How to remove local files that no longer exist

[downtime68]

Device

Windows 11 PC

My Question or Issue

I have two dozen local files on my Spotify app but most of them don't exist anymore. I unliked them and they don't play (I get the error "Spotify can't play this right now... you can import it" (with no information about how to import it). How do I remove them from the Local Files listing? The ONLY files I want to appear in that folder are 20 new mp3s that are stored in one specific folder on my PC. 

I've read other solutions such as deleting the file "local-files.bnk" but no such file exists on my computer. I also have no folder called "AppData" where that file is supposedly found.

[Yordan]

Hi there @downtime68,

Thanks for reaching out!

The AppData folder is a hidden directory in Windows, so if you don't have "Show hidden items" enabled it won't show up. Still, you can access it by typing %AppData% in the Windows search bar. The local-files.bnk file is located in the Users folder > [your username], but it's worth performing a clean reinstall of the app to avoid any potential issues with corrupted cache.

Also, it's worth noting that if you installed the app from the Microsoft Store, the Spotify installation folder will be located in WindowsApps instead. This reply goes more in detail on the topic, feel free to check it out!

If the greyed out local files are in a playlist, you can try the following to see if it does the trick for you:

1. Select the local file by clicking on it.
2. Press the Backspace key on your keyboard to remove it from the playlist.

Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes 🤘

[mifior]

Hi @Yordan,

Thanks for your previous reply about this. I had installed Spotify from the Microsoft Store and was able to gain access to the WindowsApps folder following the instructions at the link you provided.

However, now that I have access to that folder, I do not see a "local-files.bnk" file. Do you know where/how the specific local file information is stored differently in this case?

[Yordan]

Hey there, @mifior,

I'm not sure to be honest. In any case, you should be able to remove local files that are no longer available from your playlists via the Backspace key. Could you try that to see if it does the trick for you?

Let us know how it goes 👍