# How a screen decides what to play


> Four conditions decide whether a playlist reaches a screen. Knowing them in order turns 'why is it showing that' into a two-minute check.

A playlist plays on a screen when four things are all true at once. Nothing else is involved.

1. **The playlist is enabled.** A disabled playlist stays assigned but never plays.
2. **The screen is in its target.** Either named directly, or carrying a label the playlist targets.
3. **The screen is enabled.** A disabled screen holds no license and shows nothing.
4. **The schedule matches right now**, in that screen's local time.

## When several qualify at once

They share the screen, cycling in alphabetical order of title, unless one is a priority playlist, which takes the screen for as long as its schedule is active. [When several playlists are eligible](/docs/playlists/playback/when-several-are-eligible/) and [Priority override](/docs/playlists/playback/priority-override/) cover both.

## Why this list is worth memorizing

Almost every "why is it showing that" question is one of those four, and they fail in a specific order of likelihood: schedule first, then the label not matching, then the playlist being disabled.

Two shortcuts settle it faster than reasoning about it. The **Now playing** tab on a screen lists what is active on that screen right now. The **effective schedule summary** on a playlist says in plain language when it will play.

## Case matters in labels

`Warehouse` and `warehouse` are two different labels. This is the most common cause of a playlist that is correctly built, correctly enabled, and quietly playing on nothing.

Deeper: [Assign to screens](/docs/playlists/where-it-plays/assign-to-screens/) for targeting, and [Troubleshooting labels](/docs/labels/designing/troubleshooting/) for the label case.