How to Fix Spotify Songs Greyed Out and Unplayable [2024]

Part 1. Why Are Songs Greyed Out on Spotify (Unplayable)?

When you encounter a greyed-out song on Spotify, it simply means that the song is currently unplayable. This can be quite frustrating, especially when it involves your favorite tracks. Understanding why this happens can help you resolve the issue efficiently.

Here are some common reasons why songs may appear greyed out in your playlist:

Cause 1. Licensing and Copyright Issues:

Spotify needs to secure licenses to stream music in different regions. Sometimes, agreements don't cover every country, resulting in certain songs being unavailable in your location. Additionally, songs may be removed entirely from Spotify due to copyright disputes or agreements expiring. For example, earlier in 2023, thousands of Bollywood songs were removed due to licensing issues with Zee Music. If you've uploaded a song to the platform and it's greyed out in your local files, consider checking your local sources and re-uploading it.

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Cause 2. Internet Connection Issues:

Unstable or weak internet connections can also cause songs to appear greyed out. It's recommended to use a Wi-Fi connection for the best streaming experience. If using Cellular Data, ensure that Spotify is allowed to use it. Sometimes, device settings may accidentally restrict Spotify's access to Cellular Data.

Cause 3. Offline Mode:

Another reason for greyed-out songs could be Spotify's offline mode. When enabled, you attempt to play a song or playlist that hasn't been downloaded to your device, those tracks will appear greyed out. They require an internet connection to stream, so make sure to download the songs you want to listen to offline.

Cause 4. Blocked Artists/Songs:

Lastly, if you've blocked a song or artist, any associated content will be greyed out and inaccessible in your Spotify account. To unblock them, visit their profile and remove the block.

No matter the reason for songs being greyed out, there are solutions you can try to make them playable again.

Part 2. How to Fix Spotify Songs Greyed Out

Now that we've identified some possible reasons for Spotify songs being greyed out, here're detailed steps you can take to fix greyed-out songs on Spotify:

Solution 1. Reestablish Internet Connection:

Ensure that you have a stable internet connection. Greyed-out songs can occur if your connection is weak or unstable, preventing proper streaming.

1. If possible, switch to a different Wi-Fi network or use cellular data if Wi-Fi is unavailable.
2. If you're using Wi-Fi, try restarting your router by unplugging it for about 30 seconds and then plugging it back in.
3. Wait for the router to fully reboot before reconnecting to it.

Solution 2: Check the VPN Network

If the greyed-out songs are unavailable in your country or region, you may need to access them from a different location using a VPN.

1. Download and install a VPN app from a trusted provider on your device.
2. Open the VPN app and select a region where the greyed-out songs are available.
3. Connect to the VPN network and wait for the connection to be established.

Solution 3. Clear the Cache on Spotify:

If greyed-out songs are unplayable on your device, clearing the cache and data may help resolve the playback issue. Here's how you can do it on different devices:

• For PC/Mac:

  

  1. Launch the Spotify desktop app on your PC or Mac.
  2. Click on the "Settings" option located in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Scroll down to the "Storage" section and click on it. Then, click on the "Clear cache" button to remove temporary files.

• For Android/iPhone:

  

  1. Launch the Spotify app on your Android or iPhone device.
  2. Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select "Settings" from the menu.
  3. Scroll down to find the "Storage" option and tap on it. Then, tap on the "Clear cache" button to free up storage space.

Solution 4. Log out and back in to Spotify:

In many cases, simply signing out of your Spotify account and then signing back in can resolve playback issues, refreshing your Spotify session.

• For PC/Mac:

  

  1. Click on the Profile icon in the upper-right corner of the Spotify window.
  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Log out."
  3. After logging out, log back in by entering your credentials.

• For Android/iPhone:

  

  1. Open the Spotify app and tap on the "Settings" gear icon.
  2. Scroll down to find the "Log out" option at the bottom.
  3. Tap on "Log out" to sign out of your account.
  4. Once logged out, log back in using your Spotify credentials.

Solution 5. Disable Offline Mode:

If you've enabled Offline Mode in Spotify, only downloaded content will be available in your library. Disabling Offline Mode allows for online streaming.

• For PC:

  

  1. Open Spotify on your computer.
  2. Click on the horizontal three dots icon in the upper-left corner of the window.
  3. From the dropdown menu, select "File" and then choose "Offline Mode" if it's currently enabled. If Offline Mode is enabled, it will have a checkmark next to it, indicating it's selected. Click on it again to disable Offline Mode.

• For Mac:

  

  1. Open Spotify and click on "Spotify" in the Apple menu at the top-left corner of the screen.
  2. From the dropdown menu, select "Offline Mode."
  3. If Offline Mode is currently enabled, click on it again to disable it.

• For Android/iPhone:

  

  1. Open the Spotify app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the gear icon to access "Settings."
  3. Scroll down and find the "Playback" section.
  4. Toggle off the switch next to "Offline" to disable Offline Mode.

Solution 6. Unblock the Song/Artist:

If you've blocked or hidden specific songs or artists, they may appear greyed out in personalized playlists or artist profiles. Follow these steps to unblock them:

For Android/iPhone:

• To Unblock a Song:

  

  1. Navigate to the playlist where the songs are greyed out.
  2. Press the circle with a minus sign inside it to unhide the song within your playlist.
  3. Alternatively, tap on the "more" button next to a greyed-out song, then select "Hidden" to unhide it. The songs should now be playable again.

• To Unblock an Artist:

  

  1. Go to the Search tab in Spotify and search for the artist whose songs are greyed out in your playlist.
  2. Select the artist's profile page from the search results.
  3. Press on the circle with a minus sign inside it to unblock the artist.
  4. Alternatively, tap on the "More" button at the top of the artist's profile page and select "Allow to play this artist."

  

  5. After unblocking, check to see if the songs remain greyed out or can be played again.

Solution 7. Enable Show Local Files on Spotify:

If the greyed-out songs are local files loaded into your Spotify library from your device, you should ensure to enable the "Show audio files from this device" option on Spotify. Here's how to do it:

For Android/iPhone:

• To Show Local Files:

  

  1. Go to Settings within the Spotify app.
  2. Find and select "Local Files."
  3. Toggle on the "Show audio files from this device" option to enable it.
  4. This will display any local files stored on your device within your Spotify library.

• To Download Local Files Playlist:

  

  1. Navigate to Your Library within the Spotify app.
  2. Find the playlist created based on the local files synced from your computer.
  3. Tap on the Download button next to the playlist to download it to your library.
  4. This will ensure that the local files are playable on your device.

Part 3. How to Stop Spotify Songs from Greying Out

If you're tired of dealing with greyed-out songs on Spotify, there's a solution that allows you to download your favorite music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more directly from the platform to keep forever. By using ViWizard Spotify Music Converter, you can extract any song or playlist from Spotify to plain audio formats while preserving the original audio quality. It's a versatile tool that caters to both Premium and free Spotify users. It not only allows you to save music for offline listening but also helps personalize your Spotify music library. With ViWizard, the issue of greyed-out songs on Spotify will no longer bother you.

Key Features of ViWizard Spotify Music Converter

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• Download Spotify songs, albums, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks
• Convert Spotify music to lossless MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, M4B
• Support playing offline Spotify music on any device at any time
• Compatible with Windows and macOS, as well as, the latest Spotify

Simply have a try of the trial version of ViWizard Spotify Music Converter. Then start downloading Spotify songs offline with the following steps.

Step 1Drag Spotify Tracks into Spotify Converter

Run ViWizard Spotify Music Converter on your computer. After it loads the Spotify app, log into your Spotify account and browse the store to find any song or playlist you want to download from Spotify. Then drag and drop it from Spotify to the downloading window of ViWizard.

Step 2Configure the Output Audio Profile

Click the Preferences option under the Menu within ViWizard software to select the output audio formats, including MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, and M4B. You can also adjust other audio parameters like codec, bit rate, and sample rate.

Step 3Extract Music from Spotify Offline

Go back to the main interface of ViWizard software and start to download Spotify unplayable songs by clicking the Convert button. After the conversion, click on the Converted icon to browse the well-downloaded tracks or playlists.

Part 4. How to Recover Spotify Greyed Out Songs

If you've encountered greyed-out songs on Spotify and want to recover them, there's a solution that allows you to capture and record any sound from your computer, including the greyed-out songs you're unable to play on Spotify. By using ViWizard Audio Capture, you can record audio from various platforms, ensuring you never miss out on your favorite tracks again.

ViWizard Audio Capture is a multi-platform audio recorder designed to record audio content from your computer, whether it's from Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, Amazon Music, or even VK.

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• Capture Spotify audios, songs, and playlists in high quality
• Save audio from Spotify to MP3, AAC, M4A, WAV, FLAC, M4B
• Support multi-track audio recording for Spotify
• Record music from Tidal, Deezer, Pandora and other streaming audios

Conclusion

The above are all the solutions to fixing greyed out songs in Spotify. You need to know where your problem is. Then you can choose an appropriate way to fix Spotify songs greyed out immediately. Among them, ViWizard Spotify Music Converter could be a greate helper for fixing this problem.

With its help, you are able to share and transfer those downloaded Spotify songs to any device and player for playing, without worrying about the issues like VPN network, internet connection, or Spotify Premium subscription any more. What's more, you can play greyed out songs on Spotify even though those music tracks are not available in the library of Spotify.