It can be frustrating when playlists you’ve created in Apple Music suddenly disappear. Playlists vanishing can occur for a few different reasons. Here are some troubleshooting tips to help you get your playlists back.
Did you accidentally hide the playlist?
One possibility is that you inadvertently hid the playlist from view. On iOS devices, you can hide a playlist by swiping left on it in the playlist view and tapping “Hide”. On Mac, Control-click the playlist and choose “Hide”.
To unhide playlists on iOS, go to Settings > Music and toggle “Show Apple Music” to off temporarily. This will display any hidden playlists. Tap to unhide them. On Mac, go to Music > Preferences > View Menu and check “Show Hidden Items”. Then unhide playlists by right-clicking and selecting “Unhide”.
Did you delete the playlist?
It’s also possible you might have deleted a playlist by accident. On iOS, swipe left on a playlist and tap Delete. On Mac, click the playlist and press the Delete key.
Unfortunately, there is no undo function if you delete a playlist. However, Apple Music keeps a history of your recently deleted playlists. On iOS, go to Recently Deleted and you may be able to recover the playlist. On Mac, go to Music > Playlists > Recently Deleted.
Playlists remain available to restore for up to 30 days in Recently Deleted before being permanently erased.
Did you add the songs to another playlist?
If you can’t find a playlist in Recently Deleted, it’s possible you may have added the songs to a different playlist. Playlists in Apple Music with the same songs will get merged together automatically.
To check, go through your other playlists and see if the missing songs have been added to them. If you find them, you can remove the tracks from that playlist to create the original playlist again.
Are you searching the right library?
Another possibility is that you may be looking for the playlist in the wrong music library. Playlists created on your iPhone or iPad won’t show up automatically in iTunes on your computer for example.
Make sure to check the playlist library on the device or app where you originally created the playlist. If it’s still missing there, then it likely got deleted or merged into another playlist.
Did you switch Apple IDs?
If you created the playlist while signed in under one Apple ID, then switched to another ID, this can make playlists seem to disappear.
Playlists and music libraries don’t automatically transfer between different Apple IDs. To access the playlist again, sign in again under the ID originally used to create it.
Is the missing playlist subscribed or shared?
For Apple Music subscribers, another scenario is that the missing playlist was a subscribed or shared playlist created by another user.
If the original creator deletes a subscribed playlist or stops sharing it, it will vanish from subscribers’ libraries automatically without notice.
To check if this happened, go to your profile and see if the playlist still shows under Playlists Made For You. If not, the original creator deleted it or made it private.
Did iCloud Music Library delete it?
For users with iCloud Music Library enabled, one common source of vanishing playlists is conflicts between different devices or versions of iTunes.
If you edit playlists on different devices without waiting for iCloud sync to complete, this can sometimes cause playlists to get deleted. Updates pushed from iTunes to iCloud can also overwrite playlist changes made on iOS devices.
To avoid this, be careful about editing playlists on multiple devices before syncing. Also make sure you have the latest versions of iOS and iTunes, which improves handling of iCloud Music Library.
Is the playlist corrupted?
In rare cases, an Apple Music playlist can become corrupted. This might happen if syncing is interrupted while changes are being made.
A corrupted playlist can prevent it from displaying properly across your devices. Rebuilding the playlist from scratch may resolve this. You can also contact Apple Support to see if they can restore the original from the server if needed.
Are you having general iCloud sync issues?
More broadly, disappearing playlists can be a sign of general iCloud sync problems. If you notice playlists vanishing as well as other issues like contacts not syncing properly, then your iCloud account itself may need troubleshooting.
Check that you’re signed in to iCloud with the right Apple ID everywhere. Make sure you have enough iCloud storage space available. Try toggling iCloud Music Library off and back on. Or reboot devices and sign out of iCloud before signing back in.
For persistent sync issues, you may need to reset iCloud settings entirely and resync your music library from scratch. Contact Apple support if needed for help with serious iCloud problems.
Is the music still in your iCloud Music library?
If a playlist vanished but you’re certain you didn’t delete it, check if the songs themselves are still available in your iCloud Music library even if the playlist listing disappeared.
You can rebuild the playlist if the music is still there. Search your library for the artists or songs and add them to a new playlist to replace the old one.
If the songs are gone as well though, then the original playlist was likely deleted or you’re logged into the wrong Apple ID that doesn’t have access to the music.
Could external app access have caused issues?
Some third-party apps request access to your Apple Music account and playlists. It’s possible buggy app behavior could have caused a playlist to disappear.
Check settings for any apps connected to your Apple Music account and consider revoking access for apps that look suspicious or that you haven’t used in a while.
Logging out of the app, uninstalling it, or restricting its permissions can help confirm if it’s causing problems syncing playlists.
Has recently played changed?
Playlists vanishing from the Recently Played section isn’t necessarily a sign they are deleted. The Recently Played playlist is automated based on your listening history.
If you haven’t played a playlist for a while, Apple Music will automatically remove it from Recently Played after some time. The playlist itself still exists though and can be accessed through your library.
Recently Played is intended to show your current listening activities rather than a permanent history. So old playlists dropping off is expected behavior.
Are you looking at the right section?
Keep in mind Apple Music has different sections for browsing Playlists vs Radio stations. It’s easy to get them confused.
Make sure to check My Playlists rather than Recently Played or My Stations if looking for a playlist you created. This ensures you are viewing your personal library rather than the automated playlists.
Have you tried restarting your device?
One simple troubleshooting step to try is restarting your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other device where the playlist seems to be missing.
Restarting will clear any temporary glitches that could cause playlists not to display properly. Make sure the device has the latest OS version as well.
After rebooting, check again to see if the playlist appears as expected in your library. A basic restart can resolve many transient app issues.
Can you recover the playlist from a backup?
If you can’t find a missing playlist on any device, another option is trying to recover it from an iTunes or iCloud backup if you have one.
Connect the iOS device to iTunes and restore from the most recent backup. Or on Mac, restore from the available Time Machine or iCloud backups. This may be able to retrieve lost playlist if all else fails.
Does searching find the playlist?
A simple way to check if a playlist still exists in Apple Music is searching for it by name. You can search across all your available music content.
Try searching for the missing playlist name in Apple Music. If it shows up in results, select it to open the playlist and stream the content.
If not found in search, then the playlist likely no longer exists in your Apple Music library at all anymore.
Can Siri help locate the playlist?
You can also try asking Siri something like “Play my ” to see if that can locate the missing playlist.
Siri integrates with Apple Music, so may be able to find a playlist even if you can’t browse it manually.
If Siri claims to not find the playlist in your library, then it likely has been deleted or is no longer available to your account.
Conclusion
Playlists going missing in Apple Music is often just a matter of user error, iCloud issues, or app malfunctions rather than anything permanently lost. A little troubleshooting can typically track them down or restore them from backups.
Be careful about playlist actions like delete and hiding. Use consistent Apple IDs for music access. Make sure you wait for iCloud to sync changes across devices before making additional edits. Reboot devices and resync as needed.
With a little sleuthing and patience, your playlist is likely still available somewhere in Apple Music. Use search, Siri, and backups as tools to aid restoring lost playlists.
And as always, make sure you have backups, avoid editing the same playlist from multiple devices simultaneously, and be cautious about which apps you grant Apple Music access to.
Following best practices around playlist management and iCloud usage can help avoid mystery vanishing playlists in the future.
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Accidentally hid the playlist | Unhide playlists in settings |
| Accidentally deleted the playlist | Try to recover from Recently Deleted |
| Added songs to another playlist | Check other playlists and recreate |
| Searching wrong music library | Check library where originally created |
| Switched Apple IDs | Sign in with ID used to create playlist |
| Shared/subscribed playlist deleted | Check Playlists Made For You section |
| iCloud Music Library sync issues | Reboot, toggle iCloud Library off/on |
| Corrupted playlist | Rebuild playlist or contact Apple |
| General iCloud problems | Check Apple ID, storage space, etc. |
| Music still available | Search library and reconstruct playlist |
| Problematic third-party apps | Revoke Apple Music access |
| Recently played changed | Check actual playlists, not recent |
| Looking in wrong section | Check My Playlists, not Recently Played |
| App issues | Restart device |
| No other options left | Restore from backup |