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Why is my spotify often so slow?

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Why is my spotify often so slow?

I open spotify, let it load for a bit and when I try to search for an artist, the whole program lags ridiculously. Won't let me search, and when it does search, loads them so slowly. Albums for the artist take several minutes to load and then they stream very poorly.

The internet is not the problem as every website works quickly and youtube loads very quick.

 

Why is my spotify so slow and laggy? I have the latest public version, Windows 8. Restarting it doesn't help the issue. I often have to wait it out a couple hours.

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Just in case anyone else is still having this issue (I was), I found a post somewhere that did solve it for me, from what I can see.

http://alexlitel.tumblr.com/post/53154780770/what-to-do-if-spotify-is-running-slow-on-your

The link explains how to delete your AppData:


"For Mac Users:

1.  If you do not have hidden files set to display by default: in Finder, press the Alt/Option key to access the Library folder under the Go menu. If you do have hidden files accessible: in Finder, just go to the Library folder in your user directory.

2. Go the Caches folder and look for the com.spotify.client folder.

3. Delete everything inside the Storage, Data and Browser folders, but not the folders themselves. You can select all of the items by pressing Command + A.

For Windows Users:

 

1. Paste C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Spotify\ into the directory bar of Windows Explorer.

2. Delete everything inside the Storage, Data and Browser folders, but not the folders themselves. You can select all of the items by pressing Control + A."


If it wasn't already obvious, close Spotify before you try this. I learned the hard way, and my computer had a little panic.

I didn't restart my machine after doing this, just started Spotify again, and it seemed to load a LOT quicker, and opened links on Spotify it would ususally take either ages to load, or not load at all. 

Hopefully this helps!

EDIT: I just found another way to drastically improve the speed of the Desktop app that just helped my app too. MrCircuit take note, this may help you also! 

Go into your settings in Spotify Desktop app, and try unlinking Local Files - 'SHOW SONGS FROM' - iTunes, Downloads, Media player, Music Library. This stops Spotify from trying to sync to your computer, which instantly improved the loading whenever I searched for anything on the Desktop app. Hope this helps you guys further!

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Marked as solution

I tried all the solutions listed and none of those worked for me.  What worked in my situation was turning off the hardware acceleration option in Spotify.

 

Edit > Preferences > Scroll to bottom, Show Advananced Settings > Scroll to bottom, uncheck Enable Hardware Acceleration

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98 Replies

Which version of the client are you using exactly (Help > About)? There are a few different versions which are current at the minute since Spotify operates phased roll outs.

Peter
Spotify Community Mentor and Troubleshooter

Spotify Last.FM Twitter LinkedIn Meet Peter Rock Star Jam 2014


If this post was helpful, please add kudos below!

0.9.7.16g4b197456

Same here.

 

I am so, so, so tired of this application.  I have reached the stage now of just rarely using it, as it is just so frustrating to navigate.

 

It calls itself Spotify PREMIUM, but it is far from being a Premium product.

 

I have been a Premium subscriber and Spotify user for many years, but reaching the very end of my patience now.

 

When it first started it was so slick and simple in it's design and operation.  

But now it is just overloaded with crap I don't want, and performance just suffers.

 

Unless Spotify resolve these usability issues permanently, or produce a lite version with none of the add on crap, I shall be cancelling my subscription.  I pay a lot for this but am not using it, because it is so very poor.

 

I am on the same version as Bartnawer.

I agree, desktop Spotify is slow and unusable. Sad

 

I have possible idea.

 

Changed to new black Web App, works like a charm Big smile

 

Here, works better? https://play.spotify.com/

 

Have a nice day! Smile

Still the same old web browser for me. I do hope I'll get the new updated desktop client and webplayer by March 2015. Seeing how slow the roll out has been.

 

Everytime I update to 0.9.8 with installer, Spotify will force downgrade it to 0.9.7. Yes I do know the work around to disable 'auto update' to stop it from downgrading, but seeing it's Spotify themself that force the downgrade it's a bit annoying.

 

Lucky for senior guys who has the most updated, stable version plus the collection feature and the black webplayer. As for us, mere mortal, we're stuck with the old unstable version.

Community Rock Stars do get first access to beta clients and features sometimes, but the "stable" version is always the ones that are public and most Spotify feature roll outs do occur randomly.

Also, Collection beta was a beta anyone could apply for access too, but applications are now closed (although the limited random roll out seems to be happening too).

Peter
Spotify Community Mentor and Troubleshooter

Spotify Last.FM Twitter LinkedIn Meet Peter Rock Star Jam 2014


If this post was helpful, please add kudos below!

Since this is labeled solution did the original poster just give up and ditch spotify? Hope that's not the only solution...

 

 

I too have used for years and now it's so slow as to be retarded. Looking at all my options at this point. Tired of paying for no new features and worse service. Used Pandora recenly and it's improved. I'll probably give them my money instead of several minute loading time for spotify.

is anyone from spotify team looking in to this? I'm also a paying subsciber and i too will leave if it persist to be so slow as this.

   

I use spotify on multiple devices from a desctop pc to an iphone and its same slow on all, also my friends who use spotify complain about the same issue.

 

   from my point of view the Issue seems to be clearly on your side and no one seem to be caring.

what is being done to rectify? 

Me too! Minutes to load, rotating balls etc. My version is 1.0.11.134.ga37df67b for what it's worth.

The client has been slowing down my whole machine for months now. While I am not a big apple fan when Spotfy starts to slows down my whole machine takes about a minute to boot up and then struggles when I want to add one local file (I was surprised that I can't just drag straight into the client today) - it pains me to say it might be time to jump ship 😞

Just registered here to echo the sentiment that this app stinks royally and I'll be moving on if it's not fixed very soon. It's 2015, guys. There's no reason any current program should feel like you're using it on a PC from the early 90s.

i love spotify very much. but it's bizarre to me that the mobile app works a lot better than the desktop. about once a day when i open it, it is very very slow to load.

Also registering here to vent :

 

If it is not solved by the end of the year I'm moving to google music. I LOVE Spotify, I registered the day it was launched in my country, I love that I can find almost anything, I love the "discover" and the "discovery of the week" and how it seems to know my taste so much. 


But I can't take my cell phone to put on some musich and wait 5 minutes for the app to get it together. I sometimes have to force close the app, clear the cache, reboot my cellphone, just to have access to musich ALREADY THERE ON MY PHONE. 

 

Get it together. 

I registered here too just to vent about how unusable Spotify has become.

It is so slow, search takes 1-2 minutes and the screen freezes.  Forget about even scrolling once the search results show up.

Once I play a song, very often I can't stop it, pause it or select another song.  It just plays on and on.  The app stops responding to clicks.

 

I am a long time user too and I'm about to give up.  I have tried on 3 different PC's (Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10) and its all the same.... unsuable, freezing and not responsive.

 

version: 1.0.13.108.gcd94e7db

Just to say that from 12 October 2015 Spotify is now working a treat.

I have disabled all local music files, but still i often experience a slow start and sometimes takes ages before I loeds the social pane on the left side and makes it impossible to search up music. I can fast listen to my playlists, but when I want to search sometime new it takes ages.

 

SPOTIFY, you seriously need to fix this, everything is good with the app (almost). You can't have an app that is slow to start up with all functionalities, even not with all one..

 

 

Thing is, the PC app works great once it's up and running. Searching is fast, loading playlists is fast, playback is pretty much flawless. It's that it takes forever to get up and running. Like a weirdly long time for what's otherwise a relatively simple program. I don't have it loading local files, and the social stuff is all turned off, so I know it's neither of those things which tend to be common issues for people. It's just slow. Oddly, the Android app is always super quick.

Using Premium on an iMac. Startup time is close to 2 minutes before it comes out of its stupor. 

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