This is part of a series of articles outlining some common playback-related error messages that you may occasionally encounter and how to troubleshoot them properly. Depending on the exact error message you get, different troubleshooting steps may be involved, so be sure to select the relevant article from the list below and give all steps a try.

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

2. Web Player: Playback fails and is quickly skipping through songs

3. ► Song/episode greyed out. "This content is not available."

You may encounter the "This content is not available" error when attempting to play content that is greyed out and:

• is currently unavailable on the platform in your region due to licensing issues
• is marked as 'Explicit' and playback of explicit content has been disabled on your account.
• is hidden in the current playlist/album
• is by an artist whom you've blocked
• is a local file that's no longer physically stored on the device

Below are some possible solutions which may help fix this, check them out:

1. Check if the app is allowed to play explicit content

Such content is marked with EXPLICIT or E tags on individual releases. If the song/episode you're trying to play is marked as 'explicit', you can allow playback by heading following the steps in this article.

⚠️ Note: For Family plans, the plan manager can allow or block anything with an explicit tag for other members of the plan from their Family page, so refer to them if you're unable to enable playback of explicit content on your own.

2. Specific song not playing

It's possible that you've accidentally hidden the song in that playlist/album. You can undo this by pressing the (-) button on the right, from the three dots menu > 'Show in this album' or via the Undo button (Desktop only).

💡Tip: If unhiding doesn't work, try again with another device - if you normally use Spotify on your phone, try unhiding the song from the desktop app and vice versa.

⚠️ Note: The Hide song feature is not available on the Web Player at the moment, so you'll need to use the app instead.

3. Specific artist won't play

You might have restricted the playback for that particular artist. While active, you might also see some albums showing the error message "The tracks from this release are not available." on the mobile app. You can lift the restriction from the three dots menu on their artist page > 'Allow this artist to play' or via the Undo button on desktop shown when attempting to play a track from a blocked artist.

4. Unavailable local files

In order for the files to be playable across your mobile and desktop devices, the same files have to be physically stored both on your phone and PC, so you may need to manually upload them to the other device, if you haven't already.

For an in-depth guide on how to properly set up local files on your device check out the articles below:

• Desktop/Andorid: here;
• iOS: here.

⚠️ Note: it used to be possible to sync local files across devices on the same network by downloading the playlist directly. This is now a legacy feature which may no longer work as intended, so it's highly recommended you use one of the methods mentioned in the articles above to ensure proper functionality.

💡Tip: If a local file is playable when accessed from the specialized 'Local files' playlist in Your Library, but is greyed out in one of your personal playlists, it worth removing it from the personal playlist and adding it again from the specialized 'Local files' one to force a resync.

5. Test on another device/account

If a song doesn't play on your phone, it's worth checking if everything works well on another device. Feel free to reach out to a friend or a family member who uses Spotify and have them check if they can play the content on their end.

If they can't either (or they can, but they're located in another country), it's possible that the content is currently unavailable in your region. As much as we'd love to have all the music in the world on Spotify, the content may vary over time and between countries. This depends on permissions from rights holders.

💡 Tip: You can use this third-party website made with our developer tools to check where in the world a specific album is currently available.

In the meantime, you can import local files to your Spotify library.

Didn't help? Search for more answers, return to FAQs, or create a new thread and ask the Community.

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This is part of a series of articles outlining some common playback-related error messages that you may occasionally encounter and how to troubleshoot them properly. Depending on the exact error message you get, different troubleshooting steps may be involved, so be sure to select the relevant article from the list below and give all steps a try.

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

2. ► Web Player: Playback fails and is quickly skipping through songs

3. Song/episode greyed out. "This content is not available."

Does the Web Player quickly skip through several tracks after a few seconds of streaming (usually around 10) and occasionally display a "Spotify can't play this right now" error? No worries - here are a few methods you can try to remedy this behavior:

1. Update your browser

Ensure that your browser is running the latest security patches and feature updates. Below are some common browsers & how to install the latest version available, check them out:

• Chrome here;
• Firefox here;
• Opera here;
• MS Edge here;
• Safari here.

⚠️ Note: The browsers above are the ones officially supported by Spotify. If you use another browser, we cannot guarantee optimal performance.

2. Manually update Widevine plugin

Widevine is a digital rights management (DRM) system that protects premium streaming content from piracy. It's highly recommended you manually check if the latest version of the plugin is installed. There's a detailed guide on how to do that here.

3. Clear 'hosts' file

Check if the hosts file contains any entries with Spotify in the address and remove them. You'll find the steps in this article.

4. Check firewall/antivirus software or ad blockers

Aggressive AV or restricted network policies can break DRM or streaming requests. Try disabling them temporarily or test with another network. If you're using any ad-blocker apps or add-ons, we'd recommend adding https://open.spotify.com/ as an exception.

5. Symlinks or moved browser data

If you moved your browser’s cache/profile via symbolic links, check permissions and confirm Widevine is working with the new location.

6. Check your audio output device and sample rate

Make sure Spotify is mapped to a valid audio device in Windows/macOS and that the sample rate isn’t set too high (anywhere between 44.1 and 192 kHz should be okay).

Setting the correct audio output device

Mac users will find a detailed guide on how to do that here. Windows users can follow these steps:

Changing the sample rate

Below are the steps to do this in Windows' settings, but if you're using an external DAC with its own software, you may need to adjust the sample rate from there.

7. Update sound drivers for external USB DACs and audio interfaces

Driver conflicts or odd configuration in advanced setups (e.g., gaming headsets, external DACs) can occasionally trigger errors. Disabling/re-enabling the device driver or trying a different USB port often helps.

8. In case you're using any DJ apps/software for mixing or creating tunes

If you have any DJ apps/software for mixing or creating tunes, try disabling the option to exclusively use a specific sound card. You can try using a different device to verify if the issue is limited to your setup and/ or network.

Didn't help? Search for more answers, return to FAQs, or create a new thread and ask the Community.

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Click here for Android:

Other services that the Spotify app is compatible with:

What about 'Light Theme' on Mobile?

We hope you find the information in this article helpful. If you have any issues with any of these features or need help setting them up, you can always check our Support page or create a new Help Request right here in the Community!

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Method 2: Connect via USB

Windows

Using iTunes and USB

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Lyrics are provided via a third-party service that differs from region to region. You can usually find the provider on the bottom of the Lyrics tab.

If you're having trouble with the content of the lyrics or if they’re out of sync, we'd recommend checking with the lyrics' provider to report this.

This FAQ has been written by @Katerina. Didn't help? Search for more FAQs, or create a new thread and ask the Community.

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Answer:

 

By default, anyone who follows you on Spotify can see what you’re listening to with the Friend Activity feature.

 

If you don’t want others to know what you’re listening to, you can start a Private Session. 

 

How to switch Private Session on/off?

Mobile and tablet

Spoiler

1. Tap Home .
2. Tap on your profile picture in the upper left corner of the screen. 
3. Select Settings and privacy  
4. Under Privacy and social, turn Private Session on .

To end a Private Session and continue sharing your listening activity, repeat the steps and switch it off. 

Note: The Private Session ends automatically when you completely exit out of Spotify, or after 6 hours of inactivity.

Desktop

Spoiler

1. Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner of the screen.
2. Select Private Session.

A blue padlock next to your profile picture means the Private Session is active.

To end a Private Session and continue sharing your listening activity, repeat the steps and switch it off.

Note: The Private Session ends automatically when you completely exit out of Spotify, or after a long period of inactivity.

I don't want to activate Private Sessions every time. Is there a way to permanently hide what I'm listening?

Yes! If you don't want to share your listening activity at all or show your recently played artists, you can turn it off in the app Settings under Social:

 

 

Note that this will only affect what is shown on your profile and the Friend Activity.

 

Can I make my personal playlists private?

Yes! You can choose which playlists are shown on your profile. There's more info on how to do this here.

To go even further, it's also possible to make a playlist completely private in order to hide it from search and prevent anyone but the owner from accessing it. Check out this article for more info.

 

Didn't help? Search for more FAQs, or create a new thread and ask the Community.

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Local files are files that aren't hosted by Spotify but can be imported to Spotify from your own devices. You can then add them to playlists and enjoy them locally on the device they're stored on.

 

Here's how to import your local files to Spotify:

 

iOS mobile users head here ⬅️🍎

 

Android

 

Spoiler

1. Open your Home tab .
2. Swipe left or tap your profile picture in the top left corner > Settings and privacy .
3. Tap Apps and devices and under "Other devices", toggle on Local audio files.



4. Now head back to Your Library  and you should see the Local files folder alongside your playlists.



5. Open the Local files folder and make sure to grant Spotify access to your photos and media. After that, you local files will appear here.

You can now continue to add them to playlists or just listen to them from your library.

Note: For iOS devices, the files need to be imported using a dedicated music data management app. Check out this FAQ for details.

 

Desktop

 

Spoiler

1. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner > Settings.
2. Under "Your Library", toggle on Show Local Files.

3. You can turn off any of the default local file sources or click on Add Source to add a custom folder where you have music stored.

The music files of these folders will be imported into Spotify and you will be able to find them in the Playlists section of Your Library .

From there you can add them to playlists or play them directly.

Local File not playing?

⛔ Right now you can’t play Local Files with Connect.

 

⚠️ Files or downloads from illegal sources are not permitted. If your files have not been obtained from an official source, this is most likely why they are not playing.

If your file is purchased and downloaded from an official source, but still isn't playing, there're some things you can check.

Spoiler

• Spotify supports .mp3, .mp4, and .m4p files. It doesn’t support .mp4 files that contain video, or the iTunes lossless format (M4A).
  
• Some of your tracks may be protected in restricted formats. You can install QuickTime on your desktop to allow most of these tracks to be played on Spotify.
• Ensure the files aren’t DRM-protected.
• Perform a clean reinstall of the app, ensuring to remove any leftover files.
• Update your codec pack. This can also solve issues trying to play FLAC.
• For iOS devices you need to use a dedicated audio library management software for the file transfer. Check this FAQ out for full details.

For more info on Local Files check out our support site. If you have any other questions, go ahead and create a new thread to ask the Community.

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Answer:

Find the Ongoing Issues board

1. Open the Community menu  in the top-right.
2. Select Help.
3. Select Ongoing issues near the top of the Help topics.

Search for your issue

In the Ongoing Issues board, click the Search bar, making sure you have 'This category' selected. Type keywords you think fit the issue best. A list of existing topics will generate in the drop-down menu.

Or you can browse the topics with the categories at the top, e.g. ‘Under investigation’.

Find your issue?

If you find an ongoing issue that sounds like what you’re experiencing, you can check out the latest on it in the Status Update. Learn what our different Status Updates mean here.
If the Status Update is “Under Investigation”, be sure to join it by hitting +VOTE and following the instructions in the Status Update.

Didn't find your issue?

You might find it in our Help section instead, where our Moderators and Rock Stars (expert users) help each other out:

1. Open the Community menu  in the top-right.
2. Select Help.
3. Choose a category and look for posts from other users with the same issue you’re having. If you find one, be sure to comment that you’re also experiencing it and include your device and Spotify version. This will help us investigate the issue.

Our community users work with the information and users in the post and comments to help fix the issue. Larger threads and popular topics then get moved to the Ongoing Issues board.

Still can't find it?

1. Choose a help category, and then hit START A TOPIC.
2. Choose a simple title that you think describes the issue best. This makes it easy for other people to find your topic.
3. In the Body section, you can describe the issue. You can also choose to attach screenshots if you think it helps to describe what's going on.
4. Make sure to include all necessary information:
   - Your device
   - Your device's operating system
   - Spotify app version 
   - Clear steps to reproduce the issue

Your topic will be posted so other users, Stars, and Community Moderators can help you further. If it gets lots of comments and likes, we’ll move your post to the Ongoing Issues board.

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Answer:

On desktop:

1. Find an artist with Search and open their artist page

2. Scroll down to About and check out the artist's rank. 

Voilà!

Similar steps apply for the mobile version:

1. Look up the artist and open their profile
2. Just scroll down until you reach the About section. If the artist is ranked, you'll see their rank in the white circle next on the top right of their picture

FAQ

Q: How many artists are ranked?

A: The rankings go up to 500 but there isn't a place in the app where all artists are listed in order.

Q: Do you have a similar ranking but for songs?

A: We do have charts under Browse > Charts, and those show the current top and viral 50 songs in the world and by regions. You can also check out this nifty page for more info.

This article has been kindly updated by @Hubo, member of the Stars Program!

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