Blank entries showing in source directory list for local files

[jayce1996]

Plan

Premium

Country

United Kingdom

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

When trying to add new source directories for local files, I notice that I have some blank entries in the list of local file source directories, I'd like to clean these up, as I think this may go some way to helping resolve the recurrent issues I have with local files not being accessible to me.

[Mihail]

Hey @jayce1996,

Thanks for reaching out.

Let us know if these blank local files sources show up  once you've performed a clean reinstall on the affected device. We recommend this step since it'll get you the latest app version with all necessary updates and remove any corrupted files from previous installations. Note that we recommend installing the Spotify app version from the Microsoft Store, as it's the one best optimized for Windows 10.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on your progress.

[jayce1996]

This appears to have worked but I'm left with one problem. The process
removed the directories I had previously set up as local files directories
(I had several) and various items in my playlists are now greyed out and
cannot be played.

Whilst I can locate the audio files on my hard drive, I can't remember the
path they were shared from, and the ones I've tried to not work.
Is there any way to get the information from a playlist about where it
believes a local file should be, so that I can re-insert the correct folder
as a local files location, without having to rebuild all playlists that
contain local files?

[Jeremy]

Hey there @jayce1996,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

We can confirm that it's no way to see the path where the files are from within the app.

It would also be great if you can let us know if if it's the same songs that are still greyed out?

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

Take care 🙂

[jayce1996]

It would seem that the majority of the items are back, but local files is
again no longer showing on the left nav bar, and the blank directory
entries have returned.

[Jeremy]

Hey again @jayce1996,

Thank you for your reply.

This is how the new version is designed. Your local files should now appear in Your Library next to Liked Songs.

If you want to leave any feedback you can do it in this thread 🙂

If you have any questions we're always one reply away.

Take care!

[jayce1996]

In your most recent reply you said:
"This is how the new version is designed"

so you are saying that the new version is designed to hide the local files
option, and to deliberately add blank directory entries into the list of
local files locations?

This seems like a very bizarre design choice, I'm sure I must have
misunderstood, why would you seek to deliberately aggravate your paying
customers?

[Mihail]

Hey @jayce1996,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Sorry for the misunderstanding - the new position in the library is part of the new design we're trying out. We'll make sure that your feedback reaches the right folks and suggest that you share any thoughts on the new look in the thread linked above. We always aim to improve and value your opinion.

As for the blank directories - the fact that a clean reinstall solved the issue albeit temporarily indicates that there is a caching issue. Are these folder hidden? It's also a good idea to exclude Spotify from any storage and battery optimization services you have running as they might be interfering with the cache's integrity. If the issue persists, moving the files to a different directory and adding it as a local files source should resolve this.

If some of the local files still appear greyed out after that, we recommend  you remove them from the playlist and start the process of importing them from scratch using this guide. That should to the trick. 

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on how it goes.

[jayce1996]

I think we've skipped something here. What is this new position you're
referring to?
New position for what? And if this is about Local files, what is the new
position? I feel like we've skipped a step in the explanation here.

[Mihail]

 Hey @jayce1996,

Thanks for posting.

We were referring to the new position of your local files. In the new design on desktop devices they can be found after clicking on Your Library in the left side bar. Then in the main app window (not the side bar) they should be visible under playlist, right next to your Liked Songs. 

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any questions.