Desktop: New Your Library sidebar

[MattSuda]

Spotify is introducing a new Your Library sidebar in the desktop app and Web Player.

The new Your Library sidebar improves navigation and makes it easier and faster to collect and retrieve all types of content, bringing new features to desktop that you're already familiar with in the mobile app. The new sidebar is also more customizable than before to meet different preferences.

You can read more info about the new desktop experience in the Spotify Newsroom post:

➜ Spotify’s Desktop Experience Gets a Brand-New Look With Redesigned ‘Your Library’ and ‘Now Playing’ ...

This thread is your go-to destination for learning what's new, asking questions, getting help for issues you might have, as well as to share your feedback about the new Your Library sidebar for desktop. Also, do you have any tips for other users on how you are using the new Your Library sidebar? We'd love to hear them.

What's new in the Your Library sidebar?

• See your entire collection and all of the content types (not just playlists)
  
  
• Filters for your collection (Playlists, Artists, Albums, Podcasts) that can be combined with other filters (By you, By Spotify, Downloaded)
  
  
• Sort options for your collection (Recents, Recently Added, Alphabetical, Creator, Custom Order)
  
  
• Chosen filters and sort options will be remembered in the sidebar across restarts of the desktop app
  
  
• Search through your collection in the sidebar
  
  
• Pinned library items to find your favorites, faster – current limit is 4 (Playlists, Playlist Folders, Artists, Albums, Podcasts)
  
  
• Art covers are now shown in the sidebar
  
  
• Compact library layout (no art covers) is available as an option in Settings to increase content density
  
  
• Dedicated + (plus) button to create Playlists and Playlist Folders
  
  
• Flexible Sizing: A collapsed library view (with only art covers) to maximize the browsing area, a regular width view, and an expanded view for more focused library management and curation. (you can also drag to customize the size)
  
  
• In the expanded library view, you have options for list view, compact view, and a grid view. The list and compact views show you more details in 2 columns, Date Added and Last Played, and the grid view allows you to see larger art covers.
  
  
• Playlist Folders can still be expanded into the sidebar in a tree view, and now when you click on them, the sidebar only shows the Playlist Folder and what's inside for a more focused view.
  
  
• Menu option to move a playlist to a folder (with search)

Note: The Your Library sidebar experience will be the same for the most part in the Web Player. However, the Web Player does not support all of the features found in the desktop app. To be able to use all of the features, you can download the desktop app right here.

Tips to get started:

If you need a familiar experience to help you get started with the new Your Library sidebar, here's how to get it as close as possible to the old sidebar that previously only showed playlists:

• In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter at the top.

• Then, in the drop down menu select "Custom Order" under "Sort by". You will then see your previous playlist order and be able to move your playlists and folders like before.

• Your currently chosen filters and sort options will be remembered across restarts of the desktop app.

• If you would like to only see text in the Your Library sidebar (no art covers), go to the drop down menu and at the bottom of the menu click on "Compact" under "View as".

• Flexible Sizing: You can drag the Your Library sidebar to different sizes. Fully expand the sidebar by clicking the arrow button at the top, and fully collapse the sidebar by clicking on the "Your Library" heading to see only art covers.

• At the top, you can scroll through the different filters with your mouse scroll wheel for faster navigation when the sidebar is set to a smaller size. 

Walkthrough of the basics:

Sidebar List:

You can now see your entire collection and all of the content types (not just playlists) in the sidebar list. At the top, click on the filters to filter the content you want to see, and click on the drop down menu to change the sort order or view of the list. To create a new Playlist or Playlist Folder, click on the + (plus) button at the top right corner of the sidebar. To search through your collection, click on the search button.

Filter Options:

At the top, click on the filters to filter the content you want to see. You can scroll through the different filters with your mouse scroll wheel for faster navigation when the sidebar is set to a smaller size. 

To remove the filter, click on the X or the currently selected filter and then choose another filter to see another type of content. Having no filter selected will show all types of content mixed in the list.

• Playlists
• Artists
• Albums
• Podcasts & Shows
• These can be combined with other filters: By you, By Spotify, Downloaded

Sort Options:

At the top, click on the drop down menu to change the sort order of the list under "Sort by".

• Recents
• Recently Added
• Alphabetical
• Creator

When the "Playlists" filter is selected, you have the option to see your playlists in your own custom order.

• Custom Order

When the "Podcasts & Shows" filter is selected, you have the following option:

• Recently Updated

View Options:

At the top, click on the drop down menu to change the view of the list under "View as".

• Compact (view text only without art covers)
• List
• Grid (bigger art covers)

Flexible Sizing:

You can hover over and click on the right edge of the sidebar to drag it to your preferred width. You can also fully expand the sidebar by clicking the arrow button at the top, and fully collapse the sidebar by clicking on the "Your Library" heading to see only art covers.

In the expanded library view, you have options for list view, compact view, and a grid view. The list and compact views show you more details in 2 columns, Date Added and Last Played, and the grid view allows you to see larger art covers.

FAQ:

This section will answer your frequently asked questions and will be updated with the latest answers.

Related help articles on the support website:

• Your Library   • Sort and filter   • Keyboard Shortcuts

Can I view the Your Library page in the main browsing area like before?

• Unfortunately, the old Your Library page in the main browsing area is being discontinued with the release of the new Your Library sidebar. You can adjust the size of the Your Library sidebar to be bigger and you can also enable the "grid view" if you would like to see bigger art covers.

How do I see only my playlists in the sidebar like I used to be able to, I can't drag and move my playlists or folders anymore?

• In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter at the top.

  
  Then, in the sort options drop down menu select "Custom Order". You will then see your previous playlist order and be able to move your playlists and folders like before.

  
  Your currently chosen filters and sort options will be remembered across restarts of the desktop app.

I don't want to see art cover images in the sidebar, how do I turn them off?

• If you would like to only see text in the Your Library sidebar (no art covers), go to the drop down menu and at the bottom of the menu click on "Compact" under "View as".
  
  

How do I get the album art to expand in the bottom left corner like before? When I try to expand the album art, it opens the Now Playing View sidebar to the right.

• Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. When you expand the album art in the bottom left corner of the app, it will no longer hover over the Your Library sidebar. Instead, the new right sidebar will open up. You can resize the Now Playing View sidebar to your preferred size.
  
  

  You can read more information about this by going here.

How do I play or shuffle play a Playlist Folder now? (I don't see dedicated pages with play / shuffle options anymore)

• Right click on a Playlist Folder and select the "Play" option. To shuffle play, make sure to turn on the shuffle mode first before selecting the "Play" option in the right click menu.

How do I get to my Local Files now?

• In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter at the top.

  
  Then, in the sort drop down select "Custom Order".
  
  The "Local Files" playlist will be near the top of the list under your pinned items (if any).

Feedback:

Where can I give my feedback about the new Your Library sidebar in the desktop app?

• We welcome your feedback about this change. The best way to share your feedback is to comment here in this thread.

[Honorbound]

This new user interface is atrocious. It's a pain just to use this desktop app now. I hate that the library is squished uncomfortably to a cluttered sidebar when the library is most vital part of the Spotify experience for me. I've carefully cultivated mine for years now, but I think I might just cancel my subscription. Folders are still ugly and awkward, and the descriptions under playlist names are completely gone now, with is a blow for anyone who cares about curating playlist aesthetics. 

[amongusfan11161]

This update is a dumpster fire. The limit on pins means all of my folders are permanently out of order, and for some godforsaken reason it also put every single playlist in those folders out of order as well (this is with the "custom order" sort option turned on.) What's worse, the update didn't serve a valid purpose anyway. Clicking on a folder previously would bring up a large menu of every playlist in that folder. Now it is relegated to the side menu bar, where said playlists are HARDER to navigate. I didn't need to see the album photos in the sidebar. I have the (now useless) main window for that. What I needed was to easily distinguish one playlist from another at a glance, and this "ultra compact" garbage layout does not fix that, and while the image layout does solve that problem, it also creates the problem of scrolling through 90 playlists instead of just being able to see all of them at once. (Note: I use Spotify to add background music to things, so I need to be able to see all of my playlists quickly.)
And for what? there is now a search bar on the menu, buttons have been scattered into multiple different designs (some of which don't even fit properly,) and clicking on a folder now brings you into that folder in the sidebar, forcing you to click out of that folder. Sure, you can expand, but it's annoying because it serves literally zero purpose.

[XiasIV]

A simple toggle for "classic" and "modern" UI could fix a lot for your out criers.

This new update for desktop is not good. It's far too cluttered . The update also rearranged all of my playlists that I had meticulously laid out. Now I have to manually sort by playlists and custom order to rearrange them all back,  Not to mention that I am unable to move albums and artists around in tandem with said playlists. 
It is beyond annoying that I now must manually sort Playlists/ By Me/Customer Order  - every-single-time if I want to move something.

It is a poor design choice to not have playlists sorted manually by default.  Again, for the record, every time I want to move playlists I have to manually sort Playlists/ By Me/ Custom Order.    Unneeded clutter.

Furthermore when I click on "show all" under the "Your Playlists" tab it shows only  7 of the 50 that I personally have. The "Your Library" section 
So as of now I do not see a way of being able to look at all of my playlists on one easy to see menu.
You'd think I could drag the side window on the right outward as to make it easier to read but nope! Instead it just shows  me how recently I used a given playlist.  That is not helpful information for anyone. 
What this update has done has made all of your playlists, folders, albums and podcasts out of order by default - then you must sift through several sorting options  to sort just one of the aforementioned items. Again, more clutter.
Also,
Clicking on folders used to open up to a big and easy to read menu, now it's all stuck on this terrible split side bar.
This genuinely makes me sad and frustrated.   The amount of needless steps and overly "mobile" feel that this update has brought has encouraged me to try revert the update manually. No such luck.  Now it seems the only course of action I can do is bring a broom and dustpan in hopes that you might take it from my hands - remove this clutter- and revert this terrible UI update.

Spotify,  You have done me a good service for several years- better than Apple and Youtube Music ever could- But you cannot keep dishing out UI overhauls and expect your customers to  just deal with it. My single comment will no doubt be lost in the sea of forums but I implore you to remember the idea of "If it isn't broke - don't fix it."
  At the end of the day- your hard working developers and upper managers get the final word and you cannot realistically please everyone- but a toggle UI switch could help  soften the blow for everyone. 

[sbtrct]

Leaving aside what a poor change this is from a UI perspective, and the contempt Spotify clearly has for the community by closing the original thread then posting this as a 'solution' - has anyone even looked at the app in full screen on MacOS? It's broken - there's a huge blank space below the menu bar (screenshot below). Please get this logged as a bug and fix it. I'm paying hundreds of Euro every year for a premium family plan and this is your best effort at a desktop client? It's almost beyond belief. Clearly we, the paying users, are not your customers.

[Weich]

The recent changes to the library UI have made music management significantly more challenging in Windows. The new layout and playlist tiles have become excessively large and confusing, particularly for those who manage numerous playlists. Additionally, there seems to be a bug preventing users from moving folders up in the hierarchy, restricting them to only moving existing folders to sub-folders.

It is my sincere hope that the app developers will revert to the clean, self-explanatory playlist interfaces that were in place previously. These recent alterations have made me feel as though I have lost control over all of my music, and despite trying to adjust to the changes for a week,

Really hope somebody reads this and takes this seriously.

Version:
Spotify für Windows
1.2.10.760.g52970952

[Weich]

I am experiencing difficulty moving a folder up in the hierarchy. Can anyone assist, please?

Managing numerous playlists has become overwhelming since the UI update, and I now appreciate the previous clean and straightforward interface more. Thankfully, I was at least able to locate the library's "compact mode"

[StayStoney]

can i have old spotify back that doesnt look like a really bad better discord theme?? 

[Riley16]

Is there any possible way you change let people revert the layout to the old way. I hate this new layout, it is too cluttered and unappealing. 

[Hugopinpio]

Nice now half the app is utterly useless ! What a great idea, really. Can't see my custom folders / playlist like I used to. It's a pain to customize my playlists now. You really should revert it.

"

• Unfortunately, the old Your Library page in the main browsing area is being discontinued with the release of the new Your Library sidebar. You can adjust the size of the Your Library sidebar to be bigger and you can also enable the "grid view" if you would like to see bigger art covers.

"

No one cares about this "sidebar" bullsh*t, it's ugly, it's cramped and it's a clear downgrade from what we had and what we liked. Maybe hire someone else for UI/UX design idk but damn, great way to thank people like me that have been supporting financially this app for years now. Might switch to something else if you don't change it.

[luludust]

The new Spotify interface is absolutely TERRIBLE.  Whoever thought this change was a good idea ought to be fired!  You guys took something that was damn near prefect and made it so rage inducing that I cannot even enjoy my music experience!  I can't even use the app it **bleep** me off so much.  I am about ready to cancel my sub and instead pay for YouTube music and I said I would never pay for YouTube yet here I am considering it!  I used to listen to Spotify every day ALL DAY and now I can't even have it open for 5 mins before I am just ready to throw it out the window!  Seriously, I don't know if you guys tested this at all with real people but it truly is the worst change I have ever seen in an app.  I am going to give it a week and if it is still the same I am canceling.  I am sure one subscriber like me doesn't matter to a huge company but I KNOW I am not the only one that feels this way!  Horrible!

[bullo152]

Thanks for this change, it looks amazing and makes it much easier to browse and navigate lists and recents. 5/5

[Tabbs919]

SO MUCH CLUTTER. The difficulty of navigation increased. Why do I have to go all the way to settings to toggle the sidebar pictures? I'd like to see the artist pictures while at the same time not seeing the playlist pictures. Ridiculous update that made things worse and nearly intolerable. I like to use the desktop version when on my PC since it is easier to use than the mobile version, but now that is not the case. Why does spotify push desktop to be so much like mobile instead of keeping it unique to desktop? It makes everything so much worse. PLEASE give the option to revert to the previous UI.

[Tabbs919]

Nice try, spotify bot/employee.

[PurpleFan]

Nice change!

wish this UI will get tabs sometimes in the future 

[raoreoxo]

idk if this is where i'm supposed to reply, but i dislike this update so much to the point i gotta say sum. please for the love of god stop changing the layout.,. coming from a younger audience that has been using spotify since 2017/2018.

i know someone probably worked hard on this but we are still your consumers, and it's very unfair for most of us to be paying for a service that's constantly having poor updates. that are not even needed. things like bringing viewing likes back, and other requests your community ACTUALLY wants, are more needed to be worked on. in my opinion.

also this is a suggestion ive never posted, but it would be cool if we could share music with each other through the app- without turning it into social media of course.

i thought the last desktop app was frustrating, but this one feels like your brain is being scrabbled lol. it's making me not even want to use it. please listen to your consumers, even looking through these replies i can see majority of us are tired of these senseless updates

[Tom2022]

I like the thumbnails in the sidebar. One thing I would change, though: the content size. Just decrease a font size by like 2 pts and the thumbnail size by 5-10px, because right now the sidebar content is a bit large compared to the rest of the UI.

[TTiger9]

I thankfully haven't had the change on my mobile app yet but my desktop has changed and i ABSOLUTELY DESPISE IT to the point where I actually don't want to use spotify anymore. It is 10x more difficult to organize and edit my playlists/folders and is absolutely nowhere near user-friendly. My desktop interface is now more similar to the app imo and so much more difficult to use to the point where I want nothing to do with it.

it's literally such a pain to do anything on desktop now and I love organizing with folders and now that's impossible. I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling with this thought because I was ready to throw a fit ngl

[SiDawg]

[UPDATE 28 May] Nice work! It's like you directly responded to my comment 🙂 The "good afternoon" sectino can now be reduced to a small sidebar, and it actually contains useful high level shortcuts at that size (i.e. recent album plays). Still wish it was on the left but I kinda understand it being on the right (i.e. a library is a "select" and the "good afternoon" but is kinda the "main content" area... I feel ya!

[comment prior to 28 May update...]
Sorry I [used to] hate it... I'm kind of "old school" i guess: i just want to see the Albums in my library (yes, I still listen to albums...) and sort by either Creator or Recently Added... I find it strange you are promoting this "New Library Sidebar" as if you've ADDED functionality: haven't you just moved the old library to the side, defaulted it as being small, and given an option to make it NEARLY as large as last time?? I can't for the life of me now work out how to get rid of the "completely useless to me" area where you have a whole bunch of spam with titles like "Good Afternoon" (thank you, inanimate software, good afternoon to you too), and "Made for Me" and "My Top Mixes" etc... all pretty much completely uninteresting to me but they fill up the RIGHT side of the screen, and fill up HALF the screen, when they used to just me "the annoying pile of information that appears in startup before i click the "my library" button)

Please provide more customisations so we can get rid of the what we arn't interested in seeing

[StormClawMusic]

I'm having the same issue, the new update has made the library ordering very confusing and I keep accidentally putting playlists in the wrong folder or making new folders in the wrong spot, and now I can't move them or get them out. The nesting is completely broken.
All of my playlists were very carefully ordered and curated before and now it's a complete mess and I hate it.
Compact mode isn't enough.

[MrMash]

Totally agree. It's hard to believe that someone actually signed off on this design choice as a good idea. It just feels unfinished.