Can't play folders using the desktop app

[jw231]

It looks like they finally removed the ability to play a folder of playlists from the desktop version. They removed the ability from mobile back in 2017. I think I'm going to revert my current version to the previous one and stop updating. I'd love to understand why it was removed, but have never gotten a great explanation.

Spotify for Windows (64 bit)
1.2.40.599.g606b7f29

[Yordan]

Hey folks,

Thanks for reaching out.

Just to confirm, are you using the desktop app or the Web Player? I just tested on my end and the desktop app works fine, but the option to play a folder on the Web Player is currently missing.

On the desktop app, the folder's icon should turn into a play button when you hover over it. Something else you can try is expanding the folder > right-clicking > Play.

Let us know how it goes!

[sobekmusic]

still no solution?

[sobekmusic]

Just opened the Desktop Player and still, the issue is not solved.

I believe it was solved for a while, but now the issue is back..

[Maria]

Hey @sobekmusic,

Thanks for the reply!

Just to make sure we cover all bases, could you try changing the current setting for hardware acceleration in the desktop app to see if you notice any difference? You change it by heading over to Settings > scroll down to Compatibility.

It's also worth clearing stored cache from the app, as this should remove any cached data from older app versions, which could interfere with the performance.

Should the option to play folders still not appear after trying the steps above, a screenshot of what you see when following the steps mentioned by @Yordan would be helpful. Keep in mind that, for the Play button to appear on the folder icon, you need to have Your Library expanded & make sure it's set and sorted by List .

Let us know how you get on!

[MAMG]

Plan

Premium

Country

Mexico

Operating System

Windows 11 

My Question or Issue

Double cliked on a folder and the play button is nowhere to be found, only the options to edit the folder itself 

[wintergibbs]

When is this getting fixed? I have monthly playlists from the last 4 years that i would play by shuffling the master "Monthly Playlists" folder and now I cant?

[sobekmusic]

Once again, the issue is back.It's time for a permanent solution for this.

[Maria]

Hey there folks,

Thanks for joining the conversation!

To confirm, does the option appear when following the steps mentioned by @Yordan earlier in the thread?

If not, would you mind giving the troubleshooting steps in our latest reply a shot, if you haven't already?

Should the play button for folders still not appear, however, it would be great if you could send us the following details:

• Your device's make & model.
• Its current OS version.
• Current Spotify version.
• A screenshot or video showing how things look from your end.

Keep us posted!

[maxpesos]

Varför går det inte längre att spela en hel mapp (högerklicka mapp - spela upp)?

Mor

[appleMusicIsBetter]

That is simple on my side, I have changed to Apple music since this features is not stable ...

[Tredenix]

I've figured out why everyone seems to be getting varying results: the Play button on a folder only appears if one of the playlists contained within it is currently visible.

If you collapse sub-folders within a master folder so that all the individual playlists are hidden, the Play button doesn't show up on any of them, as if the folder contained no playlists at all. But if you expand one of the sub-folders so that at least one non-empty playlist appears, then the Play button will be there for any folder that the playlist is nested within. If you play the master folder in this scenario, it'll still successfully play tracks from every playlist it contains, whether their sub-folders are collapsed or not.

This'll also be why updates haven't fixed the problem - because it hadn't been diagnosed correctly.

[edga]

All of the sudden the PLAY button disappears if your folder is not opened. When I click the arrow to list all playlists inside then the option is back.

Available:

Gone:

[MusicMan76]

This thread is a perfect example of the most annoying and frustrating thing about Spotify. All the interfaces are a little different and offer different functionality. It's great that I can use the app on my phone, the web, as a desktop app, and on my TV, but it makes me want to scream when I find I can only do certain functions on certain devices.

Please make the functionality consistent across all devices and apps.

[jw231]

I love the app, no question about it, but to me the most annoying and frustrating thing is Spotify is like the only company that big that does NOT put out Release Notes whenever they do an update. It is completely a secret what they remove. I really miss the Play button on the folder being available on mobile and there is a thread about that back in 2017 and there was no reason given as to why it was removed. I keep waiting for it to disappear on the desktop version at some point as well.

[mcastman]

I've found that for some reason, the issue disappears if there is at least 1 sub-folder that is fully expanded to show individual playlists. For some reason, the Spotify app doesn't recognize that the folder can be played otherwise