How to Skip Songs When Shuffling in iTunes and iPhone

The Up Next feature in iTunes/Apple Music keeps your music fresh by shuffling your iTunes music library to play songs in random order. When it plays songs you don't want to hear, skip those songs. Here's how to skip songs in iTunes 11 and later, as well as the Mac Music app.

How to Remove Songs from Shuffle in iTunes/Music

Excluding a single song from shuffling in iTunes/Music requires you to check a single box. Follow these steps:

1. Open iTunes/Apple Music.

2. Select the song you want to skip when shuffling.

3. Open the Get Info window for the song by doing one of the following:

   • Right-click the song and select Song Info.
   • Click the ellipsis icon (the three dots located to the right of the song).
   • Press Ctrl+I (on Windows) or Command+I (on a Mac).
   • Go to the Edit menu and select Song Info.

4. In the window that displays information about the song, select the Options tab.

5. On the Options page, select Skip when shuffling.

6. Select OK.

7. The song will no longer appear in your shuffled music. If you'd like to add it back, uncheck that box and select OK again.

How to Remove Multiple Songs from Shuffle in iTunes

Use a similar process to remove several songs or entire albums from the shuffle at once.

1. In iTunes, select the songs you want to remove.

   To select a range of consecutive tracks, click the first one on the list, hold Shift, then click the last one you want to highlight. To choose songs that aren't next to each other, press Command or Ctrl while you click each song.

2. Open the Song Info menu with one of the following commands:

   • Right-click a song and select Get Info.
   • Select the ellipsis icon (the three dots located to the right of a selected track).
   • Press Ctrl+I (on Windows) or Command+I (on a Mac).
   • Go to the Edit menu and choose Get Info.

3. In the window that appears asking if you want to edit information for multiple items, select Edit Items to continue.

   Select Do not ask me again to skip this dialog box in the future.

4. The Info window shows the number of songs and artists you selected. Select the Options tab.

5. Select Skip when shuffling.

6. Select OK to save your changes.

7. Use this method to skip entire artists or albums during the shuffle.

Skip Songs When Shuffling on iPhone

On the iPhone, the Music app doesn't offer any similar options, but you can transfer the shuffle settings from iTunes/Music.

After you change the settings in iTunes/Music, transfer those preferences to the iPhone by syncing your Music app with your music library.