How to Fix Spotify App Not Working on Mac

The Spotify desktop app on Mac is beyond bad. Now, if I'm playing a song on Spotify and then pause the song and play something else on my browser, when I'm done and I press play on Spotify again the song doesn't play and after a few seconds the "Can't play current song" pops up. Also, the media keys (play/pause/skip, etc.) don't work exclusively for Spotify and they start playing random things on the browser such as ads, videos on Twitter, etc. - - Mac User from Reddit

Many Mac users have run into trouble with the Spotify desktop app. Either they can't open the Spotify app or there're many glitches inside the app per se. Once fixed, they'll come up again at some point.

In the following parts, you'll learn how to fix Spotify app not working on Mac issue and resume your smooth Spotify song playing.

Top 10 Solutions to Fix Spotify not Working on Mac

In this part, we've collect the top 10 useful solutions to fix Spotify not working on Mac.

1. Reopen the Spotify app

A restart of the Spotify app usually resolves any software glitches that may cause Spotify app not working on Mac.

Step 1. In the Spotify app, open the Apple Menu > Fore Quit.

Step 2. In the Force Quit Applications window, select Spotify > Fore Quit.

Step 3. Reopen the Spotify app.

2. Restart Your Mac

If Spotify app still won't open after your restart it, please try restart your Mac to open it again.

Step 1. In the upper left corner, choose the Apple Menu > Restart.

Step 2. Please make sure to deselect "Reopen Windows when logging back in" to make sure app windows that are open to reopen when your Mac restarts.

Step 3. Click Restart to restart your Mac.

Step 4. After you restart your Mac, reopen the Spotify app.

3. Check the Spotify App Updates

If Spotify app is on its old version, it won't work as expected on your Mac. Please check the Spotify app updates and update to its latest version.

Step 1. In the Spotify app, click the Profile icon > Update available. Restart now.

Step 2. After the Spotify app is on its latest version, check if the problem persists.

4. Check for Mac System Updates

Please also make sure the MacOS is up-to-date.

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > Systems Settings.

Step 2. Click General in the sidebar > Software Update.

Step 3. If Software Update finds new software, click the Update Now or Upgrade Now button to install it.

Step 4. After your Mac is updated, reopen the Spotify app and check if it works fine.

5. Allow Spotify through Your Firewall

The firewall settings in your Mac may block Spotify due to security issues can cause the app not to work properly. You need to allow Spotify's programs through your Firewall.

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.

Step 2. Select Security & Privacy.

Step 3. Click the padlock icon to unlock it to make changes. Enter your password to confirm.

Step 4. When Firewall is on, click the Firewall Options.

Step 5. To allow Spotify app and service to connect, click the Add button, then select the Spotify app in the dialog that appears > Add > OK.

Step 6. To check whether Spotify is listed and enabled in the Security & Privacy settings, select Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Files and Folders, then check if Spotify is listed and enabled.

Step 7. Reopen the Spotify app again.

6. Disable Your Firewall

If the Spotify has been allowed to run through your Firewall but with no success, you can disable your firewall in your Mac temporarily.

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.

Step 2. Select Security & Privacy.

Step 3. Click the padlock icon to unlock it for further changes. Enter your password to confirm.

Step 4. Select Firewall > Turn On Firewall.

Please note: Keep in mind that this is a temporary measure to fix Spotify issue with this firewall settings. Please make sure to go to Security & Privacy to Turn On Firewall again.

7. Disable Your Antivirus

You might need to check for any local settings on your device that could be blocking the app. In case there's an antivirus software or such that could be restricting access to the Spotify app, try disabling it temporarily or whitelisting Spotify.

8. Disable Your VPN

On another note, if you are using a VPN on your Mac, please try disabling it to see if that makes any difference.

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > Systems Settings.

Step 2. Click VPN in the sidebar.

Step 3. In the list of VPN services, select the active VPN connection > Disconnect.

9. Close the Accessibility Keyboard

In some cases, the issue is with the enabled Accessibility keyboard. When the keyboard is on the screen, it allows you to use your Mac without a physical keyboard. It can be opened accidentally so that cause Spotify not to work fine on your Mac.

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.

Step 2. Select Accessibility.

Step 3. Select Keyboard > Accessibility Keyboard.

Step 4. Deselect Enable Accessibility Keyboard option.

Step 5. Reopen Spotify app to check if there's any improvements.

10. Clean Uninstall the Spotify app

We understand you should have uninstalled the Spotify app for a couple of times. Please try following these steps to clean uninstall the Spotify app on your Mac.

Step 1. Choose Go > Utilities > Activity Monitor, then select Spotify processes > Quit Process to full close the Spotify app.

Step 2. Open Finder, click Go and hold the Option / Alt key and select Library.

Step 3. Open Caches and delete the com.spotify.client and com.spotify.client.helper folders.

Step 4. See and click the black arrow icon.

Step 5. Open Application Support, then delete the Spotify folder.

Step 6. Follow the app reinstallation steps or download the version from the download website.

Part 2. How to Troubleshoot Spotify App Problems on Mac

During our exploration, we also find and list several issues you may confront and solutions to each specific issue.

2.1 Fix: Spotify Keeps Freezing on Mac

It's possible that if you stream songs on Spotify on a daily basis, Spotify cache will slow down the app on your Mac. And as it becomes too big to load and process, the Spotify app might get frozen.

To Delete Associated Folders:

Step 1. Choose Go > Utilities > Activity Monitor, then select Spotify processes > Quit Process to full close the Spotify app.

Step 2. Open Finder, click Go and hold the Option / Alt key and select Library.

Step 3. Open Caches > com.spotify.client and com.spotify.client.helper folders, then select all associated folders and move them to Trash.

Step 4. Empty Trash.

2.2 Fix: Spotify Won't Connect and Go Online on Mac

When you open Spotify and start to play a song, Spotify says you're offline and can't play the current song. This is a common issue that many Spotify users encounter across devices, and normally it's caused by Spotify servers not working correctly or the firewall has denied Spotify to connect. To fix Spotify not playing songs on Mac issue, here is the solution.

To Allow Spotify through Firewall:

Step 1. Restart your router.

Step 2. On Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall.

Step 3. Click the padlock icon and enter the password to unlock it to make changes.

Step 4. Click on Firewall Options > Spotify.app. Make sure it's set to Allow incoming connections.

2.3 Fix: Spotify Play Button Not Working on Mac

If your play button greys out, that means you're currently offline and Spotify can't play songs you haven't download.

To Turn off Online Mode:

Step 1. In the Spotify app, open the Apple Menu > Offline Mode.

Step 2. If "Offline Mode" is selected, deselect it.

To Restart Spotify App:

Step 1. In the Spotify app, open the Apple Menu > Fore Quit.

Step 2. In the Force Quit Applications window, select Spotify > Fore Quit.

Step 3. Reopen the Spotify app.

To Check Internet Connection:

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Wi-Fi > Details next to the current network.

Step 2. Click Forget This Network, then click Remove to confirm.

Step 3. Wait a moment, then go back to Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar to select it again.

2.4 Fix: Spotify Media Keys Not Working on Mac

If you can't play/pause/skip Spotify songs using shortcut keys, they may have been occupied by other applications or Spotify doesn't have the permission to use shortcuts.

To Check Privacy Settings:

Step 1. Choose Apple menu > System Preference > Security & Privacy.

Step 2. Select Accessibility.

Step 3. Click the padlock icon to unlock it with password.

Step 4. Allow Spotify to control your computer.

Part 3. How to Listen to Spotify Music without Desktop App

Still can't fix your Spotify issue on Mac using the solutions above? Here's the top solution to avoid all the Spotify glitches on your Mac.

Normally you'll need to go online to stream Spotify songs on Mac. Or if you're a Premium subscriber, you can download Spotify for offline listening. But both of these methods of streaming songs require you to open the Spotify app which is also where the glitches come from.

So to avoid these bugs and glitches from the Spotify app, the best way is to leave it. But if you still want to be able to play songs from Spotify on Mac, the ViWizard Spotify Music Converter, you can download all your Spotify songs to your computer without Premium. And then you can play your favorite Spotify songs on your Mac without the Spotify app.

ViWizard Spotify Music Converter is designed to convert Spotify audio files into 6 different formats such as MP3, AAC, M4A, M4B, WAV and FLAC. Almost 100% of the original song quality will be kept after converting process. With 5X faster speed, it only takes few seconds to download each song from Spotify.

 

1Launch ViWizard and Import Songs from Spotify

Open ViWizard software and the Spotify will be launched simultaneously. Then drag and drop tracks from Spotify into the ViWizard interface.

2 Set Up Output Parameters

After adding music tracks from Spotify to ViWizard, you can choose the output audio format. There're six options including MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV and FLAC. And then you can adjust the audio quality by selecting the output channel, bit rate, and sample rate.

3 Start the Conversion

Once all the setting is finished, click the "Convert" button to start loading Spotify music tracks. After the conversion, all the files will be saved to your specified folder. You could browse all the converted songs by clicking "Converted" and navigate to the output folder.

4Play Spotify Songs on Mac Offline

After downloading Spotify songs to your computer, you can now play them on Mac without using the Spotify app offline. You don't have to put up with the app anymore, and also you can no feel free to cancel your Premium subscription.