Troubleshoot: Spotify Application Not Responding on Windows 10

Hi there, for a few weeks now I keep getting the “The Spotify application is not responding” pop up as soon as Spotify loads when I turn on my computer. I don't know why because as soon as I tab into Spotify, it's not frozen and completely accessible. I tried reinstalling on 2 different occasions at this point and have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you’re using Spotify on Windows and this message pop up on your screen saying “The Spotify application is not responding”, you are not the only one running into this issue. Many Spotify desktop users report that they see this error message when they try to open Spotify. No worries, we’re here to help.

Next up in this article, we’ll provide 5 solutions you can apply to solve Spotify not responding issue and an ultimate workaround to help you completely get away from similar issues.

Part 1. How to Troubleshoot Spotify Application Not Responding

I ran into this bug for the first time today (Win 11 - app store version 1.1.84.716.gc5f8b819). At first the app seemed to work okay but a number (not all) of the tiles on the home screen weren't filled with images. Clicking on a tile didn't do anything. So i closed the app and restarted, only to see the 'application not responding' message.

We understand your frustration when the app fails to load, however the reasons for this issue happening could be much different for each and every one of you. In our exploration, we've set out to find fixes to some similar issues. Please address and troubleshoot such generally formulated requests in dependently on a case by case basis.

You can’t think of a worse situation than having everything set up for your party and firing up your night with songs you prepared, only to find that Spotify is not responding. This issue seems clueless when you’re about to fix it. But don’t worry, here’re 6 methods to solve this problem.

Method 1: End Spotify Tasks/Processes in Task Manager

It happens that when your computer is running too slow, the Spotify app will get stuck. And when you close the app and want to open it again, the previous task might remain open. So before you try to restart the app, go to the task manager on your computer and end the Spotify task.

Please note: There might be duplicate Spotify tasks or processes in the Task Manager, and ensure that only one Spotify task is running on your computer device.

Step 1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager with a keyboard shortcut. Or right-click the Windows taskbar > Task Manager.

Step 2. Select the Processes tab on the top of the Task Manager window, scroll to Spotify in the Apps field. Select all the Spotify processes here to click on the "End task" button.

Step 3. Back to the Task Manager window, select the Details tab.

Step 4. Scroll to any running "Spotify.exe" > End task.

Step 5. Close the Task Manager window, you can launch the Spotify app to see if the issue persists.

Method 2: Allow Spotify through Firewall

Firewall is designed to protect your computer from being invaded by viruses. But sometimes it can be overprotective, which may cease Spotify to respond. To turn off the firewall for Spotify, all you have to do is head over to the firewall settings on your computer, and allow Spotify to run under the firewall.

Step 1. From the Windows Search Box, open the Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2. Select "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall".

Step 3. In the "Allowed apps and features" field, scroll to spotify.exe. You can also find there're duplicate Spotify programs on your computer device displayed like this:

Step 4. Clear the Private and Public checkboxes for the spotify.exe.

Step 5. Select OK to save this change.

Now launch the Spotify application on your computer again to see a difference.

Method 3: Disable the Hardware Acceleration in Settings

If it's possible to access the settings of the Spotify desktop app, you're suggested to turn off the Hardware Acceleration.

Step 1. In the Spotify desktop app, click the Chevron down icon > Settings. Or click the More button > Edit > Preferences.

Step 2. Scroll to Compatibility.

Step 3. Turn Enable hardware acceleration off.

Method 4: Disable the Network Connections in Windows

In some cases, the internet on your computer might also block the Spotify app to open. You're suggested to disable the current network connection or enable the Airplane mode. After that, you can launch the Spotify app and enable your network connection again so that Spotify can run properly.

Step 1. To turn airplane mode on: Select the Network, volume or battery icon on the taskbar > Airplane mode. Or from the Windows Start menu > Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode, then turn Airplane mode on.

Step 2. Launch the Spotify app.

Step 3. Repeat some steps to turn airplane mode off in Windows, try to reload the Spotify app.

Method 5: Clean Uninstall the Spotify Application

You must clean uninstall the Spotify application from your device if all the methods above don't work for you. Ensure you follow these steps properly to make a difference.

To uninstall the Spotify application in Windows:

Step 1. Close the Spotify application. Also ensure the Spotify tasks and processes are ended in the Task Manager.

Step 2. From the Windows Search Box or Start menu, go to Settings > Control Panel.

Step 3. Select Uninstall a program under Programs.

Step 4. In the apps field, scroll to Spotify, You can use the search tool to search for "Spotify".

Step 5. Right-click on the Spotify > Uninstall.

Step 6. Follow the on-screen instruction to complete this regular uninstallation of the Spotify application.

To delete the Spotify app data folder in Windows:

Step 1. From the Windows Search Box, open the %AppData%. This should open up AppData\Roaming.

Step 2. Scroll to the Spotify folder.

Step 3. Right-click on the Spotify folder > Delete.

Now you've clean uninstalled the Spotify application from your Windows PC.

Method 6: Reinstall the Spotify Application

You can now choose to download the Spotify application from the official download website or the Microsoft Store.

To download the Spotify application from official website:

Step 1. Use a browser to visit https://www.spotify.com/us/download/windows/.

Step 2. Select Download.

Step 3. Open the SpotifySetup.exe file.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instruction to install the Spotify app.

To download the Spotify application from the Microsoft Store:

Step 1. From the Windows Start menu to go to the apps list.

Step 2. Select Microsoft Store.

Step 3. Go to the download page of the Spotify - Music and Podcasts in the Microsoft store.

Alternatives to Listen to Spotify Music without Spotify Application

If you have tried out all the solutions above and still Spotify is not responding on your computer. Here’s the best way to eliminate the problem. With ViWizard Spotify Music Converter, you can directly download whatever content from Spotify and then play with any media player on your computer. All the songs can be accessed without the Spotify app, so that you won't come across Spotify not responding issue anymore.

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 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.

3Play Spotify on Your Computer without Any Issue

Now you can play the downloaded Spotify songs on your computer without the app, and thus you won't confront Spotify not responding issue anymore. You can now listen to the songs and do anything else on your computer without hassle from Spotify.