How to stop Apple Music from adding songs to your library when you add them to a playlist

When you listen to songs and add your favorites to your playlists, that doesn’t necessarily mean you want those songs added to your music library. If you’ve noticed that this has been happening and want it to stop, it’s easy.

Here’s how to stop Apple Music from adding songs to your library when you add them to a playlist.

Apple Music Playlist on MacBook

Change your settings on iPhone or iPad

To make this change on your iPhone or iPad, head to the Settings app and follow these steps.

1) Scroll down to and select Music.

2) Under Library, move the slider to turn off Add Playlist Songs.

3) Tap the Settings arrow on the top left to go back or simply close the app.

Add Playlist Songs in Music settings on iPhone

Change your settings on Mac

To adjust this setting on your Mac, you’ll need to open the Music app and then do the following.

1) Press Command + Comma (,). You can also click Music from the top menu bar and select Preferences.

2) Select the Advanced tab.

3) Uncheck the box next to Add songs to Library when adding to playlists.

4) Click OK.

Uncheck Add songs to Library when adding to playlists in Music on Mac

If you’re using iTunes on macOS Mojave and earlier, go to iTunes Preferences > General and uncheck the Add songs to Library when adding to playlists.

Stop Adding Songs to Library on Mac

With one simple setting, you can stop songs from going into your music library when you add them to a playlist. It’s small things like this that are often the most helpful.

For music lovers or those who only listen occasionally, here are additional tutorials to help you with your tunes.