Clearing hosts file

Joan — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:22:19 GMT

If you're facing any of the following issues, this might be due to an edited or corrupted host file

Unable to listen to tracks on the app or WebPlayer
Songs rapidly skipping
Playlists are appearing empty
Unable to play songs/albums you haven't saved

If this is the case, it's worth trying to clear your host file using the below steps.

Windows:

1. Open Notepad as an administrator (right-click - Open as Administrator)
2. Go to File - Open and navigate to

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

3. Choose "All Files" instead of "Text Documents" next to the File Name box. You'll see a handful of files. Pick hosts and click on Open.
4. The file is opened. You will see a block of text with # in front of each line and might see entries like

0.0.0.0 website.com
127.0.0.1 website2.com

Check for any entries with spotify or fastly in the address. Examples may look like:

0.0.0.0 weblb-wg.gslb.spotify.com
0.0.0.0 prod.b.ssl.us-eu.fastlylb.net

(and any variations inbetween)
5. If you do find any, you can delete the line. You can also add a # in front of the line, that's 'commenting out'.
6. Save your changes. Refresh the Web Player/ restart the desktop app.

Mac:

Open Finder and, in Finder’s menu bar, select Go > Go to Folder. In the box, type the following location: /private/etc/hosts and press Return.
A new Finder window will open and your Mac’s hosts file will be selected. Click and drag it out of the Finder window and drop it on your desktop.
To open it, simply double-click and it will display the file’s contents in TextEdit.
Check for any entries with "Spotify" in the address.
If you do find any lines with "Spotify", just remove them.
Save your changes and refresh the Web Player.

Didn't help? Search for more Spotify Answers, or create a new thread and ask the Community.

article Clearing hosts file in FAQs

Clearing hosts file

Windows:

Mac: