Spotify says I’m in offline mode

If the Spotify desktop application is in offline mode, but you have an internet connection, then the application is having some difficulty connecting. This is most likely to be either an update error, or problem related to firewalls blocking Spotify.

A) Update error

Solution

Download the latest installer and install Spotify. There should be no need to uninstall first.

  • Make sure that Spotify is no longer running:
    • Windows: Go to the File menu and choose Exit
    • Mac: Go to the Spotify menu and choose Quit Spotify
  • Download the updated Spotify installer from the website
  • Run the Spotify installer (*)

(*) If, when running the installer, you see a message, saying that Spotify is started, restart your computer to ensure that Spotify has fully stopped before running the installer again.

Now you will have the updated version of Spotify. In the unlikely event that you have further problems, try a clean reinstallation of Spotify.

Why an update problem can occur

We update the Spotify client every few weeks at present. Usually, these updates complete without problems. There may be something in your configuration that is preventing the update completion. The most common cause is reduced “write” access to the Spotify installation directory. One the other hand, this may just have been an isolated occurrence.

B) Firewall blockage

Error codes may any 1XX error, especially 101, 110, 111, 116, 117, 126

If a firewall error occurs unexpectedly, after Spotify has been working for some time, then it is likely to have been caused by an auto-update. The signature of Spotify has changed. Even though Spotify is in your exceptions list(s) for any firewall software you have active, it may no longer be the ‘current’ Spotify application.

With some firewalls, the solution is to remove Spotify from your firewall exceptions list, and then add it again.

In many cases there may be two firewalls. One that comes with the operating system (eg Windows Firewall), and another that comes with third-party security software (eg Norton Antivirus). Spotify will need to be added as a trusted application in both.

If that is unsuccessful, a “clean” reinstallation of Spotify can usually solve the problem by triggering the firewall to add Spotify.. The easiest way to do this is to uninstall Spotify after removing the Spotify exceptions; download and reinstall; then add the exceptions again.

Guides to commonly used firewall software

  1. Remove “Spotify” from firewall exceptions list(s)
  2. Clean reinstallation (see instructions for each operating system)
  3. Add “Spotify” to exceptions list(s)

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