Top 12 Ways to Fix Spotify Not Responding on Windows and Mac (2024)

Spotify is undoubtedly the most popular music streaming service out there. You can enjoy the automatically generated playlists and other features, such as Group sessions for hosting a private music streaming session. While the Spotify app works as expected on Android and iOS, the same can’t be said about its desktop variants. Many have complained about Spotify not responding on Windows and Mac. Before you switch to the web version, use the steps below to start accessing your favorite playlists via the native apps.

Spotify offers solid desktop apps on Windows and Mac. It functions as expected for most of the part, but sometimes, you may run into app not responding problems, leaving you scratching your head in disguise.

1. Reopen Spotify

It is possible that the Spotify app didn’t launch correctly, and this may lead to an error while opening it. To check, click on the red “X” on the top of the Window’s right side to close Spotify. It may take some time to shut down completely.

On Mac, you can right-click on the Spotify icon on the Dock and select the Close or Force close option.

Wait for a few seconds and relaunch it. Then, check if everything is working as intended. If not, don’t worry; we have got more tricks up our sleeve.

2. Reboot the PC or Mac

We recommend this solution in almost all of my Windows and Mac troubleshooting guides. Rebooting the device is a good idea to resolve app errors without doing much tinkering around things.

On Windows, simply click on the Windows icon and select Restart. On Mac, tap on the little Apple icon at the upper left corner and select Restart.

3. Use Task Manager (Windows)

Sometimes, the Spotify app never stops properly and continues to run even after the app is closed. When you launch the app again, the system gets confused because, according to it, Spotify is already running. And that can lead to not responding error on Windows.

Follow the steps below to completely remove the Spotify process from the background using the Task Manager.

Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut on your keyboard and select Task Manager from the blue screen, which will cover your desktop.

Alternatively, you can right-click on the Windows key and open Task Manager.

Step 2: Find Spotify from the list and click End task at the top.

Step 3: Restart your computer and check to see if the Spotify app is openable without receiving any annoying error message.

If it opens successfully, you are all set to go, but if it’s still not responding, you must keep going and perform the next method.

4. Use Activity Monitor (Mac)

Similar to Task Manager on Windows, you can use Activity Monitor on Mac to completely close the Spotify app. Go through the steps below.

Step 1: Use the Command + Space keys on your Mac and search for Activity Monitor.

Step 2: Select Spotify from the menu and tap on the X mark to close the app.

5. Reinstall Spotify

You may need to step your game up a bit and perform a clean reinstall of the Spotify app. This should solve the problem immediately, but you should follow quite a few steps to perform the process in the best way possible.

Go through the steps below.

Reinstall Spotify on Windows

Step 1: Hit the Windows key on your keyboard and right-click on Spotify to select the Uninstall option.

Step 2: If the app asks you for confirmation, click OK. Now Press the Windows key+E on your keyboard to open the File Explorer and navigate to the below folder structure.

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\

Step 3: You need to delete the Spotify folder. If you are unable to view AppData under your username, right-click on Quick access and select Options.

Step 4: Under the View tab, click on Show hidden files, folders, and drives option and then click on Apply and OK. You can now see the hidden folder named AppData.

After that, you can finish reinstalling the Spotify app from the Microsoft Store.

Download Spotify on Windows

Reinstall Spotify on Mac

Step 1: Open the Finder menu on Mac.

Step 2: Go to Applications and search for Spotify.

Step 3: Right-click on the app and move it to trash.

Go ahead and download the Spotify app from the Mac App Store.

Download Spotify on Mac

6. Run Taskkill Command

Many Spotify users were able to troubleshoot the problem by running the taskkill command in the Command Prompt app.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Command Prompt. Run it as administrator.

Step 2: Type the following command and hit enter.

TASKKILL /F /IM spotify.exe

Try launching Spotify again, and it should open without any problems.

7. Repair and Reset Spotify (Windows)

Does Spotify still fail to launch on Windows? The system lets you repair and reset to troubleshoot such problems.

Step 1: Go to Windows Settings by pressing the Windows + I keys.

Step 2: Select Apps from the sidebar and open Installed Apps.

Step 3: Scroll to Spotify and click the three-dot menu beside the app.

Step 4: Open Advanced options.

Step 5: Select Repair and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you still run into Spotify glitches, reset the app from the same menu and try again.

8. Allow Spotify Through Firewall

An active Windows Firewall may interfere with the Spotify app on Windows. You need to allow Spotify through the Firewall using the steps below.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for ‘allow apps through Windows Firewall’. Hit Enter.

Step 2: Scroll to Spotify and enable the same for private and public. Click OK.

9. Don’t Use VPN

Spotify may misbehave on your Windows or Mac machine due to an active VPN network. A VPN connection modifies the IP address on your device, and Spotify may detect it as an unknown location and block you from accessing the services. You should disable the VPN connection on your laptop or Mac and try again.

10. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software

An active third-party antivirus software can mess up app functions on your desktop. You should disable such antivirus software on your laptop and try again. The default Windows Security should be good enough for the majority out there.

11. Disable Hardware Acceleration

Many Spotify users have claimed that unchecking the Hardware Acceleration option helped them bring sanity to their lives.

On Windows, when you open the Spotify window, press the Alt key on your keyboard, and under the File menu, select View.

Now uncheck the Hardware Acceleration option and close Spotify. Wait a few moments and relaunch it to check if it is working or not.On Mac, you can open the Spotify app, select the Spotify menu in the menu bar and disable Hardware Acceleration.

12. Update System OS

You should ensure that your Windows or Mac systems are fully up to date. Updating your device’s Operating System can remove such annoying errors, so it’s always a good idea to check for updates from the Settings menu on Windows and Mac.

Windows

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.

Step 2: Select Windows Update from the sidebar.

Download and install the latest Windows build.

Mac

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the menu bar. Open System Settings.

Step 2: Scroll to General and select Software Update to install the latest macOS build.

Enjoy Spotify Without Any Glitch

Spotify is an integral part of millions of users’ workflow. If you face any error while playing your favorite tracks, go through the steps above and troubleshoot the issue. If the problem persists, move to YouTube Music. Read our comparison post to learn the differences between the two.