YouTube playlists play in the order they were added by default, which usually means oldest videos first — not always what you want, especially for a playlist you’re building as you go. Here’s how to actually reverse that order.
If You Own the Playlist
- Open your playlist on YouTube and click the three-dot menu.
- Select Playlist settings.
- Find the “Order videos by” dropdown.
- Switch between “Date added (oldest)” and “Date added (newest)” to flip the play order.
You can also manually drag and drop individual videos into any custom order if you want more control than a simple newest/oldest flip.
If You Don’t Own the Playlist
YouTube doesn’t let you reorder someone else’s playlist for yourself — the order is set by the owner. Your options are limited to:
- Playing videos manually in the order you want, one at a time.
- Using a third-party browser extension that changes the display order in your own browser only (this doesn’t affect the playlist for other viewers, and quality/reliability varies, so stick to well-reviewed extensions from the Chrome Web Store).
For most playlists, the built-in “Order videos by” setting is the fastest fix if you’re the owner — no extensions needed.
Related: See how to combine YouTube playlists and how to remove a video from a playlist.
nnFAQ
Can I reverse someone else’s YouTube playlist?
No, only the playlist owner can change its play order. Others can only reorder their own viewing manually or with a browser extension that doesn’t affect the original playlist.
Does reversing a playlist delete any videos?
No, reversing only changes the play order — the videos themselves stay in the playlist.