How to convert "imported" playlists into "native" emby playlists, that show up in "Add To Playlist" listing:

[RLanger7228 56]

When you try to add new items to playlists "imported" to Emby as m3u files, they do not show up in the "native" Emby playlists listing as options to add to.  Apparently, only playlists actually created within Emby will allow you to add new material to them.  "imported" playlists CAN be converted into "native" playlists by adding an "imported" playlist to a newly created playlist.  Emby will add all the items from the "imported" playlist to the newly created "native" playlist, then the old "imported" playlist file can be deleted.  The specific steps are outlined below:

I navigated to HOME>MUSIC>PLAYLISTS, where all the "imported" & "native" playlists appear together (Master Listing).  I selected one of the "imported" playlists, then clicked the ellipsis (...) to get to the "Add To Playlist" option.  From the "Add to Playlist" screen, I created a new playlist.  I had to repeat the navigation from home>music>playlists to get the new playlist to show up, but there it was!  it had the same number of items & in the same order.  The new PlayList also now shows up in the "Add To Playlist" listing!

However, there are now 2 versions of the same playlist showing up in the Master Listing.  I had added a custom description to the Metadata of the "imported" playlist.  It was a simple matter to edit the "imported" playlist metadata, copy the description, edit the new "native" PlayList Metadata & paste the description, then Save.  Since I couldn't delete the "imported" playlist from within Emby (separate question in another post), I went to File Station on my NAS & moved the PlayList.m3u file to a non-Emby-Indexed folder (effectively deleting it from Emby, while keeping a copy).  I had to Re-Scan the music library to get Emby to recognize that it had been removed.  When I went back to the Master Listing I saw that the "imported" version of the playlist was gone & the new "native" playlist remained, with the same content.  I was concerned that deleting the original playlist would also remove the items from the new playlist, since the "source" was removed.  However, apparently Emby imported the individual items from the original to the new playlist, so the new playlist remained intact when the original was deleted.  Voila!

[Luke 40021]

Thanks for sharing.

[carsonreed949 1]

Your explanation of converting imported Emby playlists to native playlists is detailed and useful. The step-by-step process ensures that users can seamlessly transfer their m3u files into Emby’s system while maintaining order and metadata. Using TracklistPro could further simplify the process, making it easier to manage and convert playlists across different platforms. The concern about losing tracks after deleting the original playlist is valid, but as you confirmed, Emby successfully retains the individual items in the new playlist.

[RLanger7228 56]

On 3/5/2025 at 3:24 PM, carsonreed949 said:

Using TracklistPro could further simplify the process

Looks like an interesting service, available for download @: https://tracklist.pro/

I went to the website.  They offer transfer of playlists between 125 different streaming services (sounds awesome).  They say you can get started for free, which implies they will charge later.  I didn't dig into the cost - whether it is a monthly subscription, a single license fee  or a list-by-list fee for each transfer?  On the surface, at a glance, it looks like a great service & easy to use:  Select the source, choose the playlist, select the destination service & push a button.

However, I did go to the complete list of streaming services they cover and I didn't see Emby among them, though there were so many I might have accidentally skipped by it.  If Emby is not one of the services they cover, then TrackList might not be so useful in this context.  FEATURE REQUEST: Can Emby contact TrackList to find out how they might be able to include Emby among the services they support?

The other issue I can foresee with this service is that when you transfer a playlist from a purely streaming service, you don't actually OWN any of the songs:  you are "renting" music from their extensive library.  Emby depends on having actual music files on your server that it can stream to your users.  If the playlist is composed of only "rented" music, then it will not have the actual files available.

In my example above, I OWN a little over 1TB of MP3 & FLAC files physically stored on my Synology NAS, which Emby uses as the server.  There were only a handful of songs that came solely from the Apple Music streaming library, not stored on my server (except as M4P files - Apple's proprietary format that requires a license to play).  Short of transcribing/converting them to a standard format, emby will not be able to play the strictly "rented" songs.

In the context of universal transfer, I believe my method should be able to transfer playlists for ANY music files that are physically stored in an Emby acceptable format using the steps I outlined, assuming the playlist can exported from the source as an M3U file.  My process just has more steps than the TrackList service would...

[Luke 40021]

Quote

Apparently, only playlists actually created within Emby will allow you to add new material to them.

By the way this isn't true. admins can add to them.

[RLanger7228 56]

21 hours ago, Luke said:

By the way this isn't true. admins can add to them.

When I started exploring new music that I added to my server, I tried to add them to the playlists I had imported.  I was logged in as the administrator.  The imported playlists did NOT appear under the listing of playlists I could add to.  Only the playlists that I had created within Emby were showing.  What could I have done differently?

[Luke 40021]

2 hours ago, RLanger7228 said:

When I started exploring new music that I added to my server, I tried to add them to the playlists I had imported.  I was logged in as the administrator.  The imported playlists did NOT appear under the listing of playlists I could add to.  Only the playlists that I had created within Emby were showing.  What could I have done differently?

There was a defect in one of the 4.8.x releases related to this so that may have been what you tried it on.

[RLanger7228 56]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

There was a defect in one of the 4.8.x releases related to this so that may have been what you tried it on.

My current version is: Version 4.8.10.0

is there a more current version avail?  If so, how would I get it?

[Luke 40021]

Well 4.8.11 is up now.

[RLanger7228 56]

Thank you!  I just installed the update.  I wonder if any of my suggestions made it into this build?

[Luke 40021]

Hi, please create a feature request topic related to TrackList as that will be the best way to measure user response to that idea. Thanks !