The basic steps depend on which streaming service you use
Most music streaming services let you save songs, albums, or playlists to your library in one or two taps. On Spotify, you tap the plus sign or heart icon next to a song. On Apple Music, you tap the three dots and select "Add to Library". On YouTube Music, you tap the plus sign. Amazon Music uses a heart icon. The exact button changes between services, but the idea is the same: you mark something as yours, and it stays in your library even if you stop paying or the song gets removed from the service's catalog.
Your library is separate from your playlists. A library is where songs live when you save them individually. A playlist is a list you build yourself, usually in a specific order and often with a theme. Most people use both — they save songs to their library when they like them, then organize those songs into playlists later.
What you can save varies by service. Spotify and Apple Music let you save individual songs, entire albums, and playlists made by other people. YouTube Music and Amazon Music work the same way. Some services also let you save podcasts or audiobooks to your library, though that feature is separate from music.
Key Takeaways
- Every major streaming service has a save button — usually a plus sign, heart, or three-dot menu — that adds songs to your personal library.
- Your library keeps songs you saved even if they disappear from the service or you pause your subscription, though you cannot play them without an active account.
- Saving to your library is different from adding to a playlist; most people save songs first, then organize them into playlists later.
- The save button location changes between services, so check your app's menu or settings if you cannot find it on the song page.
How to save songs on Spotify
Open the song, album, or playlist you want to save. Next to the title, you will see either a plus sign or a heart icon depending on your app version. Tap it once. The icon will change color or fill in to show the song is saved. On desktop, right-click the song and select "Add to Your Library" from the menu.
Your saved songs appear in a section called "Liked Songs" on Spotify. This is your main library. You can also create separate playlists and add songs to those playlists individually. A song can be in your Liked Songs and in multiple playlists at the same time.
How to save songs on Apple Music
Find the song or album you want to save. Tap the three dots (or the menu icon) next to the title. Select "Add to Library" from the menu that appears. The song moves to your library immediately. On a Mac or PC, right-click the song and choose "Add to Library".
Your library in Apple Music is called "Your Library" and appears as a tab at the bottom of the app. All songs you save go there, whether you save them from search results, artist pages, or playlists. You can then create your own playlists and add library songs to them.
How to save songs on YouTube Music
Open the song or album page. Tap the plus sign icon. The song is now in your library. On YouTube Music's web version, click the plus sign next to any song. You can also tap the three dots and select "Add to library" if the plus sign is not visible.
Your saved songs appear in the "Your Likes" section of your library. YouTube Music also has a "Thumbs Up" feature that works similarly — tapping the thumbs up icon saves the song and helps YouTube Music learn what you like for recommendations.
How to save songs on Amazon Music
Find the song or album. Tap the heart icon to save it to your library. The heart fills in to show the song is saved. On the web version, click the heart icon next to any song. If you do not see a heart, tap the three dots and look for "Add to Your Library" or "Save".
Your saved songs appear in a section called "Your Library" or "My Music" depending on which Amazon Music plan you have. Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Music Prime both use the same save feature.
Saving entire albums and playlists
Every streaming service lets you save an entire album at once instead of saving songs one by one. Open the album page and look for the save button — usually a plus sign or heart at the top of the album cover. Tap it, and every song on that album goes into your library.
You can also save playlists made by other people. Find a playlist you like, tap the save button, and it appears in your library. When the playlist creator adds new songs to it, those new songs automatically appear in your saved version too. If the creator removes a song, it disappears from your saved version as well.
What happens to your library if you cancel your subscription
Your saved songs stay marked as saved in your account, but you cannot play them without an active subscription. If you pause your subscription and come back later, your library will be exactly as you left it. If you switch to a free tier that does not include streaming, you will not be able to listen to your saved songs, but the list itself remains.
This is different from downloading. Some services let you download songs to your phone so you can listen offline, but that is a separate feature from saving to your library. Downloaded songs stay on your device even without a subscription, but saved songs do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save a song I heard on someone else's playlist?
Yes. Open the playlist, find the song, and tap the save button next to it. The song goes to your library, separate from the playlist. You now have your own copy of it in your library, and the original playlist is unchanged.
What is the difference between saving a song and adding it to a playlist?
Saving puts a song in your main library. Adding to a playlist puts it in a specific list you created. A song can be in your library but not in any playlist, or in your library and in five playlists at the same time. Most people save songs first, then organize them into playlists by mood, artist, or activity.
Can I see all the songs I have saved across all services?
No. Each service keeps its own separate library. If you use both Spotify and Apple Music, your Spotify library and Apple Music library are completely separate. Some third-party apps claim to sync libraries between services, but they are not official and may not work reliably.
Do I lose my saved songs if the artist removes their music from the service?
Yes. If an artist pulls their music from Spotify or Apple Music, songs you saved from that artist will no longer play. The songs stay in your library list, but they show as unavailable. This happens rarely, but it is one reason some people download their favorite songs instead of only saving them.
Can I save a song without creating a playlist?
Yes. Saving to your library and creating playlists are two separate things. You can save hundreds of songs to your library without putting any of them in a playlist. Your library is your personal collection; playlists are optional ways to organize that collection.