Spotify can't play the current song

Can’t Play the Current Song on Spotify? Try These Methods!

Who doesn’t like listening to music on an application that has everything? We all do! Spotify is a go-to music application for almost everyone around us. It has massive playlists from multiple artists readily available for playback. But since it is software, there are times when you end up running in with issues where Spotify won’t play any songs.

Quite a few users have been facing issues when playing songs, especially on the desktop version of their Spotify applications. The application usually reads ‘Spotify can’t play the current song,’ which only comes up on selective songs. These same tracks play correctly on your mobile phones. The question arises: How can these Spotify playback problems be fixed? 

If your Spotify can’t play the current song, there is a problem that needs to be catered to. To help resolve the issue, we have gathered some easy methods to play your song and solve the problem. 

Why Won’t Spotify Play a Song?

Before we get into the details of why Spotify won’t play the current song and how you need to resolve those issues, it is essential to know the reason behind the error occurring. Thus, before we get into the depths of resolving the case, let’s establish a better understanding. 

  1. The Hosts File on Windows: On your laptop, multiple times, issues may occur on your host files, i.e., Spotify. The said entries of the application need to be eradicated to resolve the playback issues efficiently. 
  2. Crossfade on Spotify: The Spotify won’t play issue may also occur because of the crossfade settings on the Spotify application download on your desktop. To get rid of the problem, you may have to change the Crossfade to 0. 
  3. The Offline Song Cache: Another rising issue is the offline song cache. When you are listening to podcasts or hear songs, some parts of it are stored on the system of your device. So damages made to cache result in the ‘Spotify can’t play the current song.’ 
  4. Installation of Spotify: The files you download may also cause this issue when installing the application. This results from damaged and corrupted files, and a clean installation process ensures the problem is resolved. 
  5. The DNS Server: The server used on your system can result in this issue. So when you end up changing the DNS server on your device, you can eventually play any songs without interruption.

Now that you finally have an idea regarding interruption in playback let’s read further and find out how to resolve when Spotify won’t play your favorite track. 

Spotify Won’t Play Songs? Use These 6 Methods To Resolve The Issue!

Solution #1: Set the Crossfade to 0

Set the Crossfade to 0

Crossfade can cause an issue and why Spotify won’t play your favorite tracks. Crossfade is usually used for smooth transitioning between two audios. In cases where Spotify won’t play songs, the problem occurs when a transition takes place from one track to another. To resolve this issue, you will have to set the Crossfade to 0. You can follow the easy steps below:

  1.  Start by opening up the Spotify application on your computer. 
  2. Now, in the top right corner, you will see your name. Click on it, and a drop-down menu appears. 
  3. Now choose the settings option.
  4. Scroll towards the end and click on ‘Show Advanced Settings in the settings.
  5. Under the playback section, click on the toggle and enable Crossfade if it is not open. Also, use the slider and take it to 0.
  6. In situations where the Crossfade is enabled previously. Try putting it to 0 or disable it altogether. 
  7. After that is done, You should restart your Spotify application. You may be able to resolve the issue using this method!

Solution #2: Reboot Your Headphones:

Restarting your headphones can be pretty helpful too, whenever you see the Spotify won’t play the message on the screen. Multiple users came across this problem when they were using Bluetooth headphones. A quick restart can stop the interruption and resume listening to songs. As soon as you restart your earbuds, they will automatically connect and play all your tracks without any interruption midway. 

Solution #3: Cleaning Your Offline Song Cache:

Cleaning Your Offline Song Cache

Another added reason why Spotify won’t play your favorite tracks is because of the offline song cache. After you have heard the songs and listened to your favorite podcasts on the Spotify application, they partially get stored on your device, which results in playing them back without any faltering. The cache either gets corrupted or, in some cases, damaged even. To resolve this issue, you need to clear the offline cache. To do that, follow the steps stated below:

  1. Start by opening your application.
  2. Click on the arrow on the top right corner and select the Settings option.
  3. In the settings menu, scroll till the end and click on the Show Advanced Settings. 
  4. Scroll till the end, and you will see Offline songs storage. Check to see where they are located. 
  5. Now open the file explorer and go to the Offline songs’ location.
  6. Now select everything by pressing CTRL+A and deleting all the selected items. 
  7. After this is done, start by rebooting the application. You can now listen to your songs without having to worry about Spotify not playing music.

Solution #4: Edit the Hosts File 

The windows on your device use a hosts file, a plain text file with map hostnames that lead to various IP addresses. There is a chance that entries of Spotify get stored in the host’s File and can result in Spotify not playing songs. Start by editing the File and clear any entries related to Spotify. To eradicate these entries, you will have to get administrative privileges over the application, which can be done using the steps below:

  1. Search for the Notepad application on your system, and right-click on the shown result as soon as the drop-down menu appears.
  2. Choose the Run as the administrative option.
  3. Now on the Notepad window, click on the File and then Open option.
  4. You will then be led to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc File.
  5. Now click on the All Files from the menu and then choose Open.
  6. Choose the hosts file displayed and then click on Open
  7. After that is done, start to look for entries concerned with Spotify and remove the line quickly. 
  8. After the removal is done, save the document by pressing CTRL+S.
  9. Now reboot the Spotify application, and check if the tracks play quickly. If they do play, then the problem is resolved. If not, then you may follow another method.

Solution #5: Start By Changing the DNS Server

There can be multiple issues on the system, resulting in Spotify not playing songs. You can change the DNS Server to stop wondering why Spotify won’t play. Choosing a server provided by either Google or Cloudflare can smooth the playing of songs. You can avoid the error message “Spotify can’t play the current song” by following the steps stated below:

  1. On the taskbar, you will see a Network menu. Click on that. 
  2. From the given menu, choose the Internet Settings option.
  3. In the Network settings window, choose the Advanced Network Settings option. 
  4. Then click on more network adapter options, option. 
  5. Now right-click on your network adapter. When the drop-down menu appears, click on the Properties option. 
  6. Double click on the Properties pop-up box on the Internet Protocol Version 4 option available. 
  7. You need to choose the DNS Server addresses shown at the bottom.
  8. You can either provide Google or Cloudflare’s IP addresses option, which is available below. 
  9. Click on OK
  10. Finally, restart the application and check if the rebooting has resolved the issue at hand. If yes, then you can enjoy uninterrupted music.

Solution #6: Check If A Song Is Available in Your Country

Spotify enables creators to specify which countries users can and cannot listen to their songs. If they deselect an area, users in that region will be unable to stream the selected song. The music you’re attempting to play, which keeps displaying the “Can’t play this right now” error message, is most likely not available in your area. 

As a consequence, you can’t stream that specific track or playlist and receive this irritating error. 

To see if the song is accessible in your country, use a VPN to connect the device to a server in another country and attempt streaming the same music. If the song begins to play, it is not available in your region. To listen to that recording, you must first connect to the VPN. 

So, Are You Searching For A Top-Notch VPN for Spotify? We suggest NordVPN!

We discovered that NordVPN functions well with Spotify during our testing. It connects to a server in another location and sets up practically immediately. As a result, you can start listening to your favorite tunes from around the globe almost instantly and without buffering.

All with the simple press of a button!

Solution #7: Turn off the hardware acceleration feature in Spotify.

Hardware acceleration is ideal if you don’t want software algorithms to do the heavy work. Spotify has hardware acceleration enabled by default, but you can easily disable it because it is capable of creating the Spotify can’t play this right now error.

To accomplish this, launch the Spotify app and then press the Ellipsis button in the top-left corner of the app—Deselect Hardware Acceleration after selecting View.

Restart the Spotify application and see if the mistake still appears out of nowhere.

Solution #8: Modify the Streaming Quality

Many users observed that the “Can’t Play This Right Now” error occurs due to the high quality of audio streaming. This usually happens when you switch from a Premium to a Free Spotify account. This is due to the fact that the streaming settings for both account types are pretty distinct. 

If this is the case for you, we recommend decreasing the music streaming quality to fix the problem. Here’s how to lower the streaming resolution in the Spotify application:

For Desktop Computer Users (Windows and macOS)

  1. Begin by launching the Spotify program.
  2. Then, go to the Spotify app’s Settings. 
  3. Then, within the Audio quality section, look for the Streaming quality choice. 
  4. Finally, change the Streaming quality to Automatic. 

There you go! 

For Mobile App Users (Android and iPhone)

  1. To begin, launch the Spotify program on your smartphone. 
  2. Then, select the Gear Icon to access the Spotify app’s Settings.
  3. Then, in the Audio quality area, choose Low or Automatic from the dropdown menu for the Streaming quality choice. 

For many users, this approach resolved the problem. Restart the Spotify application and see if that solves your issue. 

Solution #9: Reinstall Spotify:

Reinstall Spotify

Finally, if the above-stated methods do not work to assist you in resolving your Spotify issue, Then it is time you reinstall the application but make sure the files are clean. To do that, you can follow the steps given below:

  1. Open the Control Panel on your system.
  2. Click on the Uninstall a program option available on the menu with other options. 
  3. A list of all the installed applications shows up, find Spotify, and double click on the application to get rid of it quickly. 
  4. Now you need to open the Run pop-up window when that is done. 
  5. You can do that by pressing CTRL+R.
  6. When the box appears, type in %AppData%, then tap on entering.
  7. This directly takes you to the roaming directory inside the AppData. Locate any Spotify folder and completely delete it from your device. 
  8. Now in the address bar, click on AppData.
  9. Open up the Local folder in your system.
  10. Search for any Spotify files there and delete them too.
  11. Now, you should restart your system.
  12. As soon as your device opens up, download and reinstall the Spotify application on your system.
  13. This will surely help you get rid of the ‘Spotify can’t play the current song’ displayed on your screen.

You can finally resolve the Spotify not playing songs issue using all the six solutions and the in-depth steps stated above. For those wondering how to play music on Spotify, you have made the changes now. Just do what you did previously, search for your desired track and click on it. The play button is displayed right in front of you; click on it and enjoy your favorite music with ease.

Bottom Line

There are multiple reasons why Spotify won’t play songs, and you are now aware of the situation. Every situation has solutions, and in any case, you can follow all the steps we have stated above to enjoy uninterrupted music. Keep in mind that like every application, Spotify is also software and may get corrupted or damaged. Try out all the solutions above, and we are sure one of them will help resolve your problem. You won’t see the “Spotify can’t play this right now” error message again!

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Abdul Wahab is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech geek by nature. Having been associated with the tech industry for the last five years, he has covered a wide range of Tech topics and produced well-researched and engaging content. You will mostly find him reviewing tech products and writing blog posts. Binge-watching tech reviews and endlessly reading tech blogs are his favorite hobbies.