How do I turn off shuffle on my music player?

Shuffle mode is a feature on many music players and streaming apps that randomly shuffles the order of songs rather than playing them sequentially. When shuffle mode is turned on, the songs in a playlist, album, or library will play in a random order instead of the default track order.

There are a few reasons why someone may want to turn shuffle mode off. Many albums are purposefully arranged by artists with a narrative flow in mind. Listening to albums start-to-finish as intended can provide a more cohesive listening experience. Some listeners also prefer having control over the song order, rather than having it be random. Others may want to turn shuffle off if they are learning or analyzing a piece of music and need to listen to the tracks in sequence. Turning shuffle mode off restores the default playback order.

Locate the Shuffle Setting

The shuffle setting can be found in different locations depending on which music app you are using. Here are some of the most popular music apps and where to find the shuffle setting:

In Spotify, the shuffle setting is located at the bottom of the screen in the Now Playing bar. Open a playlist or your Liked Songs and you will see the option to toggle shuffle on or off.

In Apple Music, open an album or playlist and look at the top of the screen. There will be a Shuffle button you can tap to turn shuffling on or off.

For YouTube Music, tap on a playlist or album and scroll down to see the Shuffle button. Tap it to toggle shuffling on and off.

The shuffle setting may be in a settings or options menu for other music apps. Look for a “Shuffle” button or setting to control the feature.

Turn Off Shuffle in Spotify

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services. Here are the steps to turn off shuffle playback in Spotify on both mobile and desktop:

Mobile

1. Open the Spotify app on your iPhone, Android, or other mobile device.

2. Tap on the “Now Playing” bar at the bottom of the screen to open the player.

3. Tap on the shuffle icon, which looks like two crossing arrows, to the right of the track name. The icon will turn white when shuffle is deactivated.

4. You can also access the shuffle setting by tapping on the three dots menu in the upper right corner of the player and selecting “Shuffle.” Tap it again to turn off shuffle playback.

Desktop

1. Open the Spotify app on your Mac or PC.

2. Click on the “Now Playing” bar at the bottom of the screen to open the player.

3. Click on the shuffle icon to the right of the track name to turn it off. The icon will turn white when deactivated.

4. You can also click on the downward arrow next to the track name and select “Shuffle” from the dropdown menu to turn it off.

The music you listen to will now play in order rather than shuffled. Simply toggle the shuffle icon again if you want to shuffle playback.

Turn Off Shuffle in Apple Music

To turn off shuffle mode in the Apple Music app on an iPhone or iPad, follow these steps:

Open the Apple Music app.
Tap on the album cover or song title at the bottom of the screen to open the Now Playing view.
Tap the “Shuffle” icon below the album artwork. It looks like two crossing arrows. When shuffle mode is on, the icon will be highlighted in white.

The Shuffle icon will be dimmed and deactivated, indicating shuffle mode is now turned off.

To turn off shuffle in Apple Music on a Mac:

Open the Apple Music app on your Mac.

Click the “Up Next” icon in the top right corner.
Deselect the “Shuffle” checkbox below the upcoming songs list. When shuffle is enabled, this box is checked.

Now when you play songs in Apple Music, they will play in order rather than shuffled.

Source: How to shuffle music on your iPhone

Turn Off Shuffle on YouTube Music

YouTube Music allows you to easily turn shuffle mode on or off as you listen to playlists or albums. Here are the steps to turn off shuffle playback in the YouTube Music app:

1. Open the YouTube Music app on your device.

2. Start playing a playlist, album, or other collection of songs.

3. Tap the “Shuffle” icon at the bottom of the screen. It looks like two crossing arrows.

4. When shuffle mode is enabled, the icon will be filled in with color. Tap it again to disable shuffle.

5. The shuffle icon will no longer be filled in, indicating shuffle mode is off. Songs will now play in sequential order.

With shuffle disabled, you can listen to the tracks in the intended order. To turn shuffle mode back on, simply tap the shuffle icon again. The setting is remembered, so shuffle will remain disabled even when playing different playlists until you enable it again.

That’s all there is to it! Toggling the shuffle icon makes it quick and easy to turn shuffling on or off in YouTube Music.

Turn Off Shuffle on Other Apps

Here are steps for turning off shuffle mode in some other popular music apps:

Amazon Music:

Open the Amazon Music app on your device

Tap on the “Now Playing” section at the bottom
Tap the shuffle icon next to the playback controls to toggle shuffle mode off

Pandora:

Open the Pandora app and start playing a station
Tap on the album art in the player
Toggle the “Shuffle” switch off

Tidal:

Open the Tidal app and start playing music
Tap the shuffle icon below the playback controls

The icon will be crossed out when shuffle mode is disabled

Most music apps have a shuffle toggle in the playback controls or in the settings for a station or playlist. Look for an icon that looks crossed out or “un-shuffled” to turn it off.

Turn Off Shuffle on MP3 Players

For MP3 players that don’t have a specific app interface, turning off shuffle mode is done directly through the device settings and buttons.

On most MP3 players, there is a “Shuffle” button or option in the menu that controls shuffle mode. Pressing this button once will turn on shuffle, pressing it again will turn shuffle off.

To turn off shuffle:

Locate the Shuffle button on your MP3 player. This is often shown with the shuffle icon, which looks like two crossing arrows.

Press the Shuffle button once. This should disable shuffle mode and return playback to normal sequential order.
The shuffle icon on the display should disappear when shuffle is off.
You can press Shuffle again to turn it back on if desired.

If your MP3 player has a menu interface, look for the Shuffle option and set it to Off. This disables shuffle mode.

With shuffle disabled, your music will play in normal track order again. You may need to restart the current song or album for the change to take effect.

Listen to Music Without Shuffle

While putting your music on shuffle can provide a fun, random listening experience, there are times when listening to an album straight through as the artist intended can be rewarding. Some albums and playlists flow together in a cohesive narrative or musical journey and are best appreciated when listened to in order.

Some examples of albums you may want to listen through without shuffle include: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, and Beyonce’s Lemonade. These albums have a narrative structure or consistent sound and mood that makes them most effective when listened to beginning to end.

There are also some great playlists both on streaming services and compiled by listeners that flow seamlessly when played in order. Search for playlists like “Albums to Listen to Straight Through” or “Best Full Albums” within Spotify or Apple Music. You can also find fan-curated lists online of albums that fans recommend listening to from start to finish for the optimal experience.

So next time you want to really immerse yourself in an album, consider turning shuffle off and listening straight through. It can reveal layers in the music you may have missed otherwise.

Troubleshooting

Here are some solutions for common issues related to turning off shuffle playback:

If shuffle won’t turn off in Spotify, make sure you are in album cover view and tap the now playing bar at the bottom to access the shuffle control (source).

In the Android Music app, there is no setting to disable shuffle globally – you need to turn it off for each playlist individually by tapping the shuffle icon in the bottom left corner (source).

For the Samsung Music app, similarly go into each playlist and locate the shuffle toggle in the bottom left corner to turn it off (source).

On some MP3 players, shuffling may be enabled by default. Check the settings menu for a “Shuffle” option to disable it.

If issues persist, try force closing the music app, restarting your device, or reinstalling the app to reset its settings.

Conclusion

Turning shuffle off is easy once you know where the option is located. The main steps are:

Open your music app and find the playback controls.
Look for the shuffle icon, which is typically depicted by two crossing arrows.

Tap or click the shuffle icon to disable the feature and play songs in order.
On Spotify and Apple Music, you may need to disable shuffle both for playlists and albums.
Some music players like MP3 devices may not have a shuffle option.

If you can’t find the shuffle control, check your device and app settings.

Following these tips will allow you to listen to music in sequential order when shuffle is not desired.