap Restore to Device.
Restoring from a backup will get your playlist back, along with all your other iTunes content from the backup date. Keep in mind this will overwrite your current library.
How to recover deleted iTunes playlists with software
Another option is to use third party iTunes playlist recovery software. Advanced tools like iMyFone TunesFix are designed specifically to scan your iTunes library and recover missing or deleted playlists.
Here are the steps for playlist recovery with TunesFix:
- Download, install and launch iMyFone TunesFix on your computer.
- Select the “Recover” mode on the main screen.
- The program will scan your iTunes library and list any recoverable deleted playlists.
- Preview the playlist contents and select those you want to restore.
- Click the “Recover” button to save your playlists back to iTunes.
The benefits of a dedicated recovery tool include:
- Recovers playlists without affecting other iTunes content.
- Allows previewing the deleted playlist contents before restoring.
- Faster and easier than full library restore.
As long as the original files are still intact in your library, playlist recovery software should be able to rebuild the playlist easily.
How to restore a deleted playlist from iPhone, iPad or iPod
If you have an iOS device synced with the playlist before it was deleted, you may be able to recover the playlist by syncing the device back to iTunes.
This will work if the playlist still exists on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
Here is how to retrieve deleted playlists from an iOS device:
- Connect your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to your computer.
- Open iTunes and select the device.
- Go to File > Devices > Transfer Purchases from “Device”.
- Check the box for “Playlists” and click Transfer.
This will transfer the playlist data back into iTunes if it still resides on the iOS device. Basically, it uses your iPhone/iPad backup to restore the playlist.
The main limitation is that many users delete playlists directly on their iOS devices, so the playlist won’t be available to transfer back. But if you haven’t altered the playlist on your device, this method can work well.
How to recover a playlist if the files are deleted
If you deleted the iTunes playlist some time ago, the individual song files may have since been deleted or overwritten by other content.
In this case, recovery becomes much less likely through iTunes or iOS device transfer.
However, advanced data recovery software gives you a fighting chance of restoring playlists even if the original files are gone.
Software like Disk Drill can scan your drive and retrieve deleted media files that may still be recoverable from the hard drive.
The basic steps are:
- Download and install Disk Drill data recovery app.
- Scan your drive to identify any recoverable deleted music files.
- Preview and restore the music content.
- Recreate your playlist in iTunes using the restored music.
If the media files have been partially overwritten, you end up with fragments of songs that are likely not playable.
But as long as the sectors containing the original files haven’t been reused, full playlist recovery is possible even without the files in iTunes.
This requires a quick response and the right recovery software to extract the music before it gets completely overwritten by new data.
Best practices for preventing playlist deletion
While accidental deletion can happen to anyone, there are some general practices that make playlist loss much less likely:
- Regular backups – Backup frequently either locally or to iCloud, so deleted playlists can be easily restored from a recent copy.
- iCloud Music Library – With this enabled, playlists are synced and stored in iCloud for additional protection.
- Consolidate files – Use File > Library > Organize Library to consolidate files to prevent stray songs not being backed up.
- Confirm deletions – Pay close attention and confirm when deleting playlists to avoid accidental removal.
- Store playlists carefully – Be thoughtful about where playlist files are stored to avoid drive failures, corruption or accidental deletion.
No recovery method is 100% guaranteed, but combining prudent backup practices with recovery software gives you the best chance of playlist restoration success if a mishap occurs.
How iTunes playlists are stored on your computer
iTunes uses dedicated files to store details about playlists in your library, separate from the actual media content itself.
On Windows, playlist data is stored in .itl files in a iTunes folder location like:
C:\Users\Username\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
On Mac, iTunes uses a binary .xml file such as:
/Users/Username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.xml
This file contains the details about your playlists, their ordering, date created and edited, and paths to the actual media content.
That’s why you can restore playlists by simply recovering these files, as long as the media files themselves are still present in the library.
Advanced recovery software essentially scans for deleted .itl and .xml playlist data that’s still recoverable, separate from the media files.
Can you recover playlists after upgrading iTunes?
What happens to your iTunes playlists when you upgrade to a new version of iTunes?
Fortunately, iTunes is generally very good at preserving your library content and metadata like playlists when upgrading between versions.
In most cases, playlists and music files will seamlessly carry over after an iTunes upgrade.
However, issues can occasionally occur after a major iTunes upgrade. Playlists may go missing or be out of order in rare cases.
If issues do occur, connecting an iOS device and syncing can often rebuild missing data by transferring playlists back from the iPhone or iPad.
As another precaution, be sure to back up your iTunes library manually before upgrading. This provides a playlist backup that you can restore in the event of any issues migrating playlist data to the new version.
While upgrading iTunes rarely causes playlist problems, it’s a good idea to take the above precautions just in case. Stick to best practices and your playlist library integrity will remain intact.
Can you recover iTunes playlists after a computer crash?
Playlist recovery after a computer crash or hard drive failure involves attempting to salvage files from the damaged drive. This is where advanced data recovery tools can potentially help.
If the drive is completely non-functional, you would need to remove it and connect it to another computer as an external drive. Or insert the hard drive into an external enclosure dock.
Data recovery software can then scan the damaged drive and recover any retrievable files, including your iTunes library content and playlist data files.
As long as the drive hardware itself is still intact, there is a decent chance of recovering at least fragments of the iTunes data.
However, hard drive crashes can often damage or partially overwrite files prior to complete failure. So the likelihood of full, intact playlist recovery depends on the severity of the drive issues.
Quick action is key for the best chance of recovery. The sooner you attempt to extract the data after a crash, the more likely a tool like Disk Drill can recover critical iTunes library data before it’s overridden.
Can you restore iTunes playlists after a reinstall?
If you reinstall iTunes or perform a fresh Windows or Mac OS installation, what happens to your iTunes library data including playlists?
By default, reinstalling your operating system or iTunes app will wipe out all local settings and files. However, your iTunes content can be preserved by backing up your library and playlists before the OS or iTunes reinstallation.
To retain playlists and play history when reinstalling iTunes or Windows/Mac OS:
- Go to File > Library > Back Up to Disk and select a location to save the backup.
- After reinstalling, open iTunes, hold Shift and click Restore to select the backup.
This will rebuild your iTunes library to match the backup point prior to reinstallation. You can also move the iTunes folder to external storage before reinstalling to keep your content intact.
As long as you manually save a backup, all your playlists and iTunes data can be carried over seamlessly after a fresh OS install or iTunes reinstallation on your computer.
Conclusion
While accidentally deleting an iTunes playlist can be frustrating, in most cases it is recoverable as long as you act quickly and use the right restoration methods.
Backups, iOS device transfers, iTunes recovery software and data recovery tools give you several options to successfully rescue that missing playlist.
Following best practices like regular library backups will also help ensure your playlists are preserved in case of software issues, upgrades or computer problems down the road.
With the proper precautions, there’s no reason to lose valuable playlists and metadata in the event of accidental deletion or system issues. Be proactive and you can feel confident your painstakingly curated iTunes collection will remain safe and intact.