I love Spotify as much as the next person, but when the Spotify web player is not working, it’s frustrating. Luckily, it’s mostly just a temporary issue that can be easily fixed within minutes. Here are the fixes you can use to get back to listening to your favorite tunes.
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- Install Media Feature Pack in Windows 10 “N” Version
- Open the Web Player in a Private Window
- Enable Protected Content
- Clear Cache and Flush DNS
- Copy The Link to a New Browser Tab or Window
- Open the App On Your Phone/Tablet First
- Clear Cookies to Fix Spotify Web Player Not Working at All
- Update Your Browser
- Disable Your Ad Blocker for Spotify
- Try a Different Browser
- Other Common Issues
Install Media Feature Pack in Windows 10 “N” Version
“N” versions of Windows 10 run much the same way as other Windows 10 versions, except that they’re missing much of the media functionality and apps that come preloaded in mainline Windows 10 releases. This means they’re missing many video and audio apps, including what Spotify needs to work in your browser.
Just download and install the Media Feature Pack for “N” versions of Windows 10, restart your browser, and the Spotify web player should work the next time around. Note that you won’t be able to install this media feature pack on non-“N” versions of Windows 10.
Open the Web Player in a Private Window
Often, an extension wreaks havoc with Spotify’s functionality in your browser. The easy way to check? Open Spotify in a private or incognito window to see if it works. This eliminates extensions, cached data, and more, so it’s a clean slate.
To open a private window or incognito window in most browsers, click the menu at the top right and select New incognito window or New private window.
If the web player works fine in a private window, clear your browser cache (in your browser’s settings) and also try disabling extensions one by one to see which one was causing the problem.
Enable Protected Content
If you try to open the Spotify web player but get a message that “Playback of protected content is not enabled,” enable protected content in your browser to stop the Spotify web player not working issue.
If you’re using Chrome, go to chrome://settings/content, expand Additional content settings, select Protected content IDs, and select Sites can play protected content. The steps are similar for most browsers.
Some browsers may also let you select the shield next to the URL in your browser and enable the protection from there.
You may also get a message that you need to install Widevine to play protected content. If so, you must install this before the Spotify web player plays anything. This often happens on more privacy-centric browsers.
Clear Cache and Flush DNS
If the web players launches fine, but doesn’t play music, try flushing the DNS cache. This lets the domain re-register properly.
To do this in Windows, hit Win + R, then enter ipconfig /flushdns
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Copy The Link to a New Browser Tab or Window
For some reason, the web player sometimes freezes and won’t play any more, even though you can still navigate on it.
Fix this by selecting the album, playlist, or song you want to play, click the three dots next to it, select Share, and Copy album/playlist,song link. Paste this into a new browser window or tab and Spotify should start playing.
Open the App On Your Phone/Tablet First
I know this isn’t the most convenient solution to the Spotify web player not working, but when the web player’s being extra stubborn, start it on your phone or tablet first.
Open the web player and login on your computer. Then, open Spotify on your mobile device and start listening as usual. Next, tap the speaker icon just below the player controls. Select the web player in the list.
Sometimes, the web player doesn’t display. If so, just switch to a different device in the list and then refresh the web player. This often fixes the glitch.
Clear Cookies to Fix Spotify Web Player Not Working at All
If the web player is refusing to load at all, the first thing you should do is clear the cookies in your browser. This varies slightly from browser to browser, but it should be under Settings, then Privacy or History. Clear the cookies, restart your browser, and see if it works.
This also works if Spotify’s not refreshing recommendations. You can also improve recommendations using these tips.
Update Your Browser
The Spotify web player requires your browser to have specific features and security measures in place to be compatible. Even if everything worked fine the week before, Spotify may have chosen to support only the newer version of your browser for various reasons.
Before giving up on listening to Spotify in your favorite browser, update the browser to the latest version, if there’s an update available.
The exact method to update your browser depends on the browser itself. However, there are a couple of common methods that work in most mainstream browsers.
Open your browser’s menu and select About browser name. If you don’t see it, select Help, like in Brave and Chrome. This shows you information about the browser along with an area for checking for updates. Update if anything is available.
If you have any trouble downloading or installing the update, visit your browser’s web page, download the latest version directly, and install it. This will simply update your existing browser installation.
It’s important to note that Spotify also supports most Chromium-based browsers, as they’re similar to Chrome, so the Spotify web player may also work well on these lightweight browsers.
Disable Your Ad Blocker for Spotify
Usually, ad-blocker extensions don’t interfere with Spotify, but occasionally, they do. The fix for this is easy: disable your ad-blocker extension for the Spotify web player. You don’t have to disable it on all sites, just on Spotify.
For most ad blockers, including those built in to your browser, you should see an icon to the right of your address bar. For example, I’m using the Brave browser, which has a built-in ad blocker. When I’m on Spotify’s web player, I can click the icon and disable the shields for just that site.
This should work similarly for all types of ad blockers. If you don’t see an icon, look for the extensions icon or open your browser’s menu and select “extensions,” “plug-ins,” or “add-ons.” (The exact word depends on what your browser calls them.) You’ll then be able to manage your ad-blocker extension by clicking on it.
Try a Different Browser
As a final option, try a different browser. It’s possible there’s a compatibility error between the Spotify web player and your browser. This could be due to the browser version, an extension, a custom setting, or something else.
Install one of the supported browsers listed above to use for Spotify. If it works with no problems, consider keeping that browser just for listening to the Spotify web player.
Other Common Issues
In addition to all of the above, there are a few other issues that could be the reason behind the Spotify web player not working, such as:
- A poor Internet connection – If your connection is weak, the web player may not be able to stay connected long enough to stream without glitches. Verify your connection by checking another website, especially a site where you can stream music or video.
- An unsupported location – Like most streaming services, Spotify isn’t available everywhere. If you’re traveling and you to listen via a browser, ensure the country you’re in is supported. Otherwise, the web player won’t work.
- Active VPN connection – Many apps and services don’t work well with a VPN. This is to prevent users from using the service where they’re not supposed to. Try turning off your VPN, then load Spotify again.
- Viruses – While a virus isn’t going to specifically target the Spotify web player, sudden glitches could be a sign of a virus infection. This is especially true if you’re noticing any other performance issues or problems with other sites and apps. Run an antivirus scan to check for any problems.
- Spotify down – While rare, the Spotify service could be down. Check other devices or visit DownDetector to see.
Once you get the issues fixed, take some time to create a fun podcast playlist.
Overall, I prefer the apps versus the web player because they’re more reliable. Plus, I love Spotify’s bedtime features. But, if you prefer the web version and it keeps giving you issues, you might consider Spotify alternatives. Or, use music download apps to keep your music local, especially if you’re in a poor connection area.
Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer
Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.
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