To share a Spotify playlist on a phone or tablet, open it, tap the three-dot icon and choose Share. On desktop, right-click it, choose Share, then Copy Link or Copy embed code.
| Your route | How to get there | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Open the playlist, tap the three-dot icon, choose Share | Send to social or messaging apps, copy a link, or use a Spotify code |
| Desktop | Right-click the playlist or select the icon next to it, choose Share | Copy Link or Copy embed code; hold Alt or Option for the URI |
| Spotify code | Tap the three dots, select Show Spotify Code at the bottom | A friend scans it with their phone camera, or you screenshot it to pass around |
That table comes straight from Spotify Support on sharing from Spotify, which I checked as of Nov 2026. The rest of this page takes each row in turn, and then gets to the part most quick answers skip. If you haven't got a playlist to send yet, start with building your playlist and come back.
Sharing from a phone or tablet
Go to the playlist, tap the three-dot icon and choose Share. You'll then get three kinds of option:
- Social or messaging apps. You send it straight into another app.
- Copy a link. You paste it wherever you like.
- A Spotify code. That's the scannable image, covered below.
Spotify doesn't publish a list of which apps appear, so what's on your screen is what you've got. Copying the link is the one I'd reach for when the app you want isn't showing, since a link can be pasted anywhere you're able to type.
Sharing from a desktop
Right-click the playlist, or select the icon next to it, and choose Share. Desktop gives you a different set of choices from the phone: Copy Link and Copy embed code. The phone's Spotify code option isn't in the desktop list on Spotify's page.
So the decision on a computer comes down to one question: do you want the link or the embed code? If you're sending the playlist to a person, take the link. Spotify's page names Copy embed code but doesn't walk through what to do with it afterwards, so that's where its guidance ends.
The scannable route most people forget
A Spotify code is a picture rather than a link, and it's handy when you've got someone in the room with you. Here's how each side of it works.
To show one: tap the three dots on the playlist and select Show Spotify Code at the bottom. Your friend can scan it with their phone camera. You can also take a screenshot and pass that around, which means the code can travel well beyond that moment. If you need a high-resolution version, Spotify points you to spotifycodes.com.
To scan one: on your phone or tablet, tap the search bar, tap the camera, then point it at the code. Spotify needs access to your phone's camera for this, so if the scan won't start, that permission is the first thing to check.
Say you're at a party and someone asks what's playing. Showing the code saves you swapping contact details just to send a link. Say instead you want the same playlist on a printed flyer or a slide. The screenshot or the high-resolution version is the sensible pick, as nobody's going to type a long link off a wall.
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The Alt or Option catch for the URI
This is the bit people tend to miss. There's a Spotify URI as well as the ordinary link, and you won't find it by looking harder at the menu. On desktop, you hold the ALT key on Windows or the Option key on Mac while you're sharing.
So the routine is: right-click the playlist, choose Share, and hold the key. If you only need to send a playlist to a friend, you can ignore this and use Copy Link. Spotify's page describes this as what to do if you need the URI, and it doesn't go into why you might, so I won't invent a reason. If nobody's asked you for one, leave it alone.
Picking the right route
- Sending it to one friend: a messaging app from your phone, or Copy Link from your computer.
- Someone's standing next to you: Show Spotify Code and let them scan it.
- Something printed or on screen in a room: a screenshot of the code, or the high-resolution version.
- You've been asked for embed code: desktop, Share, Copy embed code.
- You've been asked for a URI: desktop, Share, hold Alt or Option.
What Spotify's page doesn't tell you
The sharing article is short, and a few common questions sit outside it. It doesn't say whether someone with your link can open a private playlist, so I won't guess. If it matters, my page on changing who can find your playlist is the next stop. It also doesn't give web player steps or a list of the apps you can share to. Nor does it say how tracks you've added yourself behave in a shared playlist, and getting your own audio files into Spotify is a separate job anyway.
And sharing isn't the same as letting someone edit. This article doesn't cover invite links for people adding their own tracks; that's a different Spotify article, and I've written it up under playlists friends can add songs to.
Quick answers
How do I send a Spotify playlist to a friend?
On a phone or tablet, open it, tap the three-dot icon, choose Share, then pick a messaging app or copy a link. On desktop, right-click it, choose Share, then Copy Link.
How do I get the Spotify URI for a playlist?
On desktop, hold the ALT key on Windows or the Option key on Mac while sharing. Spotify's help page describes it as a tip for anyone who needs the URI.
How do I scan a Spotify code?
On your phone or tablet, tap the search bar, tap the camera and point it at the code. Spotify needs access to your camera for this.
Can I screenshot a Spotify code?
Yes. Spotify says you can take a screenshot to share it around, and it points to spotifycodes.com for a high-resolution code.
