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Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer, you can import it.

Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer, you can import it.

Plan : Premium

Country: USA

 

Device: MacBook Pro

Operating System: High Sierra 10.13.6

 

I have several playlists that I created many years ago and they all play fine on my home computer and my iPhone but when I go to my work computer, I get this message: "Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer, you can import it."  It only applies to playlists I created myself- with what used to be local files maaaaaaaany years (and computers) ago, but are not anymore. 

 

I've already emptied my application support and cache and reinstalled Spotify clean today but it's not resolving this issue. 

 

Do I need to manually recreate these playlists with streaming copies from Spotify's servers?  I know all of these songs are available because I can find and stream them with no difficulty from other people's playlists that I am subscribed to.

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5 Replies

Hey @Harker207, welcome to the Community.

Hope you're doing great!

 

For the local files to be played you need to actually own them. Since you have lost those songs it means you can't play them anymore unless Spotify uses their owns.

You can also read this FAQ for more about Local files 🙂

Hope it helps!

So, why is this only happening on one computer and not across all of my devices?  And why is it happening now and not... say, five years ago, when I stopped storing local copies of anything?

Hey @Harker207,

 

Sorry for the inconvenience!

 

I assumed you lost the files, that's what I got from one line of your post.


But let's try to troubleshoot that, I know it sounds simple, but it's often overlooked. Could you try restarting your device? If that doesn't help, try a quick clean reinstall of the app. Just follow these steps.

If you're still having trouble, could you let me know the exact version of Spotify and the exact version of the operating system you're running?

I'll see what I can suggest next!

Thanks! I already did the clean re-install this morning.  I'm running macOS 10.13.6 and Spotify 1.0.87.491.ge2a121fc

Hey @Harker207,

 

Sorry that it didn't work.

I can suggest you something that might help you 🙂

Just follow the steps below:

You can search for Terminal using Spotlight or by selecting it in Finder.

  1. Open a Finder window.
  2. Select Applications from the sidebar.

    Open Finder, then click on Applications

  3. Double-click on Utilities.
  4. Double-click Terminal.

    Double-click on Utilities, then double-click on Terminal

In the Terminal window, you will need to enter a command to open the Nano text editor. You will need your administrator password, as well.

  1. Type sudo nano /etc/hosts and then hit return.
  2. Enter your administrator password and then hit return.

    Enter enter Nano Text Editor in Terminal

You're now in the Nano text editor. You should see something that looks like this:

Map the IP address in the Nano text editor

If you want to add a new device or domain, move the cursor using the arrow keys and position it after the text in the window. Then, begin typing 🙂
I'll help you skip the typing part, just copy and paste the following addresses there for Spotify 😉
0.0.0.0 weblb-wg.gslb.spotify.com
0.0.0.0 prod.b.ssl.us-eu.fastlylb.net

 

 

Once you're done, hold down the Command and O keys to save the file, then Command and Q to exit.


If the terminal is not for you I got another way of doing it.
Again just follow me:

To find the hosts file, open Finder and, in Finder’s menu bar, select Go > Go to Folder. In the box, type the following location and press Return.

520131215_edithostsfileosx_1.jpg
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. This will let you freely edit the file.
620131215_edithostsfileosx_2.jpg
To open it, simply double-click and it will display the file’s contents in TextEdit (or the text editor of your choice). By default, the hosts file is relatively simple. It contains a number of lines of descriptive text which are “commented out” with the pound or number sign (#). For each line, any text after the pound sign is ignored by the computer, making it a good way to add notes and descriptions to your files. It also contains default IP values for localhost and broadcasthost. To edit the file, you’ll add your own lines after broadcasthost.
720131215_edithostsfileosx_3.jpg

Again, just copy and paste the following addresses there for Spotify and save the changes 😉
0.0.0.0 weblb-wg.gslb.spotify.com
0.0.0.0 prod.b.ssl.us-eu.fastlylb.net


If you ever make a mistake or want to change it back and you’re not sure how to fix it, you can always restore the default hosts file contents by using one of the methods above to enter the following default information:
##

# Host Database

#

# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface

# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.

##

127.0.0.1                   localhost

255.255.255.255   broadcasthost

 

::1                              localhost

fe80::1%lo0            localhost

One last thing!
Back at the command line, type sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder then type return. That will flush your Mac's DNS cache, so it doesn't get confused by any changes you've made to the Hosts file.

sudo-killall-mac-screenshot.jpg

 

Does the same thing happen if you install Spotify in another user account, always if you can?

Also, make sure the Download option is enabled for that playlist those files rest 🙂

I'm not sure that you can sync Local files over dekstop apps of Spotify but I will do some research and let you know 🙂


Let me know how it goes! 

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