Downloaded song appears in local files and playlists, but the song does not actually play

[Jack133]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

(Windows Desktop)

Operating System

(Windows 10)

My Question or Issue

When I download a song, it appears on my local files, and looks playable. When I select the song, it does not play and simply remains at 0:00. I can move around to different parts of the song, but then it will just remain at that time (like 0:19 for example) and not actually move forward or be playing the song. Trying to shuffle my local files, or if I put the song in a playlist, gives me the message "Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it." at the top of my application on desktop. I have tried all the solutions I can seem to find for this issue: deleting local files cache, uninstall/reinstall Spotify, messing around with my sound and audio device settings, making sure all of my drivers and applications are up to date on my computer, switching local files on/off and adding a separate library for the downloaded files in question, also tried enabling/disabling hardware acceleration. I really don't know what else to do. Every thread solution on here doesn't seem to work, I've searched anywhere else on the internet and can't seem to find a solution be it somewhere here, a YouTube video, or anything else. I am truly stumped as to what to do to make this work. 

[CarlosE]

Hi there @Jack133,

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the Community!

We appreciate the time you've taken to try all those troubleshooting steps. We know you already tried reinstalling the app, but did you make sure to follow these specific steps for a clean reinstall? This can be helpful to get rid of any corrupted files from previous installations that might be causing trouble. We also suggest downloading the app again from the Microsoft Store.

If the issue persists, could you let us know if this is only happening with your Local Files or also with content from the Spotify catalog?

We'd also like to know if this is only happening on your computer, or on your phone when you sync your Local Files too.

Keep us posted. We'll be on the lookout.

[Jack133]

Hello!

Yes I have done a clean reinstall the way you listed here, but that unfortunately did not work either, and I am still facing the same problem. To clarify, my problem is only with local files that won't play. Normal Spotify songs work just fine. Local files used tot work fine before, my phone still has local files from my old computer, and they still work. However, any attempts at new local file downloads don't seem to work for me on phone, PC, or anything.

[CarlosE]

Hey @Jack133,

Thanks for getting back in touch.

In this case, take a look at this Spotify Answer for useful tips on how to be able to play your Local Files.

If you're able to import your local files but have issues downloading them, we recommend checking this article.

If the issue persists, could you try using a different account, like a friend's or relative's, and let us know if this makes any difference? This would help us determine if this is account-related.

We hope this helps. We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

[Jack133]

Hello again! Sorry I haven't gotten back in a few weeks.

I am still experiencing the problem. I have learned that it is not my account and I think my computer is the issue. I tried downloading songs on my laptop with my Spotify account and it worked just fine on there, and synced to my phone and played on there too. However, it still has problems on my PC. I don't know if this helps at all, but it is what I have found out.