What's up with this new desktop UI?

[tetre]

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 10

I don't know where else to post this, but the new desktop UI is terrible. I'm running version 1.2.7.1277.g2b3ce637 and have tried the methods to revert the UI I've found elsewhere in the community (like changing prefs file, which I had to dig for), but none have worked.

The UI is just the complete opposite of what I'd want on desktop- very noncompact, difficult for no reason, and generally looks to be modeled more for phones than for a desktop.

If anyone knows a way to revert the update, please let me know.

[tetre]

Hey folks,

If you need a familiar experience to help you get started with the new Your Library sidebar, here's how to get it as close as possible to the old sidebar that previously only showed playlists:

• In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter at the top.

• Then, in the sort options drop down menu select "Custom Order". You will then see your previous playlist order and be able to move your playlists and folders like before.

• Your currently chosen filters and sort options will be remembered across restarts of the desktop app.

• If you would like to only see text in the Your Library sidebar (no art covers), go to the Spotify app Settings ➜ Library ➜ and turn on "Use compact library layout".

• Flexible Sizing: You can drag the Your Library sidebar to different sizes. Fully expand the sidebar by clicking the arrow button at the top, and fully collapse the sidebar by clicking on the "Your Library" heading to see only art covers.

• At the top, you can scroll through the different filters with your mouse scroll wheel for faster navigation when the sidebar is set to a smaller size. 

Hopefully this info helps!

Check out my help guide for more help:

Desktop: New Your Library sidebar

[theodosiaprevost]

Is there a way to open the library in the full screen? This is the best that I could get and it's useless for what I need.

I have a LOT of playlists (both mine and others' that I folIow.) I rely on playlist folders to keep everything organised. It's basically impossible to organise playlists with this new UI (or if there's a way then it's very unintuitive.) It's worse than the Android mobile UI and that's saying a lot.

[mircofragomena]

I think the new UI is great!
It's much cleaner and tidier, on desktop for who has lots of playlists it makes possible to order them by date, name, etc..as well to see their cover image is HUGE! So helpful!
Plus, you got rid of 1 page (Your library) to have everything in one place, with also a search function.

You can make everything bigger/smaller just resizing the sidebar — so customization is already there.

What Spotify could do is to remove the cover images when the sidebar gets very small, so to keep it as it is in the older version, but when it gets resized to a wider sidebar then the cover images appear.

I don't see any of your complaints very relevant to be honest, sounds you're all UI and UX designers but you're all about "my playlist, my Spotify, my experience" instead of seeing the possibility that we are all getting + what you can do with the new layout (again, resize them down if you dont like the cover images being so big)

[LadyRevan]

It reverted to how it was before for me, so hopefully it stays like that and I can actually use the app normally.

[TelekoNuman]

I've never disliked an update to the UI so much that I've had to search for a way to complain about it, but here we are. I have hundreds of playlists and would like to be able to view them in a list without the unnecessary thumbnails or usernames.

[electricwizard]

It's all been going downhill since 2020. Spotify would rather trot out a poorly designed mobile UI that seems to get worse with each major update than revert to something that's useful and intuitive for desktop users. They've been criticized for this for years but no one at the company seems to care what users think. Oh and it'd be nice if someone would actually respond to these without the usual disingenuous boilerplate public relations BS saying they "value our feedback" when in reality they don't.

[Ephora]

I don't mind sidebars, but the Library button should take me to a full view of my library. It also makes no sense that it is that same button that collapses the sidebar.

[Jenjam]

I've just performed an update to the Windows desktop app and playlist navbar takes up way too much space.

I much preferred the previous version, where organising playlists was much cleaner.

App version: 1.2.10.760.g52970952

[kaworu_bloodpaw]

Hey @Jenjam!

There is a way to return the sidebar to a previous-like state!

Here's how to get it as close as possible to the old sidebar:

In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter.

Then, in the sort drop down select "Custom order". You will then see your previous playlist order and be able to reorganize your playlists (move playlists and folders like before)

Your current preference will be remembered each time you start up the Spotify desktop app.

If you would like to only see text in the Your Library sidebar, go to the Spotify app Settings ---> Library ---> and select "use compact library".

You can also drag the left sidebar to different sizes, as well as fully expand the sidebar by clicking the arrow button, and fully collapse the sidebar by clicking on the "Your Library" heading.

If my answer was useful, don't forget to give it a 'Like!' If my answer was the solution, don't forget to mark it as the solution! Thanks! 😇

If you need anything else, please reply and ask, or shoot me a Private Message! Feel free to follow my Spotify or Community profiles!  Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Spotify.

[Jenjam]

Ah, that's more like it!

Thanks!

[TMcC]

Both Desktop and Phone App used to have library have custom sort. With the addition of other sort methods to desktop the option to have playlists be in a custom order has been eliminated unless you are inside a folder.

[Iarry]

Another important thing the new UI lacks is the ability to search your albums full screen. I always listen to albums in full and search through my library by albums, but now I can only do that in the sidebar? Definitely an oversight.

[Fuzziekiwi]

Usability just went down by a LOT. I don't understand how this got approved as the final design. Time to fire some staff. The hovering album art sucks. Spotify is going to kill their own platform eventually.

[Chuck2389]

I'm sure all my complaints have been mentioned in the dozen or so pages full of complaints that precede this one, but I do want to add my vote to change the UI. Maybe if enough people chime in, Spotify might care.

At a minimum, I would want to see these two things changed.

1. The album art for the playing song is really bad right now. Text from playlists/albums show up behind it. It can't be resized. There is blank space all around it. It's just really poorly done. Fix - Make the album art resize to the left panel like it used to do, or let us manually choose the size.

2. Let us view our lists of playlists/albums/etc. in a full window. Whey can I only use half the screen? That is silly.

I'm a premium subscriber. I'm not ready to check out the competition YET, but this does make me wonder how other services are these days.

[philthyfil]

The new Desktop UI restricts my browsing to the sidebar. I want to be able to easily look at the albums in my library and the only way to do that with the new UI is to filter the sidebar which is neither easy nor convenient.

[Ned2600]

---

@mircofragomena wrote:

You can make everything bigger/smaller just resizing the sidebar — so customization is already there.

The fact you imply the customization is there, look again..
Album art is not scaling at all, especially noticeable on High resolution displays.
For me on 1440P with 100% scaling in Windows 11 the images are ridiculously small

[aulerius]

Generally I am not in favor with most of these changes to the UI, but It's probably unrealistic to think it will just get reverted, because it seems to be an attempt to unify mobile UI with desktop UI.

My actual request then is to please allow to fully collapse/hide, or switch places of the "home" section of the UI. Please please consider that some users do not use it and rely exclusively on "your Library" and search to use Spotify. For such user, there's now 50% of dead weight on the screen and instead of seeing their saved albums on the entire screen, it's always limited to that left half of the screen.

[Chuck2389]

I'm sure all my complaints have been mentioned in the dozen or so pages full of complaints that precede this one, but I do want to add my vote to change the UI. Maybe if enough people chime in, Spotify might care.

At a minimum, I would want to see these two things changed.

1. The album art for the playing song is really bad right now. Text from playlists/albums show up behind it. It can't be resized. There is blank space all around it. It's just really poorly done. Fix - Make the album art resize to the left panel like it used to do, or let us manually choose the size.

2. Let us view our lists of playlists/albums/etc. in a full window. Whey can I only use half the screen? That is silly.

I'm a premium subscriber. I'm not ready to check out the competition YET, but this does make me wonder how other services are these days.

[#20]

het scherm is in 2en verdeeld

[Jenjam]

Just to add, I really don't like this new layout compared to the previous one.

I'm not one adverse to change - I liked and preferred one of Spotify's previous changes on the Windows app, but alas it was a test - but this really isn't working for me at all.

Would be nice to have the option to revert to previous version.

[NotfanofnewUI]

This UI update is plain horrible. I don't care it it's to work better with phone app or it's because Spotify wants to be TikTok or it's because somebodys giraffe just had a baby. Stop fixing things that aren't broken.

At the very least, give an option to remain on the old UI.