Apple Music is a popular streaming service that allows users to access over 90 million songs, as well as create and save playlists of their favorite music. With a large music library and custom playlist features, Apple Music offers an excellent listening experience for iOS and Android users.
However, some users have reported that their Apple Music playlists disappeared or were deleted unexpectedly. Playlists vanishing can be frustrating, especially if you spent time crafting that perfect mix of songs.
So does Apple Music actually delete your playlists? Can you recover deleted Apple Music playlists? Below, we’ll cover whether Apple Music deletes playlists and how to restore your music if your custom playlists went missing.
Does Apple Music Delete Playlists?
Apple Music itself does not delete playlists. However, there are a few reasons why an Apple Music playlist may disappear or get deleted from your library or device:
Expired Apple Music Subscription
If your Apple Music subscription expires, you’ll lose access to the Apple Music library and features, including any playlists you’ve created. Without an active subscription, Apple Music playlists are not deleted right away, but they become unavailable to play or edit.
Renewing your Apple Music subscription will restore access to any playlists created during a previous subscription period.
Logged Out of Apple Music
Playlists are tied to your Apple ID. If you get logged out of the Apple Music app on your device, your playlists will temporarily disappear until you sign in again. Reopen the Apple Music app, check your internet connection, and log back into your Apple ID to regain access to your playlists.
Linking to a New Apple Music Account
If you unlink your original Apple ID from Apple Music and then link a different Apple ID, you’ll lose access to any playlists created under the previous ID. Your old Apple Music playlists still exist but are tied to your old account.
To recover playlists from a previous Apple Music account, you’ll need to sign back into that Apple ID and re-create your playlists under the new account.
Deleting the Apple Music App
If you delete the Apple Music app from your device without backing up your data, any custom playlists stored locally on that device will be erased. However, signing back into Apple Music on a new device will restore server-side playlists tied to your account.
Reset Device or Restored From Backup
Performing a factory reset or restoring an old device backup will wipe any playlists saved locally on your device. If you restore from a device backup that didn’t include your Apple Music app data, you’ll lose playlists stored on that device.
Playlists tied to your iCloud account should reappear after signing back into Apple Music post-reset. But local-only playlists will need to be recreated from scratch.
Manually Deleting Playlists
Within the Apple Music app, you have the option to manually delete saved playlists by swiping left on a playlist name and selecting “Delete” or tapping the three dots next to a playlist. This permanently erases that playlist, removing it from your Apple Music library and account.
Will Deleted Apple Music Playlists Come Back?
Whether a deleted Apple Music playlist can be recovered depends on what caused the playlist to disappear:
Playlists Deleted by Apple Music
If a technical glitch or bug caused Apple Music to permanently erase a playlist from your account and library, there is no way to get that playlist back. You’ll have to recreate the playlist from scratch.
Playlists You Manually Deleted
Unfortunately, playlists manually deleted within the Apple Music app are gone for good. Apple Music does not store deleted playlist data or provide a recovery method for playlists you intentionally erased.
Playlists Lost When Changing Apple ID
Playlists linked to a previous Apple ID cannot be transferred to a new account. These playlists still exist under your old Apple ID but must be remade by searching for each song again.
Playlists Deleted Due to Subscription Lapse
Renewing your Apple Music subscription will reinstate playlists created during a previous subscription period. As long as you resubscribe with the same Apple ID, your playlists should come back after renewing.
Playlists Lost After Signing Out
Playlists disappear if you get logged out of your Apple Music account but will reappear once you sign back in with the same Apple ID.
Playlists Lost After Resetting Device
Playlists saved locally to a device are permanently deleted if you factory reset that device. However, server-side playlists tied to your iCloud usually return after signing back into Apple Music post-reset.
How to Recover and Restore Deleted Apple Music Playlists
If your lost Apple Music playlist can’t be automatically recovered, here are some options to try restoring deleted playlists:
iCloud and iTunes Backup
Check any iCloud backups from your devices or iTunes backups on your computer. These may contain Apple Music app data that includes your playlist titles and song info. You can use this to manually rebuild lost playlists.
Recently Added Playlist
If you recently added songs to a now-deleted playlist, check Apple Music’s “Recently Added” playlist. It may contain some of your lost songs to help you start rebuilding that playlist.
Listening History
Apple Music tracks your listening activity. Check your Apple Music listening history for an idea of what was on your deleted playlist. You may be able to scour your recent listening history to find lost songs.
Purchase History
View your iTunes/Apple Music purchase history, which may include some purchased songs that were on the missing playlist. This could help you identify at least a portion of the lost playlist.
Search Playlists for Song Titles
If you recall any part of the playlist name or a few song titles, search your Apple Music library. Other public playlists on Apple Music may include the same titles and help you rediscover songs to rebuild your playlist.
Use a Third-Party App
Apps like iMazing, AnyTrans, and PhoneView may be able to recover deleted Apple Music playlists by scanning your device backup. However, this depends on having an untouched device backup containing the playlist data.
How to Prevent Losing Playlists on Apple Music
Once deleted, Apple Music playlists can be tricky to recover. Follow these tips to keep your custom playlists safe:
Turn On iCloud Music Library
Enabling iCloud Music Library syncs your Apple Music playlists across devices and stores them online. This provides a backup if playlists get deleted from a device.
Sync Playlists to iTunes
Regularly syncing Apple Music playlists to iTunes on a computer gives you another backup of playlist data that can be restored if necessary.
Don’t Manually Delete Playlists
Be careful when manually deleting playlists. Unlike streaming services like Spotify, deleted Apple Music playlists cannot be easily recovered.
Download Playlists for Offline Play
Use Apple Music’s offline listening features to download playlists to your device storage. This provides a local backup of the playlist if removed from your Apple Music library.
Export Playlist to a Text File
Occasionally copy your critical playlists into a text file or spreadsheet with the song titles and artists. You can use this exported playlist to recreate the playlist if the original is ever lost.
| Method | How It Works |
|---|---|
| iCloud Music Library | Syncs Apple Music playlists across devices and stores in the cloud |
| Sync to iTunes | Copies playlists to iTunes library on computer |
| Avoid manual deletes | Deleted playlists cannot be easily recovered |
| Download for offline play | Saves a local copy of playlists to device storage |
| Export playlist | Lets you manually rebuild playlist if original is lost |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Apple Music playlist disappear?
Playlists may disappear if your Apple Music subscription expires, you get logged out of your account, switch Apple IDs, delete the app, reset your device, or manually delete the playlist.
Can I recover a playlist I accidentally deleted?
Unfortunately, there is no way to recover a playlist deleted manually or by a glitch within the Apple Music app.
What happens to my playlists if I cancel Apple Music?
Canceling Apple Music makes your playlists inaccessible, but resubscribing later will restore playlist access. Playlists are not deleted immediately after canceling.
How do I backup my Apple Music playlists?
Enable iCloud Music Library, regularly sync Apple Music to iTunes, download playlists for offline play, and export playlists to external documents to keep backups.
Where can I find my old Apple Music playlists?
Check iCloud and iTunes backups, Recently Added playlist, listening history, purchase history, other public playlists, or use a third-party app to locate songs from deleted playlists.
Conclusion
Apple Music does not directly delete your playlists without user action, but playlists can disappear for various reasons like signing out of your account or resetting your device. Unfortunately, Apple Music does not provide a way to recover deleted playlists. To have the best chance of restoring a missing playlist, make sure you keep regular backups of Apple Music by enabling iCloud Music Library, syncing to iTunes, downloading playlists for offline listening, and exporting playlist titles to a document. With multiple backups, you have more options to rebuild a lost playlist and continue enjoying your favorite mix of songs.