In Summary
If you’re having trouble with Spotify crashing, make sure your app is always up to date and that your device has enough storage space. Clear out the app’s cache and any old data often to make sure Spotify runs smoothly. Turn off your device’s battery optimizer or battery saver mode. If you’re still having trouble, you can send Spotify a bug report.
Spotify is a music streaming service that allows you to listen to songs from artists and bands you love. Unfortunately, it can be quite buggy. So, unless the Spotify gods bless you, you’re bound to run into some problems with the app every now and then, and their support team isn’t particularly adept at handling complaints. If your Spotify app keeps crashing or closing on its own, we may have some suggestions for how to fix it in this post.
Why is Spotify Crashing?
There could be several reasons why your Spotify app keeps crashing while streaming, ranging from a recent glitchy update to a recent account location change. Before you start fixing Spotify, make sure your device isn’t the source of the problem. If your device crashes when you use other apps as well, you should try performing a factory reset before using the app. Some of the common reasons why Spotify crashes or shuts down unexpectedly are:
Your device is set to save battery power, or a storage cleaning program is running. Your device isn’t compatible with the app. This could be because you just updated the Spotify app or because your device has an old operating system or processor. An antivirus program, firewall, or VPN stops the app from working. Your device has low memory and is running out of storage. The app files are corrupted, or a third-party app or program is causing problems. Your WiFi network or hotspot is causing issues.
How to Stop Spotify From Crashing
Any app can crash sometimes, but it shouldn’t happen too often to be a problem. If you can’t figure out why Spotify is crashing or how to fix it, try one or more of the options below.
Force Close the Spotify App
How often have you seen apps crash or freeze? If you’re using Spotify on a mobile device or PC, you’ve probably noticed that the app doesn’t always work as intended, often crashes, and sometimes even freezes. To fix it, you’ll have to force close the app and end the app processes that are currently running, so they stop using your system resources. If an app stops responding, forcing it to close can fix crashing problems and ensure performance and stability.
To force close the Spotify app, follow the steps below:
On Windows:
Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. In the Task Manager window, select the Processes tab. Scroll down to Spotify, then right-click and select End Task. This will close the application.
On Mac:
Press Option + Command + Esc together, or select Force Quit from the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen. Select Spotify from the Force Quit Applications window, then click Force Quit.
On iPhone/iPod/iPad:
Slide up from the bottom of the Home Screen, stop in the middle, and then swipe right or left to select Spotify. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close the Spotify app.
Check Spotify Status to See if It is Down
Sometimes the issue may not be with the settings of your device or app but rather on the server or developer side. Spotify monitors any ongoing issues that many users are experiencing at the same time, as well as any server issues or maintenance checks. You can follow their Twitter account (@SpotifyStatus), check Spotify ongoing issues board, or Spotify Web API Status to get updates on Spotify’s current status and see if others are reporting the same problem.
Log Out and Back Into Spotify
If your Spotify keeps crashing, you can try logging out to see if the problem is with your account. Logging in informs the system of your identity and what you are authorized to do. Logging out may help prevent crashes by restoring your app to default settings. If you notice your Spotify app is running slowly, log out. If your app still runs slowly after logging out, restarting your phone may help fix the problem. To log out and back into Spotify, follow the steps below:
On Desktop:
Navigate to the Spotify app’s homepage. Then, in the top right corner, click your name avatar. From the pop-up menu, select Log out. You will now be prompted to log in again, fill out the form, and log in again to see if the problem has been resolved.
On iPhone/Android Spotify app:
Open the Spotify app and select the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of the homepage. Scroll down, click Log out, and then agree when prompted. Sign in again with your credentials to see if the issue has been fixed.
Clear Spotify’s Cache
If an app isn’t loading properly, it’s always a good idea to clear the cache. App cache enables apps to store data on your device locally. This means that your Spotify app data remains on your phone or computer even after you uninstall the app. Clearing the cache may improve the performance of the Spotify app on your device. To clear the Spotify cache, follow the steps below:
On Windows/Mac:
Navigate to the homepage of the Spotify desktop app. Then, in the top right corner, click your profile icon, and then Settings. Scroll down to Offline storage location and make a note of where your cache storage is. Navigate to the folder manually, or press Ctrl + R and type in “Appdata.” Then, navigate to Spotify > PersistentCache > Storage (Mac) or Spotify > Storage (Windows). Press Ctrl + A to select everything, then right-click and select Move to trash (Mac) or Delete (Windows).
On iPhone/Android:
Open the Spotify app and select the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of the homepage. Scroll down to Storage, then tap Delete cache (iPhone) or Clear cache (iPad) (Android). Relaunch the app.
Perform a Clean Reinstall
Most app problems can be resolved by simply reinstalling the app. However, in some cases, you may need a clean reinstall of the app from scratch, which is a more intensive process. However, doing so will ensure you remove any bugs or old issues and reconfigure Spotify on your device. To perform a clean install, follow the steps below:
On Windows:
Close the Spotify app. Go to Start, then scroll down to Settings, then Apps > Apps & Features. Search for Spotify and select Uninstall. To uninstall the app, follow the instructions on the screen. Press Ctrl + R, type “AppData” into the search bar, and then press Enter. Remove all Spotify folders from the AppData/Roaming directory. Then, similarly, navigate to AppData/Local and delete the Spotify folders. Restart your device before downloading and reinstalling Spotify.
On Mac:
Open Finder. Hold down the Option key and select Library from the top menu. Remove com.spotify.client.helper and com.spotify.client folders from Caches. Return to Application Support and remove the Spotify folder. Reboot your computer and install Spotify.
On Android:
Go to phone Settings. then select Manage Apps > Spotify. Tap Storage and Clear user data and cache. Go back and tap Uninstall. In the phone’s Files app: go to Internal Storage > Android > data, then delete the com.spotify. music folder. If you’re using an SD card, navigate to SD Card > Android > data and delete the com.spotify.music folder. Restart your device.
Switch to a Different Internet Connection or Device
Sometimes simply switching an internet connection or device is all that is required to get you back online. If you keep switching between different WiFi connections, the Spotify app may often crash, especially if you’re listening to downloaded offline songs. You could use another public hotspot or a friend’s network. Check to see if your particular device isn’t causing the issue. For example, try the phone app instead of using Spotify on your computer. If the problem persists, proceed to the next step.
Try Clearing Up Space on Your Device
If you often have problems with apps crashing or freezing, you should check if your device has enough memory. Apps tend to take up a lot of storage space on your phone, and if they run out of room, they won’t work properly. Erasing data on the device can sometimes clear potentially corrupted data and allow apps to function more smoothly. Remove unnecessary temporary files and apps, and make sure your device has at least 1 GB of free storage space for Spotify. This allows it to play without lag and to store downloaded music files and podcasts so you can listen to them even when you don’t have internet access. If your mobile device has an external SD card slot, you can save your downloads there rather than in the device’s internal memory to save space.
Check for Updates
By updating apps often, developers can fix common glitches and add new features as they come out. If you haven’t updated your older version of Spotify in a while, you might be missing out on bug fixes and other improvements. You should download the newer version of the app to resolve the Spotify app crash issue on your device. Open the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and look for Spotify in the search bar. If an update is available, tap the Update button and then restart the app. If no update option is available, your app is up to date. You can look for the Update pop-up under your profile icon on the desktop. If you’re listening to Spotify via Bluetooth, try updating the device drivers to the latest edition for that headset to see if that resolves the app crashes.
Remove All Synced Devices
If you have too many devices connected to your account, your Spotify app may not function properly and may lead to an app crash. You could have accidentally left your account logged in on someone else’s device, or they could be using it without your knowledge. Try signing out of all devices from your Spotify account page. If you log out everywhere, your account will be forced to sync with the Spotify servers in case the problem has anything to do with your account. To sign out of Spotify everywhere, follow these steps:
Open Spotify in a browser and sign in. Go to Profile > Account. Go to the Account Overview tab and then scroll down to Sign Out Everywhere. This logs you out of Spotify across all platforms, including the mobile app, web player, and desktop apps.
You can also try removing access to third-party apps to see if they are interfering with the Spotify app. Go to Account > Manage Apps > Apps and select Remove Access next to any apps you no longer require.
Turn Off Any Antivirus, Ad Blocking, or VPN Software
Your device’s internet protection or privacy software may also prevent the Spotify app from working properly. Check that you are on the same WiFi network, that UPnP is activated on your router, and that any program, including Windows firewall, antivirus, ad blocker, VPN, and so on, is not blocking Spotify. If you’re using Windows, make sure network discovery is enabled in your network settings. Check the settings of your specific software to ensure Spotify has all permissions granted and is added as an exception on the firewall.
Turn Off Battery Saver
Turning on low power mode can stop downloads, background music play, and app refresh on your device. As a result, using the battery saver or battery optimizer modes on your mobile app can also prevent your Spotify app from running smoothly. If you currently use Spotify’s low power mode on your device, try turning it off. To disable battery saving mode, follow the steps below:
On Android/iPhone:
Go to our phone’s Settings. Then go to Settings > Battery or look for “battery.” Deactivate the toggle next to Low Power Mode (iPhone) or Battery Saver (Android) Android users can also disable battery optimization for a specific app by going to Apps > Manage apps. Search for Spotify and select Don’t Optimize. For the iPhone app, go to Battery Health > Disable Optimized Battery Charging.
Turn Off Hardware Acceleration
If you turn on hardware acceleration in Spotify, the audio stream will be decoded and played back using the hardware in your desktop CPU, motherboard, or sound card. If you turn off hardware acceleration, the streaming experience could be slower. But if you think your desktop hardware isn’t sufficient for the job, you should turn it off to fix the Spotify app crashing issue. To disable hardware acceleration on Spotify, follow these steps:
On Windows/Mac:
Launch the Spotify app and select your profile icon, then Settings > scroll down to Hardware Acceleration under Compatibility (Android). Navigate to Spotify > Spotify > Hardware Acceleration (Mac). Deactivate the toggle next to Hardware Acceleration.
Run Spotify in Compatibility Mode
When using the Windows Spotify client, compatibility mode allows the software to work as if it were running in an earlier version of Windows. Compatibility issues are common, especially when you switch to a new operating system that may not be compatible with older software versions. To enable compatibility mode in Windows, follow these steps:
Right-click the Spotify icon and select Properties. Select the Compatibility tab, then under Compatibility mode, check the box next to ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select a previous operating system. Click Apply, then OK. Reload the app to see if the issue has been resolved.
Don’t Let Spotify Crash Again
Spotify is a go-to service for millions of people but frequently crashes without warning. If this has happened to you, you might be wondering if it’s worth sticking with Spotify in the future. However, you can avoid future app crashes by taking regular steps like updating your app and device, ensuring enough storage space on your device, clearing caches often, and not syncing too many devices at once. You can always report your issue to Spotify’s community forum if it remains unresolved. Some common causes of problems include:
An incompatible version of the Spotify app or music library on your phone. An incompatible car stereo system. Issues with Google Play Music integration.
Make sure that both apps (Spotify and Android Auto) have the latest updates installed. Try disabling Google Play Music integration in Android Auto settings. Disabling this feature will stop any songs from automatically loading when playing music through Android Auto, which might resolve some issues on its own.
- Update Your App
- Clear Cache and Data
- Restart Your Device
- Check for Updates from Spotify
- Reset All Settings on Your Device
- Disable Ad-Hoc Mode in Spotify (if Applicable)
- Uninstall and Reinstall the App 8 . Delete User Data 9 . Use a VPN (or disable VPN if you were already using one) 10 . Enable Location Services
Your Mac might not have the required hardware to run Spotify smoothly. Spotify might be using more resources than it needs to, causing the app to lag or crash intermittently. You may not have the latest version of Spotify installed. There could be problems with your network connection or bandwidth usage, either in relation to Spotify itself or other applications running on your computer at the same time.
