How to Filter Spotify Playlists by Genre or Mood

Odds are good that your “Liked Songs” playlist on Spotify is a mishmash of genres and artists that don’t exactly flow together. Personally, I don’t necessarily want to listen to songs from Gorguts, Megan Thee Stallion, and the Spirited Away soundtrack back-to-back-to-back. No DJ in their right mind would program that kind of a mix — and it makes listening to your generic Spotify playlists a bit disconcerting.

Thankfully, Spotify is adding a new way to filter your Liked Songs playlist via genre and mood tags, meaning you can temporarily pare down your collection to only the songs that fit the vibe you’re after.

You will only see the genre and mood filters in your “Liked Songs” playlist, but the on-demand organisation is certainly quicker than curating a fresh playlist. More important, it makes listening through your “Liked Songs” collection a lot less jarring.

The feature is launching for both free and Premium Spotify users on Android and iOS in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It will roll out gradually over the coming weeks, so you may need to wait a little longer before you’ll see the option available. It’s also only available in English for now.

Before you can use the filters, you need to have liked at least 30 songs on Spotify — just tap the heart icon while you’re listening to music you dig if you need to boost your numbers. Once you have enough liked songs, Spotify will auto-generate up to 15 personalised tags based on the tracks in the list. Here’s how to turn them on:

1. Open Spotify and select the “Your Library” tab.
2. Scroll down and open your “Liked Songs” playlist.
3. There will be a list of tags at the top of the playlist screen. Tap one to filter your collection down to songs of that genre or mood.
4. If you want to change filters (or turn them off entirely) tap the “X” to turn off the currently selected filter and view your full Liked Songs list, then select a new tag from the list at the top of the page.