How to create and curate your watchlists on any streaming platform
Now what?
If you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of streaming content out there. Video platforms are piled high with enough movies and shows to last you a lifetime of watching and it’s hard to keep track of every title you have pending.
The major streaming apps know this, which is why they all come with some kind of list feature that lets you bookmark what you want to watch—just add items to it to remind yourself what you want to enjoy next.
Creating and curating a watchlist also means that you’ll spend less time clicking around hunting for something good: You’ll always have a pile of stuff to watch ready and waiting, and with the speed at which new titles premiere, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever run out.
If we haven’t included the details for your streaming service of choice, have a dig around in the options inside the app you’re using. There is likely some kind of watchlist feature available, and it shouldn’t be difficult to find.
And if these built-in options don’t cover your needs, there are several third-party tracking apps out there you can turn to instead.
Netflix
Log into Netflix on the web, and as you browse you’ll see an Add to My List button (the + icon) in a few places. You’ll find it below video thumbnails, for example, and next to movies and shows when you view their full listings. In the mobile app, it’s on the main pages for each film and show. Tap it or click on it to add a title to your Netflix watchlist.
To see what’s already on there (and to remove items if you need to), click the My List entry at the top of the web interface. On mobile, tap your avatar (top right) and then My List. To remove an item, click or tap the Remove from My List button (the checkmark icon).
Amazon Prime Video
On the Amazon Prime Video web interface, an Add to Watchlist button (the + icon) shows up as you hover over movies and shows. It also comes up when you look at individual listings pages with more information. In the mobile apps, each separate movie and show page has a + Watchlist button above the item description.
Tap or click on these buttons to build up your Amazon Prime Video watchlist. To find it later on both the web and on mobile, select My Stuff and then Watchlist to see what you’ve saved. Hover over a title (desktop) or tap on it (mobile) to find the Remove from Watchlist button (a checkmark).
HBO Max
To add titles to My List on HBO Max, you can either hover over a title while browsing and click Add or select a movie or show to see its full listing and then click the + (plus) button. If you’re on a mobile device, you need to go through to the full listing for the movie or show and tap the + (plus) button.
You’ll see the My List row on the main home screen on any device, where all your saved titles appear. To get rid of something, select it, then click or tap the checkmark icon next to it. To remove everything, click or tap your profile icon, then choose My List, Edit, and Clear all.
Apple TV Plus
The Apple TV apps work a little differently, using an ‘Up Next’ queue a bit like a music playlist to enable you to bookmark films and shows. Open up the Apple TV app on macOS, and as you click through individual listings you’ll see an + Add to Up Next button. On iPhones, this shrinks to just a + button at the top of the movie or TV show page.
[Related: Get more from AppleTV+ with these easy tricks]
If you switch to the Watch Now tab on your Apple computer or phone, the Up Next queue is in prime position at the top of the screen, with the items you’ve most recently added appearing first. To remove an item, click the three dots on the title’s thumbnail and choose Remove from Up Next (desktop), or go back to its listing page and tap the checkmark button (mobile).
Disney Plus
When it comes to both the web interface and the mobile apps for Disney Plus, select any movie or TV show and you’ll see a large + icon next to the Play button. Simply click or tap on it to add the title to your watchlist.
The + Watchlist link up at the top of the web interface leads you to all the content that you’ve bookmarked, while on mobile you can find it by tapping your account avatar (bottom right) then choosing Watchlist. To remove something from the list, you need to go back to its listing page and tap or click the checkmark.
Hulu
Hulu’s watchlist is called My Stuff. To add a movie or show to this list, you need to go to its details page and click or tap the Add to My Stuff button (it’s the + icon). On the web, you can click the three dots to the side of any video thumbnail and pick + Add to My Stuff from the menu that pops up.
To get to your bookmarked titles on the web, click My Stuff at the top. There, you can remove items by hovering over them and clicking the – (minus) button. On mobile, open up the My Stuff tab to see the list, and tap on a title to remove it.
YouTube
YouTube lets you create as many custom playlists as you want, but there’s a built-in one called Watch later that’s easy to access and manage. On the web or in the mobile apps, click the three dots next to any video and choose Save to Watch Later to add it to your list. You can also click Save then Watch later on individual video pages.
On the web, click the three lines (top left) then Watch later to see your videos. On mobile, tap Library and then Watch later. To remove something, click or tap the three dots to the right of it, then select Remove from Watch later.
