FAQ: How do I build playlists in Roon? How do I edit them?

Playlists vs the Queue

The first thing to understand about Roon is that there is a difference between Playlists and the Queue.

When you select a track or album to play, it is slotted into the Queue for playback. As you queue more songs, they are added to the end of the Queue, like a jukebox. Likewise, if you select a playlist, it is added to the Queue. And multiple playlists can be added to the queue at any time.

Building Playlists

You can add tracks or albums to playlists from almost any screen in Roon. First, select what you want to add by right-clicking with a mouse, or pressing and holding on touch. A selection bar appears across the top of Roon:

Roon selection bar across the top of the screen after selecting tracks.

Click the 3 dots icon and select Add To Playlist to add your selection to an existing playlist or to create a new one.

For every way to add music, including from the Queue, History, and the Tracks browser, please see How to Create Playlists in Roon.

Editing Playlists

To edit a playlist, select Playlists from the navigation sidebar. Click the 3 dots icon beside the playlist and select Edit.... From here, you can rename the playlist, move it to another folder, set a custom cover image, or delete it.

Inside the playlist, you can also:

Select tracks to remove them.
Use the drag handle to the left of each track to reorder them.

Drag handle to the left of a track in a Roon playlist, used to reorder tracks.

Custom Playlist Covers

By default, Roon builds a playlist's artwork automatically as a mosaic of album art from its tracks. You can replace the mosaic with your own cover image on any Roon playlist or Smart playlist.

Open the playlist's Edit... dialog, or hover over the playlist image and click the edit option that appears.
Under Playlist image, browse for a file, drag an image in, or paste an image URL. JPEG and PNG are supported.
Check the preview. It shows exactly how your cover will look.
Save your changes.

Non-square images are cropped to the center to fill the square artwork slot. Your cover replaces the mosaic everywhere the playlist appears: the playlists browser, the playlist page header, search results, and phone layouts. Covers are stored with your library, so they're kept through restarts and backups. To go back to the mosaic, please open Edit... and remove the cover.

Custom playlist covers need Roon 2.73 or later. You can set and edit covers on desktop and tablet. Phone remotes show custom covers but can't edit them. Roon ARC shows the automatic mosaic for now; support will come in a future ARC update.

Custom covers aren't available for streaming service playlists (TIDAL, Qobuz, KKBOX) or imported playlists (iTunes and M3U), including streaming playlists you edit through 2-Way Playlist Sync. These playlists keep their existing artwork.

Additional Information

Playlists you create are tied to your profile, so each household member keeps their own.
M3U files in Watched Folders are imported automatically.
Your TIDAL favorites appear in the Playlists section.
Streaming service playlists (TIDAL, Qobuz, KKBOX, nugs) can be edited in Roon or in the service, and changes sync both ways. For details, please see 2-Way Playlist Sync.
Imported iTunes and M3U playlists aren't editable in Roon. To make changes, please save a local copy first: open the playlist, click the 3 dots icon, select Edit..., then select + Copy.

Have an idea for playlists? Please share it in Feature Suggestions.