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There are a few different scenarios when you can get that error message. Check out possible solutions for each of them:
► Playback fails to start on all tracks on desktop
Possible solutions:
- We recommend starting with logging out > restarting your computer > logging back in. Often this solves the issue if your playback fails to start on all tracks.
- Try switching to another network. If it works, then try resetting the original network.
- Clean up your hosts file. Head here for the steps to do that.
- On Windows another solution for this can be updating your sound drivers. Read more about how to do that here.
- Lastly, we'd recommend performing a clean reinstall of the app to try and fix this.
If these don't help:
1. Check if the correct output device is set for Spotify. Mac users will find a detailed guide on how to do that here. Windows users can follow these steps:
- Right-click on the "speaker" icon in the system tray and select Open Sound settings.
- Scroll down to Advanced sound settings located at the bottom and select App volume and device preferences.
- Locate Spotify in the list of apps and change the output device to the correct one.
2. Make sure the sample rate of your audio device is set to anywhere between 44.1 kHz and 192 kHz.
Something else you can try is disable any sound enhancing apps you might be using, as well as audio enhancements, communication settings, Exclusive Mode as well as Spatial sound. Here's how to do that in Windows:
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound > Sound Control Panel, switch to the Communications tab and set "When Windows detects communications activity" to Do nothing.
- Head back to the Playback tab, then right-click your audio output device and select Properties. In the new window that pops up, switch to the Advanced tab and untick "Exclusive Mode" + "Enable audio enhancements".
Note: If you have Bluetooth headphones connected and see this error when you try to resume playback after it’s been paused for a while, we recommend restarting the app. In case the issue persists, follow the troubleshooting steps here and make sure your device firmware is up-to-date.
► Playback fails and is quickly skipping through songs
Possible solutions:
- Turn off hardware acceleration in the app Settings under Compatibility.
- Try switching to another network. If it works, then try resetting the original network.
- More fixes to try can be found in this article.
► Playback fails for certain artists/songs only
This means that you have probably tapped on “I don’t like this song/artist” at some point on your mobile device. Here’s how you can fix this:
- Open the affected artist's page on the Spotify app on your mobile device.
- You should see a 🚫 symbol where there is usually a Follow button. Tapping the symbol should unblock the artist. Or tap the 3-dots and select “Allow to play this artist”.
- Restart the Spotify app on your desktop. You should now be able to play songs from this artist.
If that didn't help, it’s possible the track is currently not available. Music availability can vary over time and between countries, depending on the permissions from rights holders. We always add new music though, so make sure to check back at a later date.
► The song is greyed out
Possible solutions:
- Check if explicit content is switched off.
- If it’s a local file, try the troubleshooting steps in this support article.
- If it’s a Spotify file, it might be that the song is not available in your region. You can read more about content availability here.
► The song appears to be playing, but there is no sound
Possible solutions:
- Check your volume settings on your device and/or in the Spotify app if you're on desktop.
- Check to see if the device you’re playing from isn’t streaming to another device via Connect or Bluetooth.
- Try switching to another network. If it works, then try resetting the original network.
- Perform a clean reinstall, making sure to clear all Spotify app data.