Local files greyed out on mobile

[eramaeni]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Samsung Galaxy J7

My Question or Issue

I added some local files to my desktop playlist that are matching up to songs included in Spotify's catalog.  The band is German though, so not all of their songs are playable for me in the US.  I bought their albums while overseas and added them to my computer.  The files play fine on my desktop playlist, but when I downloaded the playlist to my phone, the local files aren't showing up as playable songs; they are all grey.  I've tried everything from the forums, but nothing is working.  I think the issue is that the songs are included in Spotify's catalog, but I can't play them in my country.  Is there a way to get Spotify to recognize that I'm using local files instead of the Spotify files? It's a shame that I spent money on albums Spotify won't let me play.

[Bittencourt]

Hi @eramaeni, thanks for writing!

Let's find out what's going on. First we must check step by step what you need to do to save your local files and synch them to you mobile.

On your Spotify desktop app:

1. Click  in the top-right corner of the app and select Settings. 
2. Scroll down to Local Files. 
3. Any files in My Music and Downloads are automatically selected. Switch off any sources you don't want Spotify to access. 
4. Click ADD A SOURCE to select another folder. 

Supported file types:

• .mp3
• .m4p (unless it contains video)
• .mp4 (if QuickTime is installed on your computer)

Note: The iTunes lossless format (M4A) is not supported.

In your mobile:

1. Import your local files to Spotify using the desktop app (see "Desktop" instructions above).
2. Add the files to a playlist.
3. Log in on your mobile or tablet using the same WiFi network as your desktop app.
4. Select the playlist containing the local files.
5. Switch on Download.

If after adding them to the desktop app you don’t see them on your mobile or tablet, check the following:

• You're logged in to the same account on both your desktop and your mobile or tablet.
• Your devices are connected to the same WiFi network.
• You have the latest version of the Spotify app installed (on both devices).
• Your device's firmware is up-to-date. 

Let me know if this helps!

[umutmeier]

That's what all the Websites say, but if I try to do it myself, the songs are greyed out in the mobile app. It works on the PC.

[umutmeier]

sry doublepost

[Bittencourt]

Hi @umutmeier, thanks for writing!

Can you please tell me more about the issue? Did it start after an specific event?

Also, what's your devices and operational systems' versions? 

The more information you give, greater the chances we have of coming to a solution 🙂

[jsjxyz]

I got this problem too, it's been more than one year this problem appear.  Before that everything's running well.  Haven't found the answer yet.

[Katerina]

Hey there @umutmeier and @jsjxyz,

Thanks for posting about this here in the Community!

Just to confirm, are the grayed tracks playing normally in the desktop app?

If so, we'd recommend performing a thorough reinstallation of the app on the mobile devices that your local files are grayed out, making sure to clear both the app's cache and data when doing so. You can find the step-by-step guide for your device in this Spotify Answer. 

Once you've done that and the app is installed anew, log in the app with your account's details and follow these steps:

1. Log in on your mobile or tablet using the same WiFi network as your desktop app.
2. Select the playlist containing the local files.
3. Download the playlist:
   • iOS: Tap  to download.
   • Android: Tap Download on 

If they still show up grayed out after this, we'd recommend creating a new playlist on the desktop app with all the local files and following the steps here to have them on your mobile device to see if that helps.

Let us know how you get on! We'll be right here if you need more help.

Have a lovely day 🙂

[jsjxyz]

Still can't do that, I believe the problem is more related to:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Problem-syncing-local-files-of-songs-not-available-y...

"Problem syncing local files of songs not available your region"

[Nicat_Qurbanov]

I have found a simple way on my own. This way worked every time. Just add the song to your playlist. If the download doesn't start then turn wifi off and on of your phone. And ta daa!

[jsjxyz]

Still can not.

One of the song is:

You Are - Niteflyte, spotify always pointing to a compilation album that do not allow us to play the song, even though the local file I ripped it from CD Album by the artist.

[jacknoble]

Spent ages trying to sort this out myself. Finally remembered that I'd seen a fix on some forum ages ago when I experienced this problem before. 

Check your desktop network connection type. Make sure it's private. I have this issue whenever my network is set to public. After switching to private, restart Spotify on your desktop and your phone, and you should then be able to download files successfully. 

[rave14210]

Wow that sounds interesting. Sadly no such setting on Mac it seems... 😞

[shillman222]

just tried all of the above and am still having this issue. Has anyone tried something else? 

[Alex]

Hi there @shillman222,

Thanks for the post.

The way local files work has changed a bit since this thread was started in 2020. You can have a look at the new process here.

Hope this helps.

[Np1520]

Any fixes for this issue? Local files play on desktop but are greyed out on mobile.  Followed all the steps in the link and in this thread.  

[eramaeni]

Honestly, I changed the artist name metadata on my local files so Spotify can't recognize it. Since that artist name doesn't exist on Spotify, it can't be blocked due to the region. Now I can enjoy the music that I rightfully own!