Desktop

The App Finder and apps within Spotify

Apps are a new way to extend the functionality of Spotify. Apps offer more ways to discover, explore, share and enjoy music.Read more

Sonos

If you have any questions related to Spotify with Sonos that are not regarding your Spotify account itself, please follow the links below to the Spotify related pages on the Sonos support site. Please note that a Spotify Premium subscription is required to access your Spotify account within your Sonos system.

  1. How to login with your spotify username
  2. Overview of sonos spotify related questions
  3. Please update your Sonos software to at least version 3.3.
    How do I initiate an update using the Controller?
My playlists are not loading, what can I do?

If your playlists are not loading or don’t update when you make a change we’re likely experiencing some temporary problems with our playlist servers. Your playlists will come back as soon as the problems are resolved, check our service status page for the latest updates.

What bandwidth does Spotify need?

We recommend 256 kbit/s. Spotify usually works well on a 3G connection. Plenty of free disk space also helps keep the network requirements down as it enables more caching.

How many tracks can I sync to offline playlists?

You can have up to 3,333 tracks from the Spotify streaming catalogue synced for offline use, on each of up to 3 computers/devices at any time.

There is no limit to the number of your own imported local files that you can sync to offline playlists on any device

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.

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Can I use offline mode on more than one computer or mobile phone?

Yes. You can have offline-synced playlists on up to three devices (mobile or computer) at a time.

On which platforms can I use Spotify?

Desktop

Windows

Spotify will run on Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Mac

Spotify runs Mac OS X version 10.5 and above, using an Intel processor.

Linux

There is no officially supported Linux version, but Linux users are welcome to try the Spotify for Linux preview.

Mobile

You can also use Spotify on several mobile platforms.

I’m getting errors when updating Spotify (Error 5xx)

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.

Why do I have to install Spotify?

By installing Spotify as a stand alone application you get a much better user experience and audio quality compared to web-based sites.

What quality does Spotify stream in?

We use the Ogg Vorbis format for streaming. There are three quality ratings that we use:

  • q3 (~96 kbps)
  • q5 (~160 kbps)
  • q9 (~320 kbps)

Note: not all tracks are currently available in high bitrate.

Desktop: Streams are q5 quality. Premium subscribers can enable higher bit rate streaming at q9 from the preferences menu.

Mobile: A higher quality q5 is offered, along with a “low bandwidth” option of q3. You can choose separate qualities ratings for streaming and synching in the More tab of your Spotify mobile app.

How long can I cache offline content on my computer or mobile device?

This depends up upon the type of content..

Read more
How much disk space does Spotify use?

Spotify stores data on your computer in order to minimize the use of bandwidth. The exact amount varies, but Spotify will automatically try to free your computer resources so that you don’t run low on disk space. The exact size can be configured in Spotify Preferences.

Can I use Spotify from multiple locations?

Yes. You can install Spotify on as many computers as you like. You may be logged in to your Spotify account from several computers simultaneously, but you can only play music on one computer at a time. The music at your other computers will automatically be paused. If you want to install Spotify on more than one computer simply download the program again and log in with your existing username and password.

Why does Spotify use so many internet connections?

Spotify uses a peer-to-peer network along with streaming servers to stream music. This is why you see multiple connections to other Spotify users.

Can I stream Spotify music to speakers with Airport, Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, etc?

Support for Spotify has now been enabled in Sonos and Logitech Squeezebox Radio and Touch. A Spotify Premium subscription is required to access your Spotify account within these systems.

Read more
Can I scrobble the music I play to Last.fm?

Yes, Spotify has built in support for last.fm that can be enabled from the preferences menu. For more details have a look at this blog post.

Are there any keyboard shortcuts?

Yes. You can find a list of keyboard shortcuts here.

Music fast-forwards or jumps ahead when I play it, what can I do? (Windows Only)

To solve this problem disable Hardware Acceleration in the system preferences by going to Edit -> Preferences -> and unchecking “Enable hardware acceleration”.

Can I search for tracks within a playlist or search result?

Yes. There’s a filter feature that you can activate by pressing Ctrl+F (on PC) or Cmd+F (on Mac). You can use the filter feature in any track list, a playlist, the inbox, a search result, artist page etc.

Reinstallation of Spotify (OS X)

  • Make sure that Spotify is no longer running (Spotify » Quit Spotify)
  • Manually delete these folders:
    • ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.Client
    • ~/Library/Application Support/Spotify
  • Delete the Spotify application in the Applications folder
  • (optional) It might be best to restart you computer at this point.
  • Reinstall Spotify (download)

When re-installing, make sure that you use the newly downloaded installer from the Spotify website.

OS X Lion: How to reveal the Library folder

If you are running the latest Mac operating system (Lion) you will have noticed that the “Library” folder is now hidden. In Finder, click ‘Go’, at the top of your screen. Then press the ‘alt’ button on your keyboard, and the library appears as a folder that you then can click to open.

Can I have offline playlists on more than three devices?

No, three is the maximum. If you try to register a fourth, an existing device will be lost to accommodate it.

So, if you receive a message saying “you have logged into more then three devices and you will now be logged out” you need to re-authorize that device. Simply restart your device/computer and re-launch Spotify - you should be good to go.

Reinstallation of Spotify (Windows XP)
  • Make sure that Spotify is no longer running (File > Exit)
  • Uninstall Spotify (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Spotify)
  • (optional) It might be best to restart your computer at this point.
  • Reinstall Spotify (download)

When re-installing, make sure that you use the newly downloaded installer from the Spotify website (ie not accidentally use any previous version that you may still have.

Reinstallation of Spotify (Windows Vista / Windows 7)
  • Make sure that Spotify is no longer running (File > Exit)
  • Uninstall Spotify (Start > Control Panel > Programs / Uninstall a Program > Spotify)
  • It might be best to restart your computer at this point.
  • Reinstall Spotify (download)

When re-installing, make sure that you use the newly downloaded installer from the Spotify website (ie not accidentally use any previous version that you may still have.

Error: "An internal exception occurred"

Error message: An internal error has occurred

This error can be caused either by download of a corrupt installer file, or by an incomplete installation. Read more

Temporary login error

Error 404

There has been a temporary error while attempting to log you into your Spotify account. This error is most likely to be caused by a temporary problem with Spotify’s login server. In that case, there is no action that you can take to resolve the problem, apart from attempting to log in again. First, exit Spotify:

  • Windows: File > Exit
  • Mac: Spotify > Quit Spotify

After a short while, try running Spotify and logging in again.

If you have continued problems, please check Spotify’s Service Status page, and the Service Status Twitter feed. We keep these updated about any any problems with the service that may be affecting you.

Error 101-126

These error codes represent connection errors. This is most likely to be caused by a firewall.

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

Guides to commonly used firewall software