How to fix "Spotify can't play this right now" error (8 methods) - News Block

When you get the “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” error, restart your devices, make sure yours is not an unavailable song, update the app on your devices, disable hardware acceleration of the app on desktop, Clear the app’s cache, sign out and back into your account, or reinstall the app.

Trying to play your favorite song on Spotify only to get the “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” error message? We’ll show you how to fix it on your iPhone, Android, Windows, or Mac device.

Check if Spotify is down

One of the reasons for the “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” error is that the platform is down. If the platform’s servers face an outage, you can’t stream all or certain songs (those that are hosted on the faulty server).

In this case, check if Spotify is down using the Spotify Status account on Twitter or on the Downdetector site. Both of these items will tell you if Spotify is experiencing issues on their end. And if that is the case, you will have to wait until the company fixes the problem.

If Spotify is working, follow the other troubleshooting methods below to try to fix your problem.

Reboot your mobile or desktop device

Now that you know Spotify isn’t down, make sure your desktop or mobile device doesn’t have minor glitches that are preventing the app from playing your songs. Can resolve most of the minor issues with your devices simply by rebooting your devices.

It’s easy to restart an iPhone, Android, Windows 11, Windows 10, or Mac device. Once you’ve done that, launch your Spotify app and see if you can listen to your favorite songs.

RELATED: Why does restarting a computer solve so many problems?

Check that the song is not available

One reason you can’t play your song on Spotify is that your song isn’t available. Spotify sometimes still shows these songs in its playlists even when you can’t play them. You will find these songs are greyed out in your albums or playlists.

If this is the case for your song, you can’t play it no matter what you do. If you really want to listen to that specific music track, consider using an alternative music streaming service like YouTube Music.

RELATED: Apple Music vs Spotify: Which is better?

Update Spotify on your mobile or desktop device

Minor Spotify app glitches can prevent you from playing your favorite songs. In this case, try to fix those issues by updating your app. Most updates often contain bug fixes, allowing you to fix existing issues in your apps.

The way to update Spotify depends on the device you are using.

if you are a Windows or Mac user, then from the app’s menu bar, select Help > About Spotify. If an update is available, select “Click here to download.”

If you have an Android phone, open the Play Store, search for “Spotify” and tap on “Update”.

If you are an iPhone user, go to the App Store, tap on “Updates” and choose “Update” next to “Spotify”.

Then launch your updated app and see if you can access your favorite music tracks.

RELATED: How to update apps on Android

Disable hardware acceleration on Spotify

Spotify’s hardware acceleration feature uses the components of your Windows or Mac machine in addition to your CPU to improve application performance. When you’re having trouble using a feature in the app, especially when you can’t play a song, it’s a good idea to turn that feature off to see if that fixes your problem.

To disable the feature in the Windows version of Spotify, in the application’s menu bar, select View > Hardware acceleration.

If you’re on a Mac, from the app’s menu bar, select Spotify > Hardware Acceleration.

Then restart the app and see if you can play your songs.

Sign out and back into your Spotify account

If your app has a login session issue, Sign out and then sign back into your account to potentially fix that issue. Please have your Spotify login details handy as you will need them to log into your account.

To get started, if you’re on an iPhone or Android phone, open the app and tap the gear icon in the top right corner. Scroll down the page and choose “Log Out”.

On a Windows or Mac computer, in the upper right corner of Spotify, click the down arrow icon and choose “Sign Out.”

After signing out, sign back in using your preferred sign-in method. Then try playing your favorite music tracks.

Uninstall and reinstall Spotify

If you have been unsuccessful in fixing the “can’t play this now” problem using the above methods, your application may be faulty from the core. In this case, the best way to solve your problem is to remove and reinstall the app.

You don’t lose your playlists or other account data when you do this. However, you will be prompted to log into your account again, so have your Spotify login credentials ready.

To remove Spotify on a Android phone, tap and hold Spotify in your app drawer and choose “Uninstall”. Select “OK” on the notice. Then, visit the Google Play Store, search for “Spotify” and tap “Install” to reinstall the app.

If you’re an iPhone user, touch and hold Spotify on your home screen and select Remove app > Remove app. Reinstall the app by visiting the App Store, searching for “Spotify” and tapping on the download icon.

In Windows 11, you’ll go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Next to Spotify, click on the three dots, choose “Uninstall” and select “Uninstall”.

In Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps. Find Spotify, click “Uninstall” and select “Uninstall”.

On a Mac, open Finder and go to the “Applications” folder. Right-click on Spotify and choose “Move to Trash”.

Then visit the Spotify website to download and install a fresh copy of the app on your computer.

And so you resolve an error that prevents you from accessing your favorite music tracks on this streaming service. Happy listening!

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