Can't play current track?

[teknotel]

Keep getting 'Can't play current track' message randomly when I am listening to music. Stops my playlists dead (as in does not skip to the next tune) and also someitmes tunes that dont work one minute work the next. Becoming very frustrating, don't understand why this is happening. 

I am premium member.

[shape5]

yes, this error is infamous.  it looks like tracks are selectively removed from Spotify and the error message offers no explanation as to the reasoning.  if you click on the album the track is on, is the track missing from the album, or perhaps all the tracks missing from the album?

this thread has an explanation as to why it happens (it's removed by the record label) but i don't understand why tracks are removed and then reoffered, and why many times it's only select tracks from a release rather than a whole release.

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Help-Desktop-Linux-Mac-and/Track-not-available/td-p/497892

[user-removed · Accepted solution]

Hello: @driver49

Did you make sure after unchecking high quality streaming that you logged out and back into the app again?

[barterb]

Thanks for posting this...couldn't figure out for the life of me what was goin' on there.  Had the same issue

[iamcmao]

First I tried the tip about unchecking the option Playback -> High quality streaming, however this didn't work for me.

I then closed Spotify and manually emptied the cache, this did it for me. Clear cache instructions from lifehacker.com.

[Delta069]

Although there are several issues you may be having that can cause this issue, here is the fix that worked for me...

My problem was caused by a corrupt local file that I had just downloaded from itunes. They sold me an album...with no sound in it (fkrs!) Meanwhile back in Spotify land, my preferences were set to allow local files to be used first. After some consideration I realized that the it was no coincidence that an album I had JUST downloaded from itunes was affecting my Spotify experience for the exact same album.

So...from the Spotify dashboard,

1. Go to the down arrow to the right of your photo (upper right corner)

2. Click on settings

3. Under "Local Files" choose the files you want to use as resources. (I'd like to use all of them but cannot if those files I choose to listen to are corrupt.

4. Once I unchecked itunes the album I was interested in listening to (on spotify) was working properly and no more "can't play the current track" messages appeared.

Once again...this was only the fix for my specific issue and clearly there are several contributing problems to that particular error message. But at least some of you reported the same problem and to different degrees...some albums, some songs, just one song etc... this (to me) is an indication of file corruption. I have holes all over my local music files lol.

If you are getting the error message for every single song you try to play and the above is not the fix then maybe try some of the other fixes like verifying whether of not high quality streaming has been checked.

A note of caution:

During a Uninstall/Reinstall attempt at fixing the probem, I may have lost all of the artist and radio settings I have worked since I started using spotify. I haven't figured that out yet because I still have a photo attached to my account?

Hope some of you find this helpful 🙂

[jennovalles]

I don't have that option. My spotify wont play sound and it's very frustrating. 

[ndaniels1028]

The solution does not work.

[Afri6503]

Thank you... This has been driving me crazy at work for months. I almost cancelled my premium membership because of this issue.

[DarrylMacKenzie]

Fixed my problem on Mac by closing the Spotify App, doing a Quit, and reopening it again.
Aggravating but easy fix.

[1247591328]

I know you probably have this fixed by now but just incase anyone else has the same problem: I am a premium user and I am following 6 playlists besides my personal ones. When the message "can't play current track" came up, I realized that premium users can only be following 3 offline playlists (not your own). I had to unfollow three playlists to get it down to only 3 and now everything works fine. Hope this helps 🙂

[demitridaniel]

Going to the preferneces and unchecking local files helped me. Thank you.

[benrobertsabq]

After trying unchecking High Quality, clearing the Cache, and a few other things suggested on this thread, it took a full delete and reinstall according to the instructions here https://support.spotify.com/us/learn-more/faq/#!/article/reinstallation-of-spotify/  plus deleting the Spotify app itself under /Applications/ before reinstalling,  to finally fix things.

OSX Yosemite (10.10.5) and Spotify 1.0.20.94.g8f8543b3 - finally working again.

[fitzee123]

Getting the same deskktop message "can't play the current track" and when make a selection it skips from title to title  I use Windows 10.  I've checked the Spotify so-called support site and this error message isn't even show...kind of strange when I see hundreds of people on the community site with the same problem.  I just cancelled Slacker and have signed up for the 3 month premium trial.  At this rate I may start looking elsewhere. 

[Delta069]

It has been a while...but more than likely Spotify is attempting to use your local media to access those tracks because it sees the titles in your database...iTunes, etc. If those tracks are corrupt and or no longer even exist (by this I mean a title with an empty file which is often the case in your music files) then you have a problem. You can set spotify to NOT choose your local media first. In the top right corner of the app should be a button to navigate to that setting menu. I believe I had left a more specific set on instructions previously...

[ndaniels1028]

---

@user-removed wrote:

This happens to me a LOT.  I followed this thread and see the oft' repeated suggestion to uncheck "High quality streaming."

It's unchecked.

Still getting "Can't play the current track."

WTF?

Screenshot: it plays the next track, but not most of the tracks after that.

Are some of these tracks just verboten, TaylorSwifted?

Next suggeston?

---

that's exactly what it looks like!

[shape5]

This error usually occurs when the track is no longer available on Spotify in your region, or possibly every region.

[fitzee123]

I have tired uninstal/install according to instructions 4 times,turned off local files, checked for other speaker settings and still getting "cant play track" and skipping  Windows 10.  VERY frustrating.

[bjammerboy]

Fking love you! I was ready to cancel!

[djrightnow]

I was playing tracks on my computer, and then I switched to my iPhone. When I came back the next morning to listen again on my computer I got the "Can't play current track" message.

SOLUTION: Quit spotify on my computer. Double click return button on iPhone and slide spotify closed. Re-open on computer and viola. Works instantly.

[dncornejo]

Quitting and restarting spotify is what it takes for me, but that's a major pain in the butt and looks pretty shabby.

I think a more helpful error message is called for - I expect that there are many reasons why you get this message, and it's too generic for Spotify to do anything but guess at the root problem.