Search for music within iTunes Playlist

Would you be running Windows 7 by any chance?

If I'm not mistaken, that's the last version (in other words, the latest version) for Windows 7. Don't forget, Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so that in itself would make it difficult for Apple to support it now.

As for the iTunes chugging through the search you're asking it to do, if you're searching for a song title, why on earth wouldn't you Filter By: Song as well as looking only in that particular Playlist?

• Search Entire Library - click on, click off
  • Search Entire Library on - search looks through your complete library, even though you're looking at one Playlist
  • Search Entire Library off - search looks only in your current selection (your currently selected Playlist)
• Filter By: - select the one you want and the search will change to that option. In the screenshot above:
  • All is ticked - because it's the current selection. Search will search through all fields of every song in the Playlist you're looking at. It will not search the rest of your Library because (in this screenshot) Search Entire Library is off
  • Song is highlighted - because my mouse is hovering over it
  • Song ticked - the search will now look only at the song titles of the Playlist you have selected to look at

Mantis357 wrote:

I noticed the ability to search within a playlist has been removed, is there any workaround in place?

1. You can select the Playlist and then sort it in song-alphabetical order, which will allow you to see if a song is in that Playlist
2. You can highlight a song in the main Songs view (or even in the other views) and then either right-click/Show in Playlist, or - on iTunes' top bar menu, click on Song/Show in Playlist. Either option will list every Playlist that particular song is in

It also only shows music in the library so it doesn't let me begin playback from that specific songs position in the playlist.

If you use the first option above, but note which order your Playlist is in before you switch it to alphabetical, then you can switch it back to that order, start play from that song and let the list play from that one onwards. In the screenshot below, of one of my Playlists, notice the down-arrow in the first column:

The down-arrow controls the sort order of that list. The left column is the order added to Playlist order,* so in this case, the Playlist is sorted by order added to the Playlist. Clicking a column header will select it. Clicking the same column header a second time will reverse the order of the list. An up-arrow is reverse. Clicking on the Name column header will put the list in song alphabetical order.

Don't forget, you can also start any song playing, then click on the Up Next icon to see what is about to be played - or:

• • you can drag additional songs to the Up Next list. They appear at the top of the list, but you can move them before they begin playing, to anywhere else in the Up Next
  • remove songs from the Up Next
  • change the order of the Up Next while it is in use
  • you can - should you so wish, add the current playing song to the Up Next, so that it plays a second time

iTunes is very versatile.

* Edited by author, after initial posting, for clarity

Mantis357 wrote:

I am having major difficulty in comprehending why Apple has intentionally made a perfectly optimal existing solution redundant in favour of a considerably more arduous method that requires far more time, effort, resources and manual operation to complete. It goes against Apples long established business structure of providing End-User-Friendly Solutions for systems and software.

To an extent, I agree with you; Apple's interfaces are not as intuitive as they would have everyone believe. That's been the case for a very long time - and they are getting worse! But you ranting about it won't help you now.

<either right-click/Show in Playlist, or - on iTunes' top bar menu, click on Song/Show in Playlist>

One used to be able to do this by simply right clicking any song in their list and selecting "Show in playlist", but this feature has since been removed in the latest version of iTunes.

It works in my iTunes Library and I'm running the latest version; 12.11.3.17 so I don't understand why it's not working for you.

To offer you the best advice I can, I've just tried a search, within a Playlist, as I'm typing this post up:

• if I select the target Playlist (i.e. the one I used in my previous post), and search for the song "Twistin' the night away", I get no result, because that song is not in that Playlist:

• but if I search from the Songs view, which shows every song in my Library, I get this:

• and finally, of course, if I search for a song (Strangers in the night) that is in my highlighted Playlist, I get this:

So it does appear to work.

Now, iTunes' search facility does have an interesting quirk, which I noticed a long time ago:

• if I search, using a word that is not in my Library, iTunes simply continues to show everything that it was showing before, instead of a blank. For example, if I search for Expidiate, which does not occur anywhere in my Library, I would expect to get an empty (or "no") result. Instead, I get this:

In other words, it continues to show all 40 songs in the Playlist, as though I have not made a search. This is clearly wrong! But past experience here tells me I'm wasting my time trying to get Apple, or experienced contributors here, to understand why this is wrong or how inconvenient it is.

So - what you're trying to do is possible. Just forget how much you don't like Apple, or how much you want to have a dig at them, because neither pastime will sort out the problem you are telling us that you have.

So - now that we've got that out of the way (we have, haven't we?)...

you should consider upgrading to Windows 10 before you suffer a catastrophic failure. Yes, I know all the reasons why you haven't moved up to Windows 10 (well, I don't, but I don't need to know).

In case you think you're being hard done by, or that I'm just digging at you, I will mention now that I avoided Windows 10 for as long as I could. In the end, Microsoft placed a pop-up on my old machine to inform me that it would no longer run Windows 10, even though they previously told me it would, so just as well I hadn't installed it. I purchased a new machine and haven't looked back.

Once you decide that you have to start using Windows 10 (either on your existing computer if it's possible, or on a new computer if you have to buy a new one), I suggest you post back here so that someone reliable can run through the process you need to go through to get your music onto your new machine. Make sure that you understand what I'm saying here: we see hundred of questions here from people who have moved to a new operating system (Windows 10), or bought a new computer (Windows or Apple), who then lose lots of their music that never appears in their new iTunes library. While "moving" your music to a new Library is reasonably easy, it's even easier to get it wrong:

• • you cannot simply plug an iPod/iPhone etc. into the new computer and transfer music from that into the new iTunes library
  • once you sign into your iTunes Store account from your new Library, only the music you purchased from the iTunes Store will appear in that library (by you downloading it)
  • music in your current Library, from other sources (such as CD, Amazon etc.) will have to be "moved" (copied) from the old machine, onto the new one
  • the only way to preserve your Playlists (get them into your new Library) is to copy the entire music folder, which includes the crucial iTunes control files, from the old machine, onto the new one. Even then, the process may not be a smooth one
  • in addition to the point about Playlists (above), the only way to preserve Play Counts, song ratings and Last Played times is to transfer the iTunes control files as well as your music

So what do you need to do now? Answer; back up all your existing music onto an external drive. It's in your own interest to back up your music, even before considering changing computers. So if you don't currently backup, start doing so now. (Advice can be offered.)

Point of interest; try Ed2345's suggestion, but all the searches I made in my example were with the search feature set to search the entire Library:

Although I did try one or two searches with that option turned off. it made no difference.

Note that you have to select Search Entire Library in order to turn it either on or off.

Mantis357 wrote:

I'm running the latest available version from Apple [12.10.11.2] so that may be why these options are not appearing the same for you as they are for me.

No, you're not. I obviously haven't been clear enough.

The latest version of iTunes - from Apple, not the Microsoft Store, is 12.11.3.17, so I suggest you update to that version.

As for your suggestion that you cannot get the views I have, that is not correct, even with iTunes 12.10.11.2.

but...

You can click on the arrow or the magnifying glass.

many features are missing for me.

Ok, update then!

However, that said, I'm not convinced that any of the features you require are missing from your version. You simply haven't found them, looked hard enough, or you've already convinced yourself that you cannot achieve what you say you want.

Drop the animosity you have for Apple, read again what I've written, understand it and then try exactly what I've suggested.

As for Ed's suggestion, perhaps he meant View/Show View Options, although I'm almost certain that isn't what you require.

As for Ed's suggestion, perhaps he meant View/Show View Options, although I'm almost certain that isn't what you require.

Hi Phil,

I was referring to View > Show Filter Field (see below) although after I posted, it occurred to me it might not be in the Windows version, and you have verified that it isn't. Sorry for the distraction.

Hi Ed,

That's okay. I had a sneaky feeling you were a Mac type of person and that Show Filter Field might be a Mac only option.

Hopefully, the OP feels that progress is being made. (Perhaps he/she will tell us.)

Phil

Mantis357 wrote:

I'm on Windows 10 (Updated as of yesterday)

and...

Mantis357 wrote:

I'm already on Windows 10, what are you talking about? You're tripping.

I believe you have enough information in this discussion to make an informed decision about what you want to do next.