Spotify Web Player Not Working? Here Are the Fixes

by
Spread the love

The Spotify web player should be one of the most-loved websites in the world, as it lets you access the Spotify musical universe directly through your web browser. It’s kind of brilliant but also terribly flawed, with many people reporting that it’s not working properly or at all on various browsers. Here are the fixes for the Spotify web player not working issues.

Content

Also read: How to Change Spotify Username, Email, and Password

Spotify Web Player Not Working in Windows 10 “N” Version

“N” versions of Windows 10 run much the same way as other Windows 10 versions except that they’re missing much of the media functionality and apps that come preloaded in mainline Windows 10 releases. (Apps like Skype, Video, Music, and Voice Recorder are missing.)

“N” versions of Windows 10 also don’t come with the media-playing functionality required for the Spotify web player to work in the Edge browser. Thankfully, it’s not hard to install the Media Feature Pack, which should get the Spotify web player working in Microsoft’s browser.

Just download and install the Media Feature Pack for “N” versions of Windows 10, restart Edge, and the Spotify web player should work the next time around. Note that you won’t be able to install this media feature pack on non-“N” versions of Windows 10.

Also read: How to Create Folder and Manage Playlists on Spotify

Open the Web Player in a Private Window

Before moving on to the bulk of the tips in this list, you can do a quick check to see if there’s an extension or feature in your browser that’s interfering with the web player.

How do you do this? Just try opening the web player in a private window. By default, this launches a browser window without extensions, cached data, and so on, which can sometimes interfere with Spotify’s functionality.

To open a private window in Chrome, click the three-dot menu icon at the top right, then “New incognito window.”

To open a private window in Microsoft Edge, click the three-dot menu icon at the top right, then “New InPrivate window.”

If the web player works fine in a private window, you should clear your browser cache and also try disabling extensions one by one to see which one was causing the problem.

Also read: How to Hide Your Listening Activity on Spotify with These Simple Tips

Enable Protected Content

If you try to open the Spotify web player but get a message that “Playback of protected content is not enabled,” then you need to make sure you enable protected content in your browser.

If you’re using Chrome, go to chrome://settings/content, then scroll down to “Protected content” and enable “Allow site to play protected content.”

If you’re using Firefox, go to the Spotify web player site, click the shield icon to the left of the URL bar, then click “Turn off blocking for this site.”

You may also get a message that you need to install Widevine to play protected content. If so, you must install this before the Spotify web player will play anything. This often happens on more privacy-centric browsers.

Also read: How to Upload Your Music and Local Files to Spotify

Clear Cache and Flush DNS

If your web player is launching and seems to work fine except that it’s not playing music, you should try flushing the DNS cache on your system. This will refresh your PC’s DNS cache, which should make sure the next time you log in that its domain name gets properly registered.

To do this in Windows, hit Win + R, then enter ipconfig /flushdns.

Songs Won’t Play

If the web player is loading and looking like it should work properly, but no music is playing, there are several things that could be causing this.

As a potential quick fix, select an album you want to play on Spotify, click the three-dot icon next to a song in that album, then select “Copy song link.” Paste this link into your browser address bar, hit Enter, and it should jolt the web player to life, playing the song.

That failing, some users have reported that the issue can be caused by using Spotify across multiple devices. With Spotify open in your browser, grab your phone or tablet and open Spotify on it.

Tap “Settings cog -> Devices,” then try switching between the different devices displayed before selecting “Web Player” as the option to listen on. This kind of switch-up can trigger the Web Player to work properly again.

In the Spotify web player, click the “Connect” button at the bottom right and make sure “This Web Browser” is selected.

Also read: How to Change Spotify Playlist Picture on Android

Spotify Web Player Not Working at All

If the web player is refusing to load at all, the first thing you should do is clear the cookies in your browser. This varies slightly from browser to browser, but it should be under Settings, then Privacy or History. Clear the cookies, restart your browser, and see if it works.

The Spotify web player may not be perfect, as the above guide shows, but with a few tweaks and a few creases ironed out, it does a pretty good job as a stand-in for the full-fledged app. What’s more, it also resembles the Spotify app to quite an extent.

Also, remember that if you’re using a public computer your employer’s or school’s network, Spotify may be blocked. If this is the case, the Spotify website shouldn’t load at all.

Also read: How to Create a Radio Station on Spotify and Find New Music

Update Your Browser

The Spotify web player requires your browser to have specific features and security measures in place to be compatible. Even if everything worked fine the week before, Spotify may have chosen to support only the newer version of your browser for various reasons.

Before giving up on listening to Spotify in your favorite browser, update the browser to the latest version, if there’s an update available.

The exact method to update your browser depends on the browser itself. However, there are a couple of common methods that work in most mainstream browsers.

  1. Open your browser’s menu and select “About browser name.” This shows you information about the browser along with an area for checking for updates.

  1. Alternatively, open your browser’s menu and select “Settings.” Most modern browsers have a search function within Settings. Search for “Update” or look for “About browser name” as a settings section.

If you have any trouble downloading or installing the update, visit your browser’s web page, download the latest version directly, and install it. This will simply update your existing browser installation.

At the time of writing, Spotify supported the following browser versions:

  • Chrome 66 and higher
  • Firefox 60 and higher
  • Safari 12.1 and higher
  • Edge 18 and higher
  • Opera 49 and higher

It’s important to note that Spotify also supports most Chromium-based browsers, as they’re similar to Chrome, so the Spotify web player may also work well on these lightweight browsers.

Also read: How to Use Spotify Blend Playlists with Friends

Disable Your Ad Blocker for Spotify

Usually, ad-blocker extensions don’t interfere with Spotify, but occasionally, they do. The fix for this is easy: disable your ad-blocker extension for the Spotify web player. You don’t have to disable it on all sites, just on Spotify.

For most ad blockers, including those built in to your browser, you should see an icon to the right of your address bar. For example, I’m using the Brave browser, which has a built-in ad blocker. When I’m on Spotify’s web player, I can click the icon and disable the shields for just that site.

This should work similarly for all types of ad blockers. If you don’t see an icon, look for the extensions icon or open your browser’s menu and select “extensions,” “plug-ins,” or “add-ons.” (The exact word depends on what your browser calls them.) You’ll then be able to manage your ad-blocker extension by clicking on it.

Also read: How to Connect Spotify to Your Discord Account

Try a Different Browser

As a final option, try a different browser. It’s possible there’s a compatibility error between the Spotify web player and your browser. This could be due to the browser version, an extension, a custom setting, or something else.

Install one of the supported browsers listed above to use for Spotify. If it works with no problems, consider keeping that browser just for listening to the Spotify web player.

Also read: How to Remove Duplicates from Your Spotify Playlist

Other Common Issues

In addition to all of the above, there are a few other issues that could be the reason behind the Spotify web player not working, such as:

  • A poor internet connection: if your internet connection is weak, the web player may not be able to stay connected long enough to stream. One song might preload and play fine, but the next song may not load at all. Verify your connection by checking another website, especially a site where you can stream music or video.
  • An unsupported location: like most streaming services, Spotify isn’t available everywhere. If you’re traveling and you to listen via a browser, ensure the country you’re in is supported. Otherwise, the web player won’t work.
  • Active VPN connection: many apps and services don’t work well with a VPN. This is to prevent users from using the service where they’re not supposed to. Try turning off your VPN, then load Spotify again.
  • Viruses: while a virus isn’t going to specifically target the Spotify web player, sudden glitches could be a sign of a virus infection. This is especially true if you’re noticing any other performance issues or problems with other sites and apps. Run an antivirus scan to check for any problems.

Also read: How to Create and Scan a Spotify Code to Share Songs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spotify web player free?

Spotify Web Player still links to your Spotify account. If you have a free account, you’ll have much the same features in web player as you do in the app. If you have a Premium account, those benefits will transfer over to the Web version. So there’s no added cost to using Spotify web player.

Is Spotify web player better than Spotify?

In short: no. Unless you really value the idea of not downloading a separate app, you’ll generally get a better experience with the Spotify app. The web player limits audio quality to 128Kbps for free users and 256Kbps for Premium, while in the desktop app, you can go up to 160Kbps and 320Kbps respectively.

The web player also doesn’t link to your desktop to offer a separate controls window and is missing a few other features. But it’s quick and easy to use, and that counts for something.

Is Spotify web player down?

Spotify web player is unlikely to go down separately from the Spotify app. The best way to see whether Spotify is down is to go to DownDetector and track reports on there. Generally, it’s rare for Spotify to have a full-on outage.

Can I use Spotify web player on mobile?

Yes. While the site will push you to download the Spotify app instead, you can still work around this and sign in through your preferred mobile browser.

Are there any alternatives to Spotify?

If Spotify just doesn’t do it for you anymore, then see our list of the best Spotify alternatives. If you’re looking for free music, then also take a gander at some of the best free music download apps for Android.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox

Sign up for all newsletters.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy. We will not share your data and you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe


Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.

Comments (1)