# Random sorting of playlist
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 22, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763 "2011-03-22T05:54:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@giarrow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/giarrow)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/1 "2011-03-22T05:54:31Z")
If I have a long playlist, a lot of tracks, and I want to sort it randomly because I do not want the same singer or the same song (sung by different artist) near together how can I do? Now I give manually the number to the tracks but I ask: is there a faster solution? A "random sorting" ? A way to give randomly a number to the tracks? Thanks to everybody!!!
---
### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/2 "2011-03-22T08:33:13Z")
Just click on the column header of the first column (the one with the file icons) to sort your files randomly. Then use the auto-numbering wizard via [Ctrl+K] to assign track numbers.
Kind regards
Florian
---
### Author:  [@giarrow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/giarrow)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/3 "2011-03-22T09:16:17Z")
Thank you very much for the answer but I just tried to do this way but naturally it does not work if I have more than one song with the same name (with different singer). If I sort my list by singer (artist) it can work if I have only one song per artist but not if I have more songs per artist because I will have all the songs of that artist together while I'd wish a whole mixed list.
I better explain I can Have 3 tracks of America 4 tracks of Pink Floyd 2 tracks of Phil Collins etc. but one track sung by P.Collins can be sung by America etc. If I sort by title or filename all the same songs (same name) are together so if I sort by Artist all the songs (of this artist) are together. I should like a whole miscellaneous. (sorry for my english but I hope I'm explaining the right way the problem)
Thanks a lot
Giarrow
---
### Author:  [@giarrow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/giarrow)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 9:28am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/4 "2011-03-22T09:28:05Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> Just click on the column header of the first column (the one with the file icons) to sort your files randomly. Then use the auto-numbering wizard via [Ctrl+K] to assign track numbers.
>
> Kind regards
> Florian
Thank you very much for the answer but I just tried to do this way but naturally it does not work if I have more than one song with the same name (with different singer). If I sort my list by singer (artist) it can work if I have only one song per artist but not if I have more songs per artist because I will have all the songs of that artist together while I'd wish a whole mixed list.
I better explain; I could have 3 tracks of America 4 tracks of Pink Floyd 2 tracks of Phil Collins etc. but one track sung by P.Collins can be sung by America etc. If I sort by title or filename all the same songs (same name) are together so if I sort by Artist all the songs (of this artist) are together. I should like a whole miscellaneous. (sorry for my english but I hope I'm explaining the right way the problem)
Thanks a lot
Giarrow
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 9:30am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/5 "2011-03-22T09:30:11Z")
On the purely semantical side I always thought that "sorting" is the opposite of "random" but I see, what you mean. Here my suggestion:
You could use an action of the type "Format field" for the field track that writes a random number, generated by the function $rand(), into track.
Then sort by the field track and use the numbering assistant.
---
### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 9:34am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/6 "2011-03-22T09:34:19Z")
Did you really click on the first column header?
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 10:11am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/7 "2011-03-22T10:11:06Z")
> [@giarrow](#):
>
> Thank you very much for the answer but I just tried to do this way but naturally it does not work if I have more than one song with the same name (with different singer). ...
If you want to create a randomly arranged list view, then you should do what Florian told you.
DD.20110322.1212.CET
---
### Author:  [@giarrow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/giarrow)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/8 "2011-03-22T13:13:33Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> Did you really click on the first column header?
Thank You, thank you and thank you again!!! I really didn't note that there is an other column header: I've always thought that the first on my screen was the "filename" column. i beg your pardon. Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@giarrow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/giarrow)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/9 "2011-03-22T13:23:44Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> Just click on the column header of the first column (the one with the file icons) to sort your files randomly. Then use the auto-numbering wizard via [Ctrl+K] to assign track numbers.
>
> Kind regards
> Florian
Thank you Florian I beg your pardon because I've never noted the "very" first column. Thanks a lot to you and to all of those that answered me.
Giarrow
---
### Author:  [@Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Zerow)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/10 "2016-04-26T19:31:03Z")
So that's what this very first column is for...
---
### Author:  [@rko31415](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rko31415)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/11 "2016-04-29T17:04:26Z")
What I often do is sort randomly, use the autonumbering wizard, then manually renumber to separate when songs from the same artist have randomly ended up too close to each other.
K
---
### Author:  [@astrohip](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/astrohip)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/12 "2020-10-12T22:54:47Z")
Nine year bump! I wanted to randomize a few hundred tracks, did a search on "Randomize", and found this topic. Perfect!
Out of curiosity, what is that first column?
---
### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/13 "2020-10-20T15:14:53Z")
As of [Mp3tag v3.03b](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/455), the menu "View \> Sort By" has a dedicated "Randomize" entry for random sorting aka shuffle.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/random-sorting-of-playlist/11763/14 "2020-11-19T15:14:54Z")
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.