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.

[MattSuda]

Hey everyone,

Thank you for participating in this thread and sharing your feedback about the new Your Library experience on desktop.

Before anything else, we want to assure you that we're reviewing your comments and forwarding each individual user's feedback to the relevant team here at Spotify.

We'd also like to address some of the most common issues we've noticed being mentioned here:

My playlists are out of order after the update (mentioned by @Sylis_ca, @oauo, @sergioro, and others)

• As outlined in Matt's comment here, you should be able to see the original order by selecting Playlists - Custom Order in the filters section of your sidebar. Once this is selected, you can rearrange your playlists in whatever way you like.
• Please note that you can't reorder Liked Songs, Your Episodes or Local Files - they will always be at the top.
• You can "pin" items at the top of the list above these items though - this is currently limited to 4 items.

I'm unable to move playlists/folders out of a folder (pointed out by @RectangleSquare, @Hencraft, @thisisgok, and others)

• To move playlists and folders, they don't have to be sorted by Custom Order, but it may make it easier to understand where it's being moved to.
• You can open a folder using the arrow to the right of the folder. This can make it easier to drag something out into a new location.
• You can also drag a folder/playlist and hover over the sidebar back button/arrow (at top of Library) and this will update the visible structure, allowing you to place it in the desired position.

The Library sidebar has limited width

• We're happy to announce that after sharing your feedback, this was changed to make it wider.

Once again, thank you for sharing your constructive criticism and helping to make Spotify better!

[MrMash]

Why oh why can we not click on the column headings library window to sort. Who decided that the best option was to add in a separate submenu to set filters? This whole update just feels clumsy, and not at all like a premium product.

[11101755102]

I really dislike this layout, it's hard to understand, I enjoyed seeing my libary full screen and I dislike being locked into using this side bar. It just appears cluttered and hard to find albums etc. I also liked having the larger album art in the bottom left, which if I have enabled now, means covers up part of my libary and looks visually ugly. It's just really off putting to look at and appears cluttered and unappealing 

[Genie3007]

It's not user friendly - I have NEVER had to come to Spotify's forums to figure out HOW TO USE IT. The fact that users are having to come here, shows that the this new UI is not fit for purpose.

It wasn't broken, you just made it harder to use. 

[grhr0]

I can't find the previously added option that showed song details and subtitles on the right side of the app, instead of a list of friends' activities. I loved that feature. How to restore it?

[3spice]

I really do not like this update, having my screen cut in half. I want to be able to see my library fullscreen, not off to the side. Even filling half the window, is not enough. Please give an option to collapse the home tab, so I can see the library in its entirety. I have two eyes, but they cant both focus on two separate panels at the same time. 

[_vg_]

Can't you guys design a good UI and stick with it for once? Stop making these horrible changes all the time

[VIDEODROME_]

How do I get the new UI? I tried reinstalling from both Windows store and the spotify site and it's still the olde one. I can't even find anything in settings. I used to have the new UI for few days and got rly used to it and then it went back to the olde one. 

[p2oi3x_-o0lkl]

"Unfortunately" I'm another voice of discontent, normally I don't like chipping in and just try to crack on, but **bleep** **bleep**...

I figured I'd give it a go and try to get used to it, you know, to get over the initial "urgh!" of unexpected change and see if it grew on me through usage. No luck there though, I've seen programmer-designed UIs better thought out than this (and that's saying something); the new UI is absolutely horrible, navigating artists and playlists has been made far more difficult and far less intuitive. "Clunky" doesn't quite do it justice, but I've ended up struggling for a description that doesn't start with "dog" and end with the letter "t".

Purely a personal preference thing, but I used to use the "My Library" page extensively and largely avoid the "Home" page, as I'm primarily interested in my music library and playlists; and want to avoid the crappy uninteresting podcasts that get farted even at your paying users, seeing as rolling back the Snap to a previous version didn't work, I guess that has ended 😞

Funnily enough others have already made the suggestion/request to revert the desktop UI, kind of telling that there even needs to be a "clause 6":

• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Idea-Submissions/Revert-the-new-UI-so-i-can-see-cover-art-playlist-...
• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Closed-Ideas/Revert-the-latest-Desktop-UI-change/idi-p/5570552
• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Closed-Ideas/The-new-UI-of-the-Mac-app-is-awful/idi-p/5570229
• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Closed-Ideas/Desktop-Bring-the-old-interface-back/idi-p/5569599
• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Closed-Ideas/Revert-the-TERRIBLE-new-ui-update-4-24-2023-for-PC/idi...
• https://community.spotify.com/t5/Closed-Ideas/iOS-Developer-Please-revert-the-MacOS-app-to-its-pre-2...

[John-E]

I'm experiencing major problems with the new Library display functions while using the List View option along with Settings.Library=Use compact library layout.

1. When I click on the arrowhead to display the contents of a folder I experience long, long wait times. (In contrast, the response is almost instantaneous when I expand a folder while using Grid View, so this is a List View implementation issue).

2. Sometimes the contents of the folder will briefly appear and then disappear, even while the arrowhead remains in the down (indicating displayed) direction.

3. Sometimes contents of a folder or playlist will overlay my List VIew in inappropriate places and the overlay corruption persists as I use the scroll bar.

4. The List View sporadically becomes corrupted in other ways, showing partial results.

My library is organized with playlists nested within folders. And folders are nested within folders 

[John-E]

This is an addendum to my previous post.

I noticed a workaround. If I select the folder name (at the highest level of my Library hierarchy)  instead of the folder arrowhead the problems I previously documented do not occur. The contents of the folder in the List View appear immediately and the sub-folders expand quickly when I click on their arrowhead.

When I click the < symbol to return to the higher level folder the response time remains unusually sluggish. This could suggest that the problems are related to the overall size of the list. My Library is large, but I don't know where to find its actual size. 

[p2oi3x_-o0lkl]

This isn't limited only to MacOS, the Linux Snap also has this gap. I can only assume it's not wasted space, but is instead a "progress bar" which will eventually fill with the tears of Spotify's users.

[nukefusion]

Here's my feedback on the new sidebar: limiting the library (the most important part of the app IMO) to half the screen is a mistake, as is making a desktop app look and feel like a mobile app. I'm sure a certain audience will love it, but unfortunately for those for whom the library is the central feature I believe this is a regression. I've tried to like it, but it's so far from what I want out of my music player that I suspect I'm no longer the target market for Spotify. I've cancelled my subscription after 8 years and moved to Tidal.

[1247355081]

Oh my god please revert this change. It looks ridiculously shoddy and barely thought out. The UI shenanigans over at least the last year are making it extremely hard to continue subscribing. I'm about ready to quit and change services.

You are supposed to be making a music app and not a Frankenstein attempt at whatever you think a social media site is. Come on!

[kwebble]

The new Extra Cluttered™ look should not be the default. Now everyone has to look for the setting Libarry > Use compact library layout to get the usable UI again. Opt-in would have been better a better introduction.

The search is not working OK. It does not show playlists with items that match the query.

Posting this answer failed a few times. See the attached file.

[brianvaline]

It's  awful. Please give us the option to have the old UI. I am ready to cancel my premium account.

[brianvaline]

Please this so much! WE hate the new UI

[Dax6]

How can I change it back? Nothing was wrong with it before. Feature-itis to the max. Didn't ask for these features.

[Sylis_ca]

Spotify just did an update on my computer and I hate it. the new layout looks like it was designed for a tablet. I've had lots of playlists ordered in an alphabetical system based on genera and subgenera. moods, and events, and I had the organized in a way that just made sense. Now I only get 4 pins and now all my playlists are out of order and move around all the time. come on Spotify... 

This is a downgrade. the old system was perfect how it was. removing features on the computer is not a good strategy. it just pisses people off.

Spotify for Windows
1.2.10.760.g52970952

[ikkev]

I really dislike this change. The side bar is now so cluttered. I want to view my saved albums full screen. It's so annoying now to switch between viewing my playlists or my albums.

[EdoGracis]

The sidebar looks really messy, counterintuitive and unpleasant to scroll:
• I'm not interested at all to see all the contents in one place, the result is a messy list of elements (attached picture) really hard to surf.

• Even if I use the tags to filter the contents, it's really annoying not having a personalized arrangement of the library!! Folders are fine, but I need to be able to decide the order of my playlist as I want, just like before!

• Top menu has only Home and Search, but it was totally fine to have more elements that allowed to have a tidier library: favorite songs, podcasts and so are useful shortcuts!! Why putting them all together in one chaotic place??