topic Re: SpotifySetup.exe not opening in Desktop (Windows)

SpotifySetup.exe not opening

t56 — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:24:48 GMT

I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to open up SpotifySetup but nothing is happening.

Previous to this I had the Microsoft Store version downloaded and I uninstalled it so I can get the website version. Everything went fine until the installer didn't open up at all.

I've tried:

Running in compatibility mode

Running as administrator

Checking appdata and localappdata

Using task manager to open it

Checking Installed Programs and WindowsApps folder, none of those seem to have Spotify in them

I've noticed that the app itself gets suspended or simply just flashes at the bottom of the task manager, which I find weird.

Re: SpotifySetup.exe not opening

Ivelina — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:31:24 GMT

Hello there @t56,

Thanks for reaching out via the Community and we appreciate you sharing the steps you've already gone over. It helps us with the investigation.

The issue you're experiencing sounds like the installer could be detecting 'ghost' files from the previous version, causing it not to work as it should. Here are some other things to try for a more thorough clean installation:

Consider going over the clean reinstall steps once again just in case.
Ensure that both paths '%AppData%\Spotify (Roaming)' and '%LocalAppData%\Spotify (Local)' are completely empty.
Make sure that your antivirus/firewall isn't blocking Spotify (set it as an exception if needed).
Reboot or update your audio drivers as this step is known to previously have helped users.
Clear the hosts file with the steps here.

Many thanks! Keep us posted on how it goes and we're here in the meantime if there's anything else we can help you with.

Re: SpotifySetup.exe not opening

glebreada — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:58:45 GMT

+1 this. The freshly downloaded SpotifySetup.exe wouldn't launch even with all the step mentioned above completed

Re: SpotifySetup.exe not opening

glebreada — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:28:28 GMT

Found the solution on the forum
https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/spotify-setup-wont-open/td-p/4638302

Re: SpotifySetup.exe not opening

Joan — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:42:08 GMT

Hi @glebreada,

Thanks for the reply.

That's great to hear! Can you let us know which steps did the trick for you? It'll be good to have them visible here to help anyone else that comes across this thread.

Cheers!