Announcements
The Spotify Stars Program: Celebrating Values Week!

Help Wizard

Step 1

NEXT STEP

Let us CHANGE THE CACHE LOCATION

Let us CHANGE THE CACHE LOCATION

Spotify simply takes up too much space on the default Windows C: Drive via the AppData\Local\Spotify\Data folder.
This NEEDS to be changed--especially for those users who have Windows installed on a small SSD.

This idea has been presented on NUMEROUS occasions only to be IGNORED by Spotify! https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/Desktop-Actually-bring-back-the-cache-location-and-let-u...
STOP IGNORING US. Let the cache location be moved, or lose someone who had been a fan since you first came to the States.

Reply
11 Replies

I also see this as a problem, I also want to change the location to Data (D:) since my I already have so little space.

 

Have you tried messageing their Facebook page? I suggest you talk to the people in SpotifyCares, if it's okay.

 

But it's probable that it will not be resolved until after several updates, which makes things more annoying.

Hmmm am I missing something here? I can change the default location of the cache folder to whatever I want, been like this for a while.

Untitled.png

You sure are! Changing the cache location allows you to move the folder that contains the files for playlists you've downloaded for offline play, by default located in:
AppData\Local\Spotify\Storage
However, Spotify also stores a huge amount of data (presumably to optimize streaming playback) in:
AppData\Local\Spotify\Data
This cannot be changed or moved.

But:

1-) I have changed the location of my Windows "Documents" folder on my computer to be something else other than just the default.

2-) All Spotify data is on that new location: D:\Users\Eli\AppData.

3-) I don't have such folder as C:\AppData\Local\Spotify\Data which you mention.

 

So I must be really missing something lol

The only way to move the entire User folder is to use syslinks or registry edits. Most people do not have the know-how for this. This is not a viable solution.
As for you not having the folder, I have a couple theories:
1) It's in the Users folder on your C: drive, and you just don't know it. The AppData folder is hidden, so you have to enable visible hidden folders. Then check C:\Users\[Your Name]\AppData\Local\Spotify\Data
2) Maybe you're in a different country than I am, and maybe Spotify sets up directories differently in separate regions.

As a matter of fact, I want you to do me a favor, Eli. Paste this into your file explorer:
C:\Users\Eli\AppData\Local\Spotify\
Then, if there is a "Data" folder in there, right-click and select "Properties", then tell us what the Properties window says is the size of the folder.

No registry edits here at all, I just changed the default location of my Windows "Documents" Folder using Windows 10 Options in Control Panel.

1-) Oh I know where my User folder is on my computer, it is at C:\Users\Eli\AppData\Local\Spotify\Data however not where you previously mentioned as being C:\AppData\Spotify\Data and it shows as almost empty with barely 0.96GB in size, the real AppData folder is where I set it up to in Windows as explained above at:

D:\Users\Eli\AppData\Spotify

2-) I live in the USA.

Regards.

 

EDIT: I meant to say I changed the default location of the "Documents" folder on my Windows installation, not my Windows folder, sorry about that.

 

By the way the one at D:\Users\Eli\AppData\Spotify is 8.44GBs in size 🙂

 

I also appologize for the confusion, I have edited my posts above, I meant to say I changed the default location of the "Documents" folder in my computer, not the actual user folder, perhaps if you do this first then install Spotify it will then allow you to pick another folder not located in C:\ ? Not sure, but my Spotify data folder is not located in C:\ for sure.

I must also clarify that the folders "Users", "Eli", "AppData" and "Spotify" as in  D:\Users\Eli\AppData\Spotify were artificially created by me, then I just went into the Spotify Program settings and selected that path as my Cache folder and it just accepted it, maybe I just tricked Spotify into accepting something it doesnt normally accept?

 

Also keep in mind that once you have done this, you must go into your original cache folder located in C:\ and delete the original data there, Spotify will still however put some empty folders in there but the whole folder won't be nearly as big as it originally was.

Im find solution. Not "great", but work. Im simply use rights on directory C:\Users\*NameUser*\AppData\Local\Spotify\Data and I forbade to write to this directory.  Spotify working without this "cache" and my SSD disk no more haved massive I/O operation.

Changing the path of your system User directory is definitely not the right answer for a lot of people due to poorly coded programs looking for stuff in the C drive rather than correctly looking up the location of the User directory. Spotify seriously just needs to add a darn setting for this.

Suggested posts