How to Loop a YouTube Playlist (Computer, TV and YouTube Music)

A looped playlist is the quiet hero of a working day. I put one on while I'm writing, and plenty of shop owners use one to keep a product video or a calming playlist running on a screen in the shop. It's a small setting, but it saves you from tapping play again every twenty minutes.

The catch is that YouTube handles looping differently on a computer, on a TV and in YouTube Music, and the control is easy to miss. Here's where each one lives, based on YouTube's help pages.

Looping a YouTube playlist on a computer

1. Open a video that's part of the playlist.
2. Look to the right of the player and expand the playlist panel.
3. In the playlist box, click Loop.

That's it. Once Loop is on, the playlist goes back to the first video after the last one finishes. If the Loop button isn't visible, you probably opened the video on its own rather than from inside the playlist, so go back and start it from the playlist page.

Looping a YouTube playlist on your phone

The help article I used gives its written steps for a computer, and for a TV, but it doesn't spell out separate phone steps. On a phone, open a video from inside the playlist and look at the playlist control below the player for a loop or repeat option. Menus vary by app version, so if the wording differs, check the playlist panel under the video.

Looping a YouTube playlist on a TV or games console

1. Select the playlist you want to play.
2. While a video is playing, press down on your remote or controller.
3. Select Repeat, and keep selecting it until the button shows Repeat - Playlist.

The Repeat button cycles through its states each time you select it, so a quick tap through is normal. YouTube says the Repeat toggle is also available under Settings while you're watching, which helps if the button doesn't show when you press down.

Looping one video instead of the whole YouTube playlist

People mix these two up all the time. A loop on the playlist repeats every video in order. A loop on a single video repeats just that one.

Where	Playlist	Single video
Computer	Open a video in the playlist and click Loop in the playlist box	Right-click the player on the watch page and select Loop
TV or console	Select Repeat until it shows Repeat - Playlist	Select Repeat until it shows Repeat - Currently playing

I've written a separate walkthrough for the single-video version in my guide to looping a YouTube video on any device, which is the one to use if you only want one clip on repeat.

Repeating a playlist in YouTube Music

YouTube Music is a different app with its own button. YouTube Music's help page says to click Repeat until the number 1 appears in the middle to repeat a single song, and to click Repeat until it turns white to repeat the entire playlist or album.

There's a limit to be aware of. The same help page says that if you've selected a specific song, video, artist shuffle or mix, you can only repeat the song or video that's currently playing. So if Repeat won't loop the whole thing, check what you started playing.

Who uses a looping YouTube playlist, and why

It isn't only for music. A café can keep a playlist of short brand clips running on a spare screen. A coach can leave a set of training videos on repeat during a workshop break. A creator can loop their own playlist while checking how the videos flow from one to the next, which is a quick way to spot an awkward transition or a clip that's out of order.

Whatever the use, keep an eye on the screen's sleep settings, because a loop can't help if the device switches itself off.

Setting up a YouTube playlist worth looping

A loop only works as well as the playlist behind it. If you don't have one yet, making a playlist on YouTube takes a couple of minutes on a computer or in the app. Put the videos in the order you want them to repeat, because that's the order they'll keep coming round in.

For a business screen, I'd also share the finished playlist with the team so anyone can restart it. My notes on sharing a YouTube playlist cover the link options.

If the YouTube playlist loop won't start or stops

1. Start the video from the playlist itself, not from search or the home screen, so the playlist controls appear.
2. On a TV, press down on the remote while a video plays and check the Repeat button reads Repeat - Playlist.
3. In YouTube Music, check whether you started a mix or artist shuffle, which only allows repeating the current song.
4. Update the app and try again, since menus vary by app version.
5. If it still won't repeat, use the help or feedback option in the app to tell the platform.

YouTube's help article doesn't mention any time limit or cap on looping, so if a loop stops, it's more likely a setting or a different mode than a rule.

If you want the full set, start at the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I loop a YouTube playlist on my computer?

Open a video that's in the playlist, expand the playlist on the right of the player and click Loop in the playlist box.

How do I loop a playlist on a TV?

Select a playlist, press down on your remote while a video plays and select Repeat until the button shows Repeat - Playlist.

What's the difference between looping a video and a playlist?

Looping a video repeats that one video. Looping a playlist repeats all the videos in order, then starts again.

How do I repeat a playlist in YouTube Music?

YouTube Music's help says to click Repeat until it turns white to repeat the entire playlist or album. A 1 in the middle means a single song repeats.

Why can I only repeat one song in YouTube Music?

YouTube Music says that if you've selected a specific song, video, artist shuffle or mix, you can only repeat the song or video currently playing.