Offline eventhough connected (error:4). Possible fix for VPN users!

[ZeroKey92]

So, recently I got my self a VPN so I can enjoy some more privacy and to enjoy some of the media that isn't available in my country. When I boot my PC up, Spotify works fine without the VPN and when I connect to the VPN, Spotify keeps working but as soon as I disconnect from the VPN, Spotify says I'm offline (error code 4). If I reboot my PC, Spotify works fine but that's not a realistic solution. So, I started to dig around (deleting the cache and mess with some other things) and in the end I thought about how the program connects to the internet. That's where it hit me, the VPN uses a separate network adapter (TAP-adapter to be exact) and that adapter goes offline as soon as I disconnect from the VPN. Spotify doesn't try to use the other adapter until I restart my PC OR and that's what I did, disable the TAP-adapter and re-enable it after. That forces Spotify to look for another adapter and it goes back to the normal one. I looked through the settings and the folders to see if I could force Spotify to look for other adapters if the current one doesn't work but I couldn't find a way to make it do that. Something the devs could consider adding in the future.

To summarize: If you're using a VPN that creates a secondary network adapter, Spotify might get stuck on it and won't reconnect after disconnecting from your VPN. To fix this, go to your task bar, right click on your network icon, click on network and internet settings, click on change adapter options, right click on the TAP-adapter (secondary adapter), click disable and then right click again and enable it again.

Also something slightly related to this: There are several "guides" on how to fix this error and a lot of them recommend some dodgy methods and some even downright dangerous ones. Please for the love of god of you don't know what you're doing or can't grasp the consequences of what these guides want you to do DON'T DO IT! You might just open up your PC to viruses or at the very least willingly enable protocols that will share all your usage data without you noticing. In this world of "free" services you are the product and you pay by giving companies every last detail of your private life. There is no such thing as a "free" service. Some way or another you're paying for it and if you can't tell how you should be very careful what you're willing give because you can't tell what you're giving.