The Essential may refer to:
- The Essential Series, an Irish radio show
- The Essential (Concrete Blonde album), 2005
- The Essential (Divinyls album), 2008
- The Essential (Don Johnson album), 1997
- The Essential (Era album), 2010
- The Essential (Ganggajang album), 1996
- The Essential (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album), 2010
- The Essential (John Farnham album), 2009
- The Essential (Nik Kershaw album), 2000
- The Essential, a collection of compilation albums published by EMI Records. Examples include:
- The Essential (Sandra album), a re-release of 18 Greatest Hits
- The Essential Diesel, a 2009 best of album by Diesel
- The Essential, a collection of compilation albums published by Sony's Legacy Recordings label. Examples include:
- The Essential 1927, 2013
- The Essential (Alabama album), a 2005 re-release of For the Record
- The Essential Alice in Chains, 2006
- The Essential Alison Moyet, 2001
- The Essential Barbra Streisand, 2002
- The Essential Bob Dylan, 2000
- The Essential Billy Joel by Billy Joel, 2011
- The Essential Blue Öyster Cult, 2003
- The Essential Britney Spears 2013
- The Essential Cyndi Lauper, 2003
- The Essential Daryl Braithwaite, 2007
- The Essential Donovan, 2004
- The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire, 2002
- The Essential Eddie Money, 2003
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra, 2003
- The Essential Elvis Presley,2007
- The Essential Foo Fighters, 2022
- The Essential John Denver, 2007
- The Essential Kinks, 2014
- The Essential Korn, 2011
- The Essential Marcia Hines, 2007
- The Essential Men at Work, 2003
- The Essential Michael Jackson, 2005
- The Essential Miles Davis, 2001
- The Essential Ozzy Osbourne, 2003
- The Essential Simon & Garfunkel, 2003
- The Essential Toto, 2003
- The Essential Willie Nelson, 2003
- The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic, 2009
- The Essential, a 2011 re-release of Celine Dion's My Love: Essential Collection