What is a playlist transfer?

Quick answer

A playlist transfer copies the list of songs in a playlist from one streaming service to another. It doesn't move any audio files: the new service rebuilds the playlist from its own catalog.

Here's how it works. A tool signs in to your old service, reads each playlist's song titles, artists and albums, then searches the new service for the same tracks and adds them to a new playlist. Your original playlists stay where they were.

Because only the song details travel, matching is the hard part. The Data Transfer Initiative points out that playlist transfers don't include the song files themselves, so a live version can end up swapped for the studio one. Songs the new service doesn't carry are left out.

You can do it two ways. Some services have it built in: Apple Music has Transfer Music from Other Music Services, and Spotify's import inside Your Library is powered by Tune My Music. Or you can use a separate tool like Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, SongShift or FreeYourMusic, which also handle liked songs, albums and more service pairs.

A transfer is a one-time copy. If you want changes to keep flowing between two services, you need a sync feature, which most tools charge for. Our transfer tool roundup compares them, and the transfer guides walk through each service pair.