Just updated to Big Sur and iTunes is now called Music. The only search function I can find searches my whole library, can't for the life of me figure out how to search within a specific playlist only.
*Should probably point out this is all local: playlists I've created for my own mp3s. I don't stream so not sure if 'playlist' means something else to others.
Hi Hill,
I’ve been working at this question too. Here are a few tips - from general to more detailed, with specific references to playlists. Maybe you'll find something useful... particularly in tips 5, 6 & 7...
1) Use the main Search Bar:
It’s in the upper left corner of your Music app. Type in an artist, album, song, or keyword(s). This will pull up matching items. They'll show in groupings - albums, songs, playlists, etc. If you have a lot of matching items in a particular category and don't immediately see what you're looking for, then notice and click on “See All” (in red), to the far right of the category title line.
2) If you don’t use Apple Music, you can remove it from your side bar.
Go to Music/Preferences/Restrictions, and in the top section entitled "Disable", click on Apple Music. This will tidy up your side bar.
To summarize the next tips - they all include using your Library (Artists, Albums, Songs, etc.) in the left side bar, and/or options within View from the top menu bar - specifically: Sort By, View Options, and Filter Field. Below I’ll explain how I’m using them - that is… what I’ve discovered so far:
3) Search for Songs within Your Library:
Go to Library in the left side bar and click on Songs. Within Songs, you can click on the top of any column to sort the listing by that section/header, and clicking again will adjust from ascending to descending order. To reverse the order, just click again.
4) Fine-tune your Library Search using Filter Field:
Go to Library in the left side bar and click on any section you want to search within your Library: Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres, Composers. Next, in the top menu bar, go to View/Show Filter Field (or use the short-cut: Option/Command/F). In the top right corner of your page, a new search bar will appear… just type in your keyword(s) and your list will automatically adjust accordingly.
5) Fine-tune your Library search using View Options:
You can select your own header columns for detailed searching in Music. This makes searching for Songs in your Songs library easy, and is especially useful when searching within a Playlist - for example, if you use Voice Memos and have them in a playlist. Here’s what I do: First, click on a Playlist or Songs in your Library. Then in the top menu bar, click on View/View Options. This opens the View Options menu. In the top section of the menu, select View As: Songs, and Sort By: Titles. Or if you're searching for Songs, select Sort By: Titles.
Next, in the lower section of the menu, select items you want in your header, such as Album, Artist, Comments, Time. The Title column will automatically be there if you’ve selected it in “Sort By”. You can further customize your headers by scrolling down to view all the options. For example, you can click on “Love” to add a column for favorites you’ve noted with a ❤️.
In my experience, once I’ve set-up custom headers using View Options, for my Songs library and particular playlists, they remain set.
Note: You can use View Options to help search other sections in your Library (Artists, Albums, etc), although how to optimize a search doesn't appear as clear and I have sorted that out yet. Also, I don’t know if View Options will show for Music Videos or TV & Movies because I don’t have these items. If you do, try it out.
6) Using View Options and Filter Fields Together:
Once you’ve customized your header with View Options, if you want to narrow your search within that specific listing or playlist, then use the Filter Field (Option/Command/F), as described above. The Filter Field search bar will appear in the upper right corner. Just type in your keyword(s), and it will automatically search within the listing or playlist you have open.
7) Moving/Reorganizing Items within a Playlist & Adjusting the Spacing of Header Columns:
For those looking to move or re-order items within a playlist and adjust spacing between header columns, the good news is that using View Options, as described above, restores the ability to do so.
I’m still trying out the possibilities… just sharing what I’ve discovered so far. By the way, I'm on Big Sur 11.2.2 and aware things may appear differently on other OS versions. If you have any questions about what I've written, I'll offer what I can... fyi, I'm not an expert, just relieved and grateful to discover these much needed tricks for restoring my usual way of searching in iTunes - now Music.
Best Wishes,
Lori
Hi Hill,
I’ve been working at this question too. Here are a few tips - from general to more detailed, with specific references to playlists. Maybe you'll find something useful... particularly in tips 5, 6 & 7...
1) Use the main Search Bar:
It’s in the upper left corner of your Music app. Type in an artist, album, song, or keyword(s). This will pull up matching items. They'll show in groupings - albums, songs, playlists, etc. If you have a lot of matching items in a particular category and don't immediately see what you're looking for, then notice and click on “See All” (in red), to the far right of the category title line.
2) If you don’t use Apple Music, you can remove it from your side bar.
Go to Music/Preferences/Restrictions, and in the top section entitled "Disable", click on Apple Music. This will tidy up your side bar.
To summarize the next tips - they all include using your Library (Artists, Albums, Songs, etc.) in the left side bar, and/or options within View from the top menu bar - specifically: Sort By, View Options, and Filter Field. Below I’ll explain how I’m using them - that is… what I’ve discovered so far:
3) Search for Songs within Your Library:
Go to Library in the left side bar and click on Songs. Within Songs, you can click on the top of any column to sort the listing by that section/header, and clicking again will adjust from ascending to descending order. To reverse the order, just click again.
4) Fine-tune your Library Search using Filter Field:
Go to Library in the left side bar and click on any section you want to search within your Library: Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres, Composers. Next, in the top menu bar, go to View/Show Filter Field (or use the short-cut: Option/Command/F). In the top right corner of your page, a new search bar will appear… just type in your keyword(s) and your list will automatically adjust accordingly.
5) Fine-tune your Library search using View Options:
You can select your own header columns for detailed searching in Music. This makes searching for Songs in your Songs library easy, and is especially useful when searching within a Playlist - for example, if you use Voice Memos and have them in a playlist. Here’s what I do: First, click on a Playlist or Songs in your Library. Then in the top menu bar, click on View/View Options. This opens the View Options menu. In the top section of the menu, select View As: Songs, and Sort By: Titles. Or if you're searching for Songs, select Sort By: Titles.
Next, in the lower section of the menu, select items you want in your header, such as Album, Artist, Comments, Time. The Title column will automatically be there if you’ve selected it in “Sort By”. You can further customize your headers by scrolling down to view all the options. For example, you can click on “Love” to add a column for favorites you’ve noted with a ❤️.
In my experience, once I’ve set-up custom headers using View Options, for my Songs library and particular playlists, they remain set.
Note: You can use View Options to help search other sections in your Library (Artists, Albums, etc), although how to optimize a search doesn't appear as clear and I have sorted that out yet. Also, I don’t know if View Options will show for Music Videos or TV & Movies because I don’t have these items. If you do, try it out.
6) Using View Options and Filter Fields Together:
Once you’ve customized your header with View Options, if you want to narrow your search within that specific listing or playlist, then use the Filter Field (Option/Command/F), as described above. The Filter Field search bar will appear in the upper right corner. Just type in your keyword(s), and it will automatically search within the listing or playlist you have open.
7) Moving/Reorganizing Items within a Playlist & Adjusting the Spacing of Header Columns:
For those looking to move or re-order items within a playlist and adjust spacing between header columns, the good news is that using View Options, as described above, restores the ability to do so.
I’m still trying out the possibilities… just sharing what I’ve discovered so far. By the way, I'm on Big Sur 11.2.2 and aware things may appear differently on other OS versions. If you have any questions about what I've written, I'll offer what I can... fyi, I'm not an expert, just relieved and grateful to discover these much needed tricks for restoring my usual way of searching in iTunes - now Music.
Best Wishes,
Lori
Hill,
Use View > Show Filter Field. It brings up a new search bar at the upper right that behaves in the expected fashion.
How do I search a playlist in the new(ish) Music/iTunes?
