Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
Shazam Viral Chart
Software Shazam's new Viral Chart wants to be your one-stop playlist for the latest hits and classics getting more spins
The Apple Music app icon against a red background on an iPhone.
Apple Music Apple Music is celebrating 10 years with a personalized ‘All Time’ Playlist, and there’s a way for Spotify listeners to get in on the action
Homescreen Heroes: BandLab
Phones This app lets you bring a music studio with you wherever you go – and I can't believe how well it works
An image of three iPhones with the Spotify logo, a playlist cover, and an artist page
Spotify I'm a Spotify power user – here are 5 lesser-known features I use every day
A screenshot of the Spotify logo next to a list of playlist creation options
Spotify I used Spotify’s AI playlist feature for the first time in a year, and it's way better than I remember – but there's still room for improvement
Various Deezer phone screens, on a purple background
Audio Streaming Deezer is rolling out its answer to Wrapped and Replay, plus three new features you won't find on Spotify or Apple Music
Spotify's new visual upgrade to it Discover Weekly playlist
Spotify I never use Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist, but its big new upgrades could change that
  1. Computing
  2. Internet
  3. Websites & Apps

How to use Groove Music

How-to
By Tim Hardwick published 11 April 2016

Get your Groove on

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Create Groove Music playlists

Create Groove Music playlists

Groove Music is Microsoft's answer to iTunes and comes included with Windows 10. It offers a way for you to build and access your music collection, and, as with any good music player, it allows you to create playlists using your library of tracks.

Playlists are the digital equivalent of cassette 'mix tapes', and allow you to get creative with your music selection. And in this tutorial, we show you how easy it is to get to grips with them.

Even if you haven't used Groove Music before, its standard controls should be fairly familiar. When you click on a song to play it, you'll see its details appear along the bottom edge of the Groove window. The album cover art is displayed, along with song and artist info, a progress bar and standard playback controls.

For more cool things you can do with Windows 10, watch our video below that highlights 5 of the best features.

  • Check out our collection of guides on how to use Windows 10
Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
1. Start Groove

1. Start Groove

Open Groove Music, either by typing the name of the app in the Windows Search bar or selecting it from the Start menu.

With the Groove window open, you should see your music collection listed by album, artist or song. If you don't have a collection in Groove Music yet, you can import existing media, which we'll cover in Step 3, or purchase new music from the Windows Store.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
2. Buy new music

2. Buy new music

Click the three lines in the app's top-left corner to access the sidebar. From here you can do a number of things, but for now click the option to 'Get music in Store'. You can search the Windows Store by artist or album name.

When you opt to buy, you'll be prompted to enter your Windows password. After confirmation, your music will be downloaded to your device.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
3. Import existing music

3. Import existing music

Build up your Groove Music collection by setting up watch folders. To do this from the sidebar, click the 'Settings' cog. Look for the heading 'Music on this PC' and click 'Choose where we look for music'.

Click the plus button and navigate to the folder where you plan on transferring your existing music collection. Groove Music will import media you drop into it automatically.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
4. Create a playlist

4. Create a playlist

Now you have music in the app, it's time to create a new playlist. Open the sidebar and hit 'New Playlist'. Give the playlist a name and save.

There are two ways to add songs to a playlist. The easiest way is to drag and drop from your collection onto the playlist name in the sidebar. To drag multiple songs, hold Shift or Ctrl, highlight the songs you want and drag in the same way.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
5. Change song order

5. Change song order

Another way to add a song is by right-clicking it, selecting 'More > Add to' and then selecting the playlist from the menu. To change the song order, left-click to hold a song and drag it to the position you want.

You can also click a song and then click the 'Move up' or 'Move down' buttons at the bottom of the screen. To remove a song, right-click it and select 'Remove from playlist'.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
6. Create a radio station

6. Create a radio station

If you have a Groove Music Pass (a 30-day free trial is available in the Store), you can start a radio station that has music similar to an artist, song, or album of your choosing.

In the sidebar, choose 'Start a Radio Station' and you'll see a search box, along with suggestions of popular artists. Type in your choice, click the search result and your station will be created.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
7. Pin playlists

7. Pin playlists

You can pin your favourite Groove playlists to the Windows Start menu for easy access without having to bring up the application window. Open the playlist you want to pin and click the 'More actions' button.

Then click the 'Pin to start' option from the menu. You can also pin songs and albums to the Start menu: just right-click the song/album and choose 'More > Pin to Start'.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
8. Share playlists

8. Share playlists

You can't export Groove Music playlists as files for manual sharing. But you can share your created playlists with other Groove members (formerly Xbox Live friends) over at the Groove website. Open a browser, log into Groove, find the chosen Playlist, click 'More options' and then 'Share'.

You'll then be given the option to share over email, Facebook or Twitter.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
9. iTunes playlists

9. iTunes playlists

If you're coming from a Mac or previously used iTunes in Windows, you can import your iTunes playlists into Groove Music easily. Open the sidebar and click the gear icon to bring up the Settings.

To import existing playlists created using Apple's music app, click 'Import iTunes playlists' and click 'Import'. Groove Music will then search your PC and import any it finds.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
10. Playlists on mobile

10. Playlists on mobile

If you store your music in OneDrive's Music folder, the contents will be available to you via a web browser and on any device that runs the Groove app. You can also create playlists from these devices: in the Android or iOS Groove app, tap 'Playlist' and then '+', enter a name for it and select 'Create'.

You can now select the songs from your OneDrive music collection.

  • Enjoyed this article? Discover how to get the most from your PC and new things to do in Windows Help & Advice. Take advantage of an exclusive offer in our sampler today.
Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
TOPICS
Microsoft Windows 10
Tim Hardwick
See more Computing How Tos
Read more
Shazam Viral Chart
Shazam's new Viral Chart wants to be your one-stop playlist for the latest hits and classics getting more spins
The Apple Music app icon against a red background on an iPhone.
Apple Music is celebrating 10 years with a personalized ‘All Time’ Playlist, and there’s a way for Spotify listeners to get in on the action
Homescreen Heroes: BandLab
This app lets you bring a music studio with you wherever you go – and I can't believe how well it works
An image of three iPhones with the Spotify logo, a playlist cover, and an artist page
I'm a Spotify power user – here are 5 lesser-known features I use every day
A screenshot of the Spotify logo next to a list of playlist creation options
I used Spotify’s AI playlist feature for the first time in a year, and it's way better than I remember – but there's still room for improvement
Various Deezer phone screens, on a purple background
Deezer is rolling out its answer to Wrapped and Replay, plus three new features you won't find on Spotify or Apple Music
Latest in Websites & Apps
Peppa Pig
This addictive Netflix games app might not be for you but your kids are gonna love it
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 7 (game #491)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, July 14 (game #1267)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 14 (game #498)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, July 13 (game #1266)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, July 13 (game #497)
Latest in How Tos
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Wimbledon tennis balls sit ready on the Queens Club practice court at The Queen's Club on June 12, 2025 in London, England.
How to watch Sinner vs Alcaraz Wimbledon on BBC iPlayer (it's free)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 11: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand volley against Taylor Fritz of United States during the Gentlemen's Singles semi-final match on day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
How to watch Alcaraz vs Sinner online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 men's final
Amanda Anisimova of the United States celebrates her victory with her nephew Jackson after her victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Quarter-Finals of the Ladies' Singles Competition
How to watch Wimbledon women's final on BBC iPlayer (it's FREE) today
Owen Farrell in training for British & Irish Lions.
AUNZ Invitational vs Lions FREE streams: How to watch British & Irish Lions tour live online from anywhere
Three members of staff wave towards a red helicopter in Billion Dollar Playground
How to watch Billion Dollar Playground season 1 for free online from anywhere
Jofra Archer in practice for England cricket.
How to watch England vs India 3rd Test: Live stream cricket online – India need another 135 runs to win, England want six wickets on Day 5
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Self-destructing internal SSD goes live with a one-click unstoppable data destruction promise - even if the power supply is cut
  2. 2
    Next-gen PCIe 6.0 SSD to reach 512GB in capacity and 28GBps in performance, almost 2X faster than PCIe 5.0, but I can't see it reaching my desktop PC before 2030
  3. 3
    This gorgeous minimalist computer monitor is powered by a single cable — but don't call it a portable monitor
  4. 4
    Chinese vendor launches first workstation PC with Intel's fastest CPU and up to two Arc Pro B60 GPUs, possibly with 48GB of RAM each
  5. 5
    This addictive Netflix games app might not be for you but your kids are gonna love it

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...