Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it

[lukaswil]

Plan

Premium

Country

UK

Device

Desktop

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

When I try to play a song I get the following error message "Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it"

I have tried all the fixes I have seen:

Reinstalling app.

Using version from Microsoft store.

Disabled hardware acceleration.

Disabled crossfading.

Changed speaker options.

Deleted local files.

I've had this issue before and it was fixed by using the version from the Microsoft store but this isn't working now.

Spotify works on my phone and my laptop, web player also works only the desktop app doesn't work.

[lukaswil]

I think I have found a temporary resolution to this issue. Turn off "Smart Shuffle" then play the songs you cant play. Then turn "Smart Shuffle" back on and the songs should be playable.

If you have shuffle turned off, cycle through the shuffle options then play your song that was unplayable. The app seems to lag or freeze for a second then recover after this action when the issue is present.

[lukaswil]

For me, I found going into your audio settings, clicking on your output device, and disabling any "effects" worked.

[imbacatz]

Plan

Premium

Country

Slovakia

Device

Computer

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I search for everything ..... but it doesnt work .... 

I just now rebuild my pc with new mother board cpu an rams 

And after i started pc i wanted to listen to spotify but it say this all time : "Spotify can't play this right now. If you have the file on your computer you can import it."

On my phone its working . I tried every solutions what i found on internet rebooted pc reinstall spotify and other stuffs

[eltoch]

Hi! Are you trying to play songs located in the Local Files of your device? If so, the connection may have been interrupted between the files on your laptop and the Spotify player.

Try following these steps 

1. Click then choose Settings. 
2. Scroll down to Local Files and switch Show Local Files on. 
3. Any files in your computer's My Music and Downloads folders are automatically selected. Switch off any sources you don't want Spotify to access. 
4. Click ADD A SOURCE to select another folder. 
5. You’ll now find music from that folder in Local Files in the menu on the left.

If the local files aren't downloaded to your laptop, that is likely the reason why you can only access them from your mobile device. Hopefully this helps!!

Did this work for you? If so please mark it as the solution. This helps other users find the solutions to their problems in the future!

---

[imbacatz]

Already fixed it by downloading it by windows store thank you

[llcoole93]

That didn't work.

[DeaGiXe]

I have the same error but this(solution from eltoch) didn't work for me. my spotify keeps skipping every song. no matter if I ever downloaded the song or not

[punane]

I tried editing the host file, clearing the cache in APPDATA/romaing/spotify, playing with the app on android worked not on windows 10, tried to use the "play from this device" to switch, nothing worked.

I resorted to uninstalling spotify and reinstall it, worked like a charm!!

[JimboDimbo]

I switched from desktop to appstore version. But still does not work for me.

v1.1.21.

[JimboDimbo]

I also tried uninstall/reinstall - did not work

Switched to another Spotify account - did not work

Switched from desktop version to Windows App store version - did not work

(Spotify) Version I have is 1.1.21, Windows 10 1909.

Web player works. Roon works on same device. Amazon Music works on same device.

Spotify app can switch to playing via my HiFi or my Kef speakers, but not through the PC?

Always same error "Spotify cannot play this right now....." see screenshot, with device list showing.

[JimboDimbo]

@eltoch. This is NOT a solution. Your solution refers to playing local files which is not the issue. This issue is that Spotify does not stream to "This computer" when trying to play any Spotify track. The error "Spotify can't play this right now...." is displayed.

[JimboDimbo]

Fixed! (for me at least).

I reset my default device sound setting back to below 192000 Hz (Control Panel -> Sound -> Playback tab -> Properties -> Advanced tab) and Spotify sprang back into life! Above 192K Spotify Desktop will not play.

Looks like several things affect Spotify playback, so you may have to search through the forums if you are getting this error.

The App was playing to other devices for me, so that pointed to something specific on my PC (although Roon, Amazon and Web Player all worked).

[HG71]

Awesome.  You just helped another person. Big thanks.

[Larsen9]

It really was this simple to fix it. I have tried to fix this issue for many hours now and you just saved my day. Thank you so much imbacatz!

[Alex]

Hey there folks,

If you've found a post on the Community helpful and it has resolved your issue, you can mark it as a Solution 🙂

This way other people who come across the thread can find it easier.

Don't hesitate to reach out again if you have questions.

[Malte2411]

Can confirm this is still an issue. Why can't you use over 192KHz? Doesn't Spotify want to bring out a Hifi Service soon? They better fix this then or nobody is gonna listen

[Alex]

Hey there @Malte2411,

Thanks for reaching out in the Community!

Can you give us a bit more info about your situation. Where do you see the error message and on what devices?

Regarding Hi-Fi, you can check out this Idea Thread for more info. 

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

Cheers.

[estes278]

Thank you so much! I dropped to 192 kHZ and Spotify came back to life! I was even able to go back up to 384 kHZ and no problems! Could not figure this out until I read your message! Thank you again! 

[ControlTheNarra]

same issue here...
works on all devices but the pc... also tried everything with no luck

[MafeG]

Hi folks,

Thank you for posting on the Community and welcome.

Please follow these steps to clear the Hosts file from your computer and try to play music again. Does it make a difference? 

If the issue persists, go to your app's settings and make sure "Hardware Acceleration" is disabled. 

Let us know how this goes.

[lukaswil]

There was no reference to Spotify in the hosts file and disabling hardware acceleration doesn't fix the issue.