When macOS Catalina was still in its beta version before the public release, there were some questions regarding upcoming features and limitations to the new Podcasts app on Mac. One of the uncertainties was surrounding podcast playlists.
Well, that uncertainty is no more since macOS Catalina’s official release. The newly added Podcasts app on Mac does not offer a playlist feature. This is a real bummer for many who count on those playlists for organizing their favorite podcasts and their library.
Until and unless Apple releases an update to Podcasts on Mac giving users playlists, you do have another option that might make you happy. This feature is called Stations and we’ll show you how you can use a Station as a podcast playlist.
A Station in Podcasts on Mac has many similarities to a playlist. You can create and name your Station, choose which podcasts are included, and play the entire Station of podcast episodes.
Here’s how to get started with creating a Station:
Open Podcasts on your Mac and click File > New Station from the menu bar.
In the New Station pop-up window, give your Station a title.
Click Save.
Create a Station in Podcasts
In the window that follows, you’ll set up your Station Settings.
Title: Click to change the name of your Station.
Play: Select the order to play your podcasts from Manual Show Order, Newest to Oldest, Oldest to Newest, or Manual.
Group by Podcast: Enable the toggle to have your podcasts grouped within the Station.
Episodes: Choose the episodes to include in your Station from Most Recent, Most Recent 2, 3, 5, or 10, or All Episodes.
Media Type: Pick All, Audio, or Video for the type of media.
Unplayed Only: Enable the toggle to include only those episodes you have not played yet.
Station settings
Choose your podcasts
Once you complete the above settings for your Station, you’ll pick the podcasts that you want in it. Remember, only podcasts that you’re already subscribed to will be available for the Station.
Click Choose Podcasts and select each podcast you want or enable the toggle at the top for Include All Podcasts.
Choose podcasts
When you finish adding podcasts, click the arrow on the top left to go back.
Adjust individual podcast episodes
When you create your Station, you’ll select an option for the episodes to include in the Episodessection described above. However, you can adjust individual podcasts if you like.
On the Station Settings screen, click the podcast you want to change. You can then select which recent (or all) episodes to include.
For example, you may set up a Film Station to include the Most Recent 5 episodes of your movie podcasts. But you can change the Filmspotting podcast to only include the Most Recent episode instead.
Edit podcast episodes
Changing one podcast will not affect the default settings for the rest of the podcasts in your Station.
If you’re finished with all of the settings, click Done.
Your newly created Station will be listed in the app sidebar on the left under Stations.
Play your Station
You have three quick and easy ways to play a podcast Station on Mac.
Click Controls > Play from the menu bar.
Right-click or hold Control and click the Station in the sidebar and pick Play.
Click the Station in the sidebar to open it, click the More button (three-dot icon) on the Station screen, and pick Play.
Play a podcast Station
Edit your Station
If you subscribe to more podcasts and would like to add them to an existing Station, or make changes to your Station settings, this is easy.
Right-click or hold Control and click the Station in the sidebar and pick Settings. Or, click the Station in the sidebar to open it, click the More button on the Station screen, and pick Settings.
Edit Station settings
You’ll then see the same Station Settings window that you did when you originally created the Station and can make any changes necessary.
To add podcasts, go down to and click Choose Podcasts to add the ones you want to the Station.
You can remove podcasts from your Station by clicking them which will remove the green checkmark.
Delete a Station
If you decide to remove a Station that you create, this is simple too.
Right-click or hold Control and click the Station in the sidebar and pick Delete Station.
Click the Station in the sidebar to open it, click the More button on the Station screen, and pick Delete Station.
Delete a podcast Station
Enjoy your podcast Station on Mac
As you can see, the Stations feature is very similar to a playlist feature. This makes it a great option for the Podcasts app on Mac.
Are you going to create a Station in Podcasts now? Let us know if you enjoy the feature in the comments below!
Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry as a project manager, department manager, and PMO Lead. She then decided to follow her dream and now writes about technology full-time. Sandy holds a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology.
She loves technology– specifically – terrific games and apps for iOS, software that makes your life easier, and productivity tools that you can use every day, in both work and home environments.
Her articles have regularly been featured at MakeUseOf, iDownloadBlog and many other leading tech publications.
Stations are an inadequate way to make playlists from podcasts.
I want to choose exactly the podcasts I want to listen to and in what order, without going through the rigmarole of adding all podcasts to a station and then rearranging them – which, by the way, the podcasts app seems frequently to take it upon itself to unrearrange.
I can no longer listen to podcasts when going to sleep, since creating a custom playlist was the only way to get them to play exactly in the order and length of time I wanted.
Lack of iPod functionality described in another comment is also disappointing, though I haven’t tried it yet.
Extremely annoying, and I hope Apple will rethink this feature to give users more control: I just want to be able to easily organize my podcasts!!!
I wholeheartedly agree with this comment. I expected an advance in the podcast app when purchasing my new MacBook Air but stations is a huge step backwards compared to the playlists of yesteryear. Kind of maddening that in 2020 we suddenly can’t simply organize individual podcast episodes into a playlist!
I use an iPod mini to listen to podcasts, which means I have to load it from my Mac.
The new Podcast app is almost completely useless for this now.
I can no longer create the kind of playlists I like.
Many podcasts are best when listened to in chronological order.
There is now no option for “oldest 5 episodes,” just the newest episodes.
I have tried to manually drag podcasts into the order I want. Talk about cumbersome!
The list does not even scroll up when I try to drag a podcast from the bottom to the top of the list. I have to drag and drop the podcast, scroll the list up, then drag and drop again. The drag and drop process does not work unless you get the podcast you are dropping lined up perfectly in the list.
Otherwise, it just pops back to where it was.
Furthermore, some of the podcasts don’t stay where I drop them. The list rearranges itself after I close it. Whoever thought this was a good idea does not listen to podcasts.
I set up a station but it’s still awkward and inadequate.
Also, I’m missing some recent episodes in different podcasts that I haven’t played yet and can’t re-download.
I have to go to the original show site to play the missing ones, and some I want to keep. It was much easier to click on keep episode when I wanted to than delete all the ones I don’t want.
I’m going to have to try and find a non-apple way to subscribe to the podcasts.
Stations are an inadequate way to make playlists from podcasts.
I want to choose exactly the podcasts I want to listen to and in what order, without going through the rigmarole of adding all podcasts to a station and then rearranging them – which, by the way, the podcasts app seems frequently to take it upon itself to unrearrange.
I can no longer listen to podcasts when going to sleep, since creating a custom playlist was the only way to get them to play exactly in the order and length of time I wanted.
Lack of iPod functionality described in another comment is also disappointing, though I haven’t tried it yet.
Extremely annoying, and I hope Apple will rethink this feature to give users more control: I just want to be able to easily organize my podcasts!!!
I wholeheartedly agree with this comment. I expected an advance in the podcast app when purchasing my new MacBook Air but stations is a huge step backwards compared to the playlists of yesteryear. Kind of maddening that in 2020 we suddenly can’t simply organize individual podcast episodes into a playlist!
I use an iPod mini to listen to podcasts, which means I have to load it from my Mac.
The new Podcast app is almost completely useless for this now.
I can no longer create the kind of playlists I like.
Many podcasts are best when listened to in chronological order.
There is now no option for “oldest 5 episodes,” just the newest episodes.
I have tried to manually drag podcasts into the order I want. Talk about cumbersome!
The list does not even scroll up when I try to drag a podcast from the bottom to the top of the list. I have to drag and drop the podcast, scroll the list up, then drag and drop again. The drag and drop process does not work unless you get the podcast you are dropping lined up perfectly in the list.
Otherwise, it just pops back to where it was.
Furthermore, some of the podcasts don’t stay where I drop them. The list rearranges itself after I close it. Whoever thought this was a good idea does not listen to podcasts.
Hate the new podcast format.
I set up a station but it’s still awkward and inadequate.
Also, I’m missing some recent episodes in different podcasts that I haven’t played yet and can’t re-download.
I have to go to the original show site to play the missing ones, and some I want to keep. It was much easier to click on keep episode when I wanted to than delete all the ones I don’t want.
I’m going to have to try and find a non-apple way to subscribe to the podcasts.