To loop a playlist on YouTube Music, open the playlist, start playback, and activate the Repeat control until it is set to repeat the playlist. When the final item finishes, YouTube Music will return to the beginning of that playlist.
The Repeat control with a 1 in it is different: it repeats only the current song or video. The steps are similar on desktop and Android, but the control may not appear in exactly the same place on every screen or app version.
Repeat a playlist in YouTube Music
YouTube Music has a built-in repeat setting for playlists and albums. You do not need an add-on, a separate looping tool, or a physical device to use it. The important part is to begin playback from the playlist, then select the repeat state for the whole playlist rather than the state for one item.
The basic sequence is:
- Open the playlist in YouTube Music.
- Start playing it.
- Open or look at the active player controls.
- Select Repeat until the control shows the whole-playlist state.
- Let the playlist reach its final track to check that playback starts again at the beginning.
Google's YouTube Music instructions for repeating songs, albums and playlists describe the same control for desktop playback. The Android instructions use the equivalent tap action in the mobile app.
This setting applies to playback inside YouTube Music. It is not the same as looping a playlist in the main YouTube video player. YouTube documents that separate feature on its page about looping videos or playlists, but those controls should not be treated as YouTube Music instructions.
Desktop steps
Use these steps when listening to YouTube Music in a desktop browser or on a computer-sized screen.
1. Open the playlist
Go to YouTube Music and open the playlist you want to repeat. Check that the page is the playlist itself, rather than a single song, an artist radio, a mix, or a search result.
Starting from the playlist matters because the repeat setting follows the current playback queue. If you select one song first and then use a different playback surface, the active queue may not be the complete playlist you intended to repeat.
2. Start playback
Start a track from the playlist. Once playback has begun, bring your attention to the active player controls. Depending on the layout, the controls may be visible in the player area or in the expanded playback view.
You do not need to wait until the last track. The repeat setting can be enabled while the first track or another track is playing. If you want the playlist to begin at its first item on the next cycle, start at the beginning before enabling the setting.
3. Click Repeat
Click the Repeat control in the active player. Continue clicking it until it indicates that the entire playlist is being repeated. Google's desktop help describes the playlist or album repeat state as the Repeat control turning white.
Do not rely only on the location of the icon. YouTube Music can change the arrangement of controls, and the available space can differ between a browser window and an expanded player. Look for the Repeat control in the active player rather than following a fixed left-to-right position.
4. Check whether it shows 1
If the Repeat icon contains a 1, it is set to repeat the current song or video. That is not the setting you need for a playlist cycle. Click the control again to move back to the whole-playlist repeat state.
The exact visual treatment can vary with the interface, but the distinction is functional. A plain enabled Repeat state is for the playlist or album, while the 1 state is for the item currently playing.
5. Allow the queue to reach the end
After the final track, listen for the first track to begin again. This is the clearest practical check because it tests the queue you actually started, not just the appearance of the button.
If the next item is not the first item in the playlist, stop and inspect the active queue. You may have started a different playback mode, selected a single item, or changed the queue after enabling repeat. Repeat controls only govern the current playback context.
For a channel project, this distinction is useful but limited. Repeating a playlist in YouTube Music keeps music playing in your YouTube Music session. It does not create a YouTube live broadcast. If your aim is a continuous public stream, first understand the difference between local playlist playback and a live channel workflow in how to keep a YouTube Live stream running after the first video ends.
Android steps
On Android, use the YouTube Music app and the active player. The wording is the same in principle, but you tap the control rather than click it.
1. Open the playlist in the app
Open YouTube Music and select the playlist you want to repeat. Confirm that you are viewing the playlist and not only a single song from it.
If the mini-player is visible at the bottom of the screen, tap it to open the active player. If the player is already expanded, use the controls shown there. YouTube's official Android help describes the Repeat control but does not establish one permanent screen position for every app layout or version.
2. Start the playlist
Start playback from the playlist. You can begin with the first track or choose another track if that is what you want to hear first. The playlist repeat setting can be selected while playback is in progress.
For a devotional or bhajan playlist, for example, you might start with the opening prayer and then enable repeat. The next cycle will follow the queue created by that playback session, so check the order before leaving the app to play unattended.
3. Tap Repeat
In the active player, tap the Repeat control until it is set to repeat the whole playlist. The Android help page describes this state as repeating the entire playlist or album.
There is no need to give the control a hard-coded screen position. Buttons can move when the player is expanded, when the phone is rotated, or when YouTube Music changes its layout. Find the Repeat symbol among the active playback controls.
4. Avoid the 1 state
If a 1 appears inside the Repeat symbol, the app is set to repeat only the current song or video. Tap through the available repeat states until the 1 disappears and the control is back in the whole-playlist state.
If you are unsure, play through to the end of the current item. A current-track repeat setting will start that same item again. A playlist repeat setting will move through the queue and return to the beginning after the final playlist item.
5. Test before leaving it unattended
Let the playlist approach its end when practical, or use a short test playlist to confirm the behaviour. A short test can tell you whether the app is repeating the playlist rather than one track without waiting through a long music collection.
Also check that the phone is not paused, disconnected from audio, or affected by a battery setting that stops background activity. Those are separate from the Repeat setting. Repeat can define what should happen at the end of the queue, but it cannot make a paused or interrupted playback session continue.
If you are working on a continuous devotional channel rather than private listening, a YouTube Music playlist is not automatically a live broadcast source. For that type of project, how to stream Telugu church worship videos continuously on YouTube covers a different publishing task and should not be confused with repeating a playlist for personal playback.
Repeat playlist versus Repeat 1
The two states are easy to confuse because they use the same Repeat control. The difference is the size of the playback unit: one state repeats the current playlist or album, while the other repeats the current song or video.
| Repeat state | What happens at the end | Best use | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playlist or album repeat | Playback returns to the beginning of the playlist or album | Listening to a full collection continuously | Repeat is enabled without a 1 in the icon |
| Repeat 1 | The current song or video starts again | Replaying one item | A 1 appears inside the Repeat icon |
Suppose a playlist contains five tracks. With playlist repeat enabled, YouTube Music plays through the queue and then starts the playlist again. With Repeat 1 enabled, it keeps returning to the same track instead of progressing through the other four.
Repeat 1 does not loop the whole playlist. This is the main check to make when a reader says that a playlist is “stuck” on one song. The control has probably been set to the current-item state, or playback was started from a single selected item rather than from the playlist queue.
The setting also differs from shuffle. Shuffle changes the order in which items are selected; Repeat determines what happens when the current playback unit reaches its end. You can have a shuffled queue that repeats, but that does not mean the original playlist order will play from top to bottom.
It also differs from a radio, mix, or artist station. Those may create a changing queue rather than playing only the fixed list you opened. If you need the same defined collection to return to its first item, begin with the actual playlist and verify the active repeat state.
For a lofi station or study playlist, this may be enough for listening on one device. It is not a substitute for preparing a public, always-on broadcast. If your project is specifically a 24/7 bhajan channel, see how to make a 24/7 Shiv bhajan stream for YouTube for the separate questions involved in running a live channel.
How to check the repeat setting
The safest check is to inspect the active player while a playlist track is playing. The control should show that Repeat is enabled for the playlist or album, without the 1 marker used for current-track repeat.
Then check the queue itself. It should contain the playlist items you expect, in the order or mode you selected. A repeat button cannot restore items that were never placed in the active queue.
Finally, test the transition at the end. A playlist repeat setting should return to the beginning of the playlist after its last item. A Repeat 1 setting should return to the same current item. This end-of-cycle test is more useful than guessing from an icon alone.
If you are using Android, expand the player so that you can see the playback controls clearly. If you are on desktop, use the active player rather than assuming that a control shown on a playlist page represents the current queue. The official help explains the repeat states, but it does not promise that the control will occupy one fixed position across all layouts.
You can also make a small test playlist with two or three tracks. Start it from the playlist, enable whole-playlist repeat, and observe whether the first track returns after the last. This avoids waiting through a long collection and makes it easier to identify whether the problem is the repeat state or the queue.
If the control is missing
First, start playback. The Repeat control belongs to the active player, so it may not be visible while you are only browsing a playlist page or viewing a list of tracks.
Next, open the full player. On desktop, look in the expanded playback area. On Android, tap the mini-player to expand it. Search for Repeat among the playback controls rather than expecting it to sit in the same place shown in an older guide or screenshot.
If you see the control but it behaves differently from the playlist instructions, check what you are playing. The official guidance covers songs, albums and playlists, while a selected single song, artist shuffle, radio or mix can create a different playback context. A single item may only offer meaningful repetition of that item.
Also check that you are in YouTube Music, not the main YouTube video player. The two products have related names but separate playback interfaces. A video-player loop button is not evidence that the same button exists in the YouTube Music app or that it will affect a YouTube Music playlist.
On Android, update the app through the normal app store process if it is clearly out of date, then reopen the playlist and start playback again. Do not assume that an app update will preserve the exact position or appearance of every control. The important test remains the repeat state and what happens at the end of the queue.
If playback stops before the playlist ends, troubleshoot that as a playback interruption rather than a repeat problem. Check the connection, audio output, pause state and phone power settings. Repeat controls decide what happens after an item or queue finishes; they do not prevent every interruption that can occur during playback.
For creators who are testing a pre-recorded loop before publishing a channel, keep the tests separate. YouTube Music repeat confirms personal playback behaviour, while a live-stream test confirms the behaviour of the broadcast. How to test a YouTube lofi radio stream before making it public deals with that latter situation. StreamNeo can remove the need to leave your own computer playing an uploaded file when the actual requirement is a YouTube-only stream that continues in the cloud, but that is a live-stream workflow rather than a YouTube Music playlist setting.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Does YouTube Music repeat the whole playlist automatically?
It repeats the whole playlist only when the playlist repeat state is enabled in the active player. Start playback from the playlist, select Repeat, and check that the control does not show 1. Without that setting, playback may stop or follow a different queue mode when the current queue ends.
What does the 1 mean on the Repeat button?
The 1 means that YouTube Music will repeat only the current song or video. It does not repeat the whole playlist. Select the whole-playlist repeat state if you want playback to return to the first playlist item after the final one.
Are YouTube Music and YouTube playlist loops the same thing?
No. YouTube Music has its own repeat control for songs, albums and playlists, while the main YouTube video player has separate loop controls. Use the instructions for the product in which you are actually playing the content.
Why can I not find Repeat?
Start playback and open the active player, then look among its playback controls. The control may move between layouts, devices and app versions, so avoid relying on one fixed position. If you are playing a radio, mix, artist shuffle or a single selected item, the available repeat behaviour may not match a fixed playlist.