"Can't play the current track" error

[Adam_B]

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."

The "Spotify can't play this right now" error shows up on desktop when the app is unable to process the playback of the requested file. This may be due to:

• Incorrectly set-up audio output device;
• Sample rate set too high (eg. 384 000 Hz);
• Virtual audio output device being used - those are generally not supported;
• Outdated sound drivers;
• Audio enhancements or other sound-related settings/software;
• Network issues;
• Caching issues with the app.

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

1. Clean reinstall

It's recommended you start with a clean reinstall to get rid of any potentially corrupted cache and ensure you're running the latest version of the app available.

2. Make sure 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:

Windows 10	Windows 11
1. Right-click on the "speaker" icon in the system tray and select Open Sound settings.	1. Right-click on the "speaker" icon in the system tray and select Open Volume mixer.
2. Scroll down to "Advanced sound settings" located at the bottom and select App volume and device preferences.	2. Locate Spotify in the list of apps and click on the small arrow on the right to expand the input & output devices.
3. Locate Spotify in the list of apps and change the output device to the correct one.	3. Change the output device to the correct one.

3. Check the sample rate

Make sure the sample rate of your audio device is set to anywhere between 44.1 kHz and 192 kHz. 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.

Windows 10	Windows 11
1. Right-click on the "speaker" icon in the system tray and select Open Sound settings.	1. Right-click on the "speaker" icon in the system tray and select Sound settings.
2. Click on Sound Control Panel, located on the right.	2. Scroll down a bit and select More Sound settings.
3. From the new window that pops up, right-click on your playback device and select Properties.	3. From the new window that pops up, right-click on your playback device and select Properties.
4. Switch to the Advanced tab and under "Default Format", select a sample rate between 44.1 kHz and 192 kHz.	4. Switch to the Advanced tab and under "Default Format", select a sample rate between 44.1 kHz and 192 kHz.

4. Sound enhancements

Something else you can try in Windows is disable any sound enhancing apps you might be using, as well as "audio enhancements", "communication settings", "Exclusive Mode" as well as "Spatial sound":

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Sound > Sound Control Panel (Windows 10) / More Sound settings (Windows 11), switch to the Communications tab and set "When Windows detects communications activity" to Do nothing.
2. 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".
3. Switch to the 'Spatial sound' tab and turn off Spatial sound.

If you're using any other external sound enhancing/optimizing software, equalizers, Dolby Atmos, etc., try disabling them & restart the app to see if that helps alleviate the issue.

In case 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.

5. Updating sound drivers

It's worth making sure the drivers for your audio output device are up to date. You'll find a guide on how to do that in the articles below:

• Windows here;
• Mac here.

6. Network troubleshooting

The issue may be rooted in in your current network setup. Here are a couple of things you can try:

1. Make sure Spotify's allowed through your PC's Firewall. Windows: here / Mac: here.
2. Make sure your network firewall isn't blocking the "spotifycdn.com" domain.
3. Remove any entries with 'Spotify' you find in the hosts file.
4. Flush the DNS cache:
   
   Windows:
      4.1.1. In Windows’ search bar, type “Command Prompt” and run it as an administrator.
      4.1.2. Enter the following command: 

   ipconfig /flushdns​

   
   Mac:
      4.2.1. Open Terminal.app.
      4.2.2. Enter one of the following command: 

   sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder​

   
   
5. Test with another network (if possible). You can ask a friend or family member to create a temporary mobile hotspot for you to connect to.

⚠️ Note: If you're seeing this error message on the Web Player accompanied by frequent skipping of songs, we'd recommend checking out Web Player: Playback fails and is quickly skipping through songs instead.

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