Playlists in file system not appearing in Emby (4.9.3.0, Windows 10)

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

Hello,

I’m running into an issue with Playlists not appearing in Emby, and I want to provide complete details to help troubleshoot.

Environment

• Emby Server Version: 4.9.3.0
• OS: Windows 10 Pro (22H2)
• Hardware:
  CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2697 v3 @ 2.60GHz
  RAM: 64 GB
  GPU: NVIDIA Quadro K620
• Access Method: Web UI (primary)
• Also tested on: Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Cube, LG Smart TV
• Result is consistent across all devices

Issue

I have multiple playlist files stored on my server's file system, but none of them appear in Emby.

What I’m Seeing

• Playlist files exist in my file system (some older, some newer)
• In Emby:

  Only a small subset of playlists appear
  The playlists that do appear do NOT match the files in the playlist directory

• Missing playlists do not appear on any client device

Playlist Details

• Playlist file type(s): [e.g., .m3u / .m3u8 / .xml]
• Location of playlist files: [FULL PATH —C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\data\playlists]
• Paths inside playlists: [unknown yet — will verify if needed]
• Playlists were created by multiple users over time (all created within Emby)

What I’ve Already Checked

• Verified playlists exist in the file system
• Confirmed issue across multiple devices (not client-specific)
• Compared visible playlists vs actual files — mismatch
• Reviewed server logs (attached)

Questions

• Does Emby still support reading playlists directly from the file system (e.g., .m3u / .m3u8)?
• Are there specific requirements for playlists (location, format, encoding, relative vs absolute paths)?
• Could older playlist files be ignored or unsupported?
• Is there a difference between Emby-created playlists vs filesystem playlists?
• Are “Smart Playlists” built-in or plugin-based?

Attachments

• Screenshot of playlist files in file system
• Screenshot of playlists visible in Emby
• Screenshots of playlist files
• Server log (today)

If additional information is needed, I’ll provide it immediately.

Thank you.

2026-04-13_BaNana Blocks_embyserver.txt

[Luke 42312]

HI, yes this is still supported. did you check that your emby user has access to the playlists library?

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

9 hours ago, Luke said:

HI, yes this is still supported. did you check that your emby user has access to the playlists library?

Yes. We all have full access to all Libraries.

[Luke 42312]

Did you move this system from a linux environment to windows?

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Did you move this system from a linux environment to windows?

No Sir. It has always been on Windows. I wish I could move the Library to my NAS where everything else resides, but the playlist library doesn't let you specify. I've scanned the files in the library a dozen times but the playlists just still won't display.

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

Are there any other things that I need to check to figure out why I can't see my playlists? Or should I just rebuild them?  I'm at your command, as always!

[Luke 42312]

Does the playlist library show in emby library setup?

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

12 hours ago, Luke said:

Does the playlist library show in emby library setup?

Yes Sir, it does. 

[BaNanaBlocks 11]

Good evening. I'm still hoping for a solution to this issue. Hopefully, someone can come up with a few steps to try to troubleshoot the problem. Thanks in advance!

[Luke 42312]

Hi, what you could try to do is remove the playlists library from emby library setup. That will kick off a library scan, so once that finishes, then create a new playlist manually and that will recreate it. See if that brings everything back.