As your music streaming collection expands, keeping track of daily workout mixes, focus soundtracks, curated release radars, and shared party playlists becomes increasingly challenging. In high-capacity libraries, scrolling through hundreds of alphabetised entries to find your favourite playlist wastes time. In recent updates to iOS and macOS, Apple introduced native support for Pinning Playlists and marking favourite music. Pinned playlists remain permanently fixed at the very top of your Playlists library, guaranteeing instant one-tap access across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Why Pin Playlists in Apple Music?
Customising your playlist hierarchy offers several distinct benefits for daily listening:
- Instant Access: Your most played mixes reside permanently at the top of your screen, eliminating the need to search or scroll through expansive libraries.
- Persistent Across Views: Pinned playlists remain docked at the summit whether you sort your secondary collection by Title, Recently Added, or Recently Played.
- Cross-Ecosystem Synchronisation: Once pinned on your iPhone, Apple Music automatically mirrors your pinned playlist tray across iPadOS and macOS when iCloud Music Library is enabled.
How to Pin Playlists in Apple Music on iPhone and iPad
Pinning a playlist on your iOS or iPadOS device requires only a couple of quick taps from your primary library view.
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the Library tab located in the bottom navigation bar.
- Select Playlists from your library categories.
- Locate the playlist you wish to feature at the top.
- Touch and hold (long press) directly on the playlist artwork or title.
- From the contextual menu, tap Pin Playlist (represented by a pushpin icon).
The selected playlist will immediately elevate to a dedicated, horizontal scrolling Pinned section at the top of your playlist list. You can repeat this process to pin multiple playlists.
How to Pin Playlists in Apple Music on Mac
If you manage your music library from a MacBook or iMac running macOS, you can pin playlists directly from the sidebar or main browser view.
- Launch the Music app on your Mac.
- In the left-hand sidebar under the Library section, click on Playlists.
- Find your desired playlist in the grid or list view.
- Secondary click (right click or two-finger tap) on the playlist artwork or row.
- Click Pin Playlist from the popup menu.
A designated Pinned Playlists shelf will render above your general collection, keeping your top audio rotations permanently accessible.
How to Reorder or Unpin Playlists
Managing your pinned collection is flexible and intuitive as your musical tastes evolve over time:
- Reorder Pinned Playlists on iPhone: Tap Edit in the top-right corner of the Playlists screen. Press and drag the grabber handles on the right of any pinned entry to rearrange its order, then tap Done.
- Unpin a Playlist on iPhone: Long press the pinned playlist tile, then tap Unpin Playlist from the menu. The mix will return to its standard chronological or alphabetical position in your main list.
- Unpin a Playlist on Mac: Right-click the pinned playlist tile in the top shelf and select Unpin Playlist.
Using Favourite Songs and Starred Playlists for Smart Curation
Alongside pinning playlists, Apple Music features a Favourite (Star) system that dramatically enhances automatic curation:
- While viewing any playlist, song, or album, tap the Star icon on the player or track row.
- Apple Music automatically adds all starred tracks to a generated, dynamically updated smart playlist called Favorite Songs.
- Pin the Favorite Songs playlist to the top of your library for instant access to every track you have ever starred.
Complementary Apple Audio and Device Management Guides
To further refine your Apple hardware and media experience, explore these related tutorials:
- Convert Audio Formats: If you import local audio into your Apple Music library, see how to convert audio files to AAC or MP3 in Apple Music on Mac.
- Watch Battery Health: If you stream music during workouts via Apple Watch, check our guide on how to check battery health and maximum capacity on Apple Watch to monitor device longevity.
- Prevent Accidental Waking: If you listen to music while travelling with your laptop, learn how to stop MacBook from waking when opening the lid.
Pinning favourite playlists in Apple Music ensures your most cherished albums and curated mixes are always within immediate reach, creating a streamlined, personalised listening environment.