Whether you're a casual listener or a full-on music obsessive, Spotify has a staggering amount of hidden features, clever tricks, and underused tools that can completely transform how you listen. The problem? Most people never discover them. They create a playlist, hit shuffle, and call it a day — missing out on a ton of smart functionality that's been sitting right under their noses.
We dug deep into Spotify's features, community forums, power-user guides, and app updates to put together the definitive list of playlist hacks worth knowing. From AI-powered curation tools to collaboration tricks, these tips work for free and Premium users alike (we'll note when Premium is required). Ready to level up your listening game? Let's get into it.
Smart Shuffle – Best for discovering new music within your own taste
Blend Playlists – Best for merging music tastes with friends or partners
AI Playlist (DJ Feature) – Best for hands-free, mood-based listening
Collaborative Playlists – Best for group road trips, parties, and shared listening
Playlist Folders – Best for power users with dozens of playlists to organize
Secret/Private Playlists – Best for keeping personal listening habits under wraps
Add a Queue from a Playlist – Best for mixing up your current listening session
Exclude from Taste Profile – Best for keeping your recommendations clean
Canvas & Playlist Art Customization – Best for curators who love aesthetics
Spotify's "Enhance" Feature – Best for padding out short playlists automatically
Smart Shuffle is one of Spotify's most quietly powerful features. When you enable it (by tapping the shuffle button a second time on mobile), Spotify doesn't just randomize your existing tracks — it also weaves in recommended songs it thinks you'll love, based on your listening history and the vibe of that particular playlist. It's like having a DJ who actually knows your taste sitting right beside you.
This hack is perfect for people who feel like they've "heard everything" in their saved playlists but don't want to spend time building a new one from scratch. Smart Shuffle introduces novelty without chaos. You might get a song you've never heard that slots in perfectly between two of your favorites, and with one tap, you can save it directly to the playlist or to your Liked Songs.
Best for: Casual listeners ready to expand their catalog
Availability: Free and Premium (Premium users get more recommendations)
Pros:
Effortlessly surfaces new music
Blends recommendations seamlessly with existing tracks
One-tap save for any suggested song
Keeps listening fresh without manual curation
Cons:
Can't control how many suggested tracks appear
Occasionally misreads playlist mood
Suggested tracks are removed once Smart Shuffle is turned off
Blend is a feature that creates a shared, ever-updating playlist between you and another Spotify user — friend, partner, coworker, whoever you invite. What makes it genuinely cool is the "taste match" percentage it gives you, showing exactly how much musical overlap you and the other person share. It's part utility, part fun social experiment.
The Blend playlist updates daily and pulls from both users' listening habits, so it stays current and evolves over time. You're not locked into a static list — if you go through a jazz phase, it'll show up. It also supports multi-user Blends (up to 10 people), making it a fantastic tool for building a group playlist before a party or long drive without anyone having to manually add songs.
Best for: Couples, best friends, roommates, and party planners
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Updates automatically every day
Taste match score is a fun conversation starter
Supports up to 10 people
Shareable as a card on social media
Cons:
You can't manually edit the playlist
Works best when both users listen frequently
Some users find the taste match score arbitrary
Spotify's DJ feature — available through the "AI DJ" button in your feed — uses a combination of your listening data and generative AI to create a continuously flowing, narrated listening experience. A virtual DJ (with a surprisingly natural-sounding voice) introduces sets of songs based on your mood, time of day, recent listening, and even what's trending. It's not a playlist in the traditional sense, but it functions like one — and it's one of the most genuinely impressive features Spotify has launched in years.
What sets this apart from a regular radio station or Discover Weekly is the real-time responsiveness. You can tap "More like this" or skip to a completely different vibe mid-session, and the DJ adapts. It's ideal for background listening when you don't want to think about what's next but still want something curated to your taste rather than algorithmically generic.
Best for: Busy listeners who want curation without effort
Availability: Spotify Premium only
Pros:
Genuinely responsive to skips and feedback
Voice narration adds a fun radio-like feel
Pulls from a deep understanding of your history
Great for long work or study sessions
Cons:
Premium-only feature
Not available in all regions yet
Can't export the DJ session as a saved playlist
Collaborative playlists let you invite other Spotify users to add, remove, and reorder tracks in a shared playlist. It sounds simple, but the applications are wide — office party planning, wedding reception prep, long road trips, or just building a running playlist with your workout buddy. Everyone contributes, and the result is a playlist that genuinely represents the group.
To enable collaboration, open any playlist you own, tap the three dots, and select "Invite Collaborators." You can share a link, and anyone with it can join. A smart bonus hack within this feature: use the "Sort by Recently Added" view to see who added what, which is great for accountability (or credit) when a banger gets added to the mix.
Best for: Groups, events, shared households
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
No app permissions needed beyond a link
Real-time collaboration
Great for democratic playlist building
Works across Free and Premium accounts
Cons:
No admin controls — anyone can remove any song
Can get chaotic with large groups
No in-app messaging or voting system
If you've accumulated more than a dozen playlists, you already know the scrolling struggle is real. Playlist folders are a desktop-only feature (at least for creating them — they do sync to mobile) that lets you group playlists into labeled folders. You could have folders for "Workouts," "Work Focus," "Road Trips," "Decades," "Genres," and more.
To create one on desktop, right-click in the left sidebar under "Your Library" and select "Create Folder." Then drag and drop playlists in. It's one of those features that, once you use it, you can't believe you lived without. Mobile users will still see the folders in their library, but you'll need the desktop app to create and manage them.
Best for: Power users and playlist hoarders
Availability: Free and Premium (desktop creation only)
Pros:
Dramatically improves library navigation
Folders sync across devices
Unlimited nesting is possible
Completely free to use
Cons:
Creation is limited to the desktop app
No color-coding or icon options for folders
Folders can't be shared with others
Here's a hack most people don't know about: every Spotify playlist can be made private. Whether it's your 2000s pop nostalgia playlist, a breakup recovery mix, or just a collection you're not ready to share, you can hide it from your followers and public profile entirely. Simply open the playlist, tap the three dots, and toggle "Make Private."
What's even better is that private playlists still count toward your listening history and influence your recommendations — Spotify still learns from them, it just doesn't broadcast them. This is also a great hack if you're using Spotify on a shared account and want to keep your personal playlists separate from family or household listening.
Best for: Privacy-conscious listeners and shared account users
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Completely hides playlist from public profile
Still influences personalized recommendations
Easy one-tap toggle
No impact on sound quality or features
Cons:
Private playlists can't be shared (by design)
Easy to forget which playlists are private
Doesn't apply retroactively to listening history
Most people don't realize you can queue an entire playlist without interrupting what's currently playing. Just long-press (or right-click on desktop) any playlist and select "Add to Queue." Every track in that playlist will line up after your current song ends. This is a game-changer at parties or during long listening sessions where you want a seamless transition from one playlist vibe to another.
You can also queue individual songs from different playlists to build a custom on-the-fly mix without actually editing any playlist. Think of it as a temporary, disposable setlist. Use it at a dinner party to flow from ambient background music into upbeat late-night tracks without touching a single playlist.
Best for: Party hosts, DJs, and session listeners
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Doesn't interrupt currently playing music
Can queue multiple playlists back to back
Works with albums and individual tracks too
Great for live listening events
Cons:
Queue disappears when you close the app (mostly)
No way to save a queue as a new playlist automatically
Limited visibility into the full queue on mobile
This one is underused and underappreciated. Spotify's recommendations are only as good as the data feeding them — and sometimes you listen to things you don't actually want to be your "taste." Kids' music, a podcast-adjacent playlist, background lo-fi you only play at work — all of it shapes your Discover Weekly if you're not careful.
The fix: on desktop, go to Settings > Privacy > "Hide Listening Activity" — or more specifically, for individual playlists, you can toggle off "Include in Your Taste Profile" from within the playlist settings. This tells Spotify's algorithm to ignore that playlist entirely when building your personalized recommendations. Your Discover Weekly and Daily Mixes will thank you.
Best for: Parents, multi-genre listeners, anyone whose recs feel "off"
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Keeps recommendations accurate and relevant
Works per-playlist for surgical control
Immediate effect on algorithm inputs
Doesn't delete or hide listening history
Cons:
Setting is buried in menus
Only available for playlists you own or follow (not all listening)
Doesn't retroactively fix skewed recommendations right away
Spotify lets you upload custom cover art for any playlist you create — and this small detail can completely change how you engage with your library. Psychological research backs it up: visual cues influence how we perceive sound. A playlist with a moody photo feels more immersive than one with a generic collage of album covers.
To change it, tap the playlist image on mobile and select "Edit," or right-click the image on desktop. You can upload any JPEG under 4MB. Beyond just personal playlists, this hack is especially valuable if you're a playlist curator sharing your lists publicly — a strong visual identity makes your playlists far more clickable and shareable. Pair custom art with a well-crafted playlist description, and you've got something that feels genuinely professional.
Best for: Curators, aesthetes, and public playlist creators
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Completely free to customize
Makes library navigation faster and more intuitive
Boosts engagement for public playlists
Can be updated anytime
Cons:
Image size limit is 4MB (JPEG only)
No built-in design tools — you need external apps
Custom art can occasionally revert after updates
If you've ever built a playlist with only 8 songs and wished it was longer without having to dig for additions manually, the Enhance button is your answer. It appears at the top of your playlists (look for the sparkle/wand icon) and, when activated, temporarily inserts Spotify-recommended songs between your existing tracks — greyed out, clearly labeled as suggestions, and non-destructive to your original list.
You can accept individual suggestions by hitting the "+" button next to each one, or turn Enhance off entirely to return to your original playlist. It's a low-risk way to audition new additions before committing. Think of it as a built-in A&R scout for your personal playlists. It's especially useful for workout or study playlists where you want consistent length and energy but don't want to spend 20 minutes curating.
Best for: People who hate short playlists but hate curating even more
Availability: Free and Premium
Pros:
Non-destructive — originals stay intact
Suggestions are genuinely relevant to the playlist
One-tap to accept or ignore each suggestion
Works on playlists of any size
Cons:
Can't bulk-accept all suggestions at once
Enhance mode turns off when you leave the playlist
Suggestions aren't always perfectly on-vibe
Spotify playlist hacks are built-in features, settings, and lesser-known tools within the Spotify app that most users never discover through normal use. Unlike third-party apps or workarounds, these are all native to Spotify itself — no downloads, no subscriptions beyond what you already have, no risk to your account.
Using these tools gives you a meaningfully better listening experience. You get more accurate recommendations, a cleaner library, a more social or collaborative experience when you want it, and more control over how Spotify's algorithm understands your taste. For playlist curators who share their lists publicly, features like custom art and Blend can also grow your audience organically.
Not every hack is right for every listener. Here's a quick framework:
If you're a solo listener: Focus on Smart Shuffle, Enhance, the DJ Feature, and excluding playlists from your taste profile.
If you listen with others: Blend and Collaborative Playlists are your best friends.
If you have a big library: Playlist Folders and Private Playlists will save your sanity.
If you're building a public presence: Custom art and Collaborative Playlists will help you stand out.
Free users: Everything except the DJ Feature is accessible — don't let a lack of Premium hold you back.
Q: Do these hacks work on the free version of Spotify? A: Most of them do! The only major exception in this list is the AI DJ Feature, which requires Spotify Premium. Everything else — Smart Shuffle, Blend, Collaborative Playlists, Playlist Folders, private playlists, custom art, Enhance, and queue management — is available on the free tier.
Q: Will using Smart Shuffle or Enhance add songs to my playlist permanently? A: No. Both features are non-destructive. Smart Shuffle adds suggested songs temporarily during your session, and Enhance shows greyed-out suggestions that you manually choose to keep. Neither changes your playlist unless you actively tap the save/add button.
Q: Can I use Collaborative Playlists with people who have free Spotify accounts? A: Yes! Collaborative playlists work across both Free and Premium accounts. All collaborators need is a Spotify account and the invite link you share with them.
Q: How do I stop Spotify from making weird recommendations based on music I don't normally like? A: Use the "Exclude from Taste Profile" trick covered in Hack #8. For playlists you own, you can toggle them out of your taste profile in playlist settings. For more general control, you can also turn off "Listening Activity" in your Privacy settings, though this affects all recommendations globally.
