Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming platforms out there. It has a wide variety of songs from every language; the platform also has podcasts and other forms of audio content.Â
However, no matter how good Spotify is, it isn’t without bugs, just like everything tech. In this article, we’re looking at a few fixes for when Spotify won’t open.
Restart your PC
Restarting or rebooting your PC can clear all sorts of weird errors that might seem random. It’s by far one of the simplest and quickest methods to ensure we’re not at fault instead.Â
Also read: How to connect and unlink Spotify from PS4?
Restart the Spotify app
Try killing off the app in task manager and then launching it again.
Step 1: Right-click on the Taskbar and click on Task Manager.
Step 2: Find the Spotify process, click it and then select End task to kill the process.
Once the process has died, relaunch Spotify.
You can select the Spotify app window on a macOS device, open the Apple menu, and click Force Quit. Alternatively, you can press Option + Command + Esc and select Force Quit.Â
Run the app as an admin
Sometimes running programs at an elevated level can help solve problems. All you have to do is press the Windows button, search for Spotify and click the Launch as admin button.Â
Try compatibility mode
Sometimes a Windows update can cause conflicts with games or programs on your PC. Try running the program in compatibility mode to check if that resolves the issue.
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Spotify. Click on Open file location.
Step 2: Right-click on the Spotify icon and click Properties.
Step 3: Head over to the Compatibility tab and check the Run this program in compatibility mode for option.
Step 4: If you’re using Windows 10, select Windows 8 from the dropdown. Similarly, if you’re using Windows 8, set the dropdown to Windows 7.
Restart your PC and try relaunching Spotify.Â
Also read: Spotify Search not working: 3 Fixes
Look for updates
The next thing to do is check for updates for the Spotify app. If there’s one available, install the update immediately and check to see if your issue has been solved.
Update your OS
The first thing to do in such situations is to make sure your OS is up to date. Developers usually diagnose these issues based on insider reports or feedback from customers and issue fixes or patches in the form of updates. Check to make sure you’ve got the latest update installed on your system.
You can check out our detailed guide on how to update Windows here.
On a macOS device, follow these steps.
Step 1: Open the Apple menu and click Software Update.
Step 2: Wait for your computer to find updates. If it does, install them and try again.
Repair the program
Repairing (or resetting) a program in Windows 10 can go a long way in helping resolve any errors.Â
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Spotify. Click on App Settings.
Step 2: Use the Repair or Reset buttons to perform the corresponding action and see if that resolved your error.Â
Also read: How to fix ‘SSH too many authentication failures’ error?
Check background app permissions
Sometimes Windows restricts background apps which can cause problems with Spotify.
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Spotify. Click on App Settings.
Step 2: Make sure the Background apps slider is enabled.
Restart your PC and try again.Â
Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration is meant to enhance performance, but if your PC is too old, it can cause problems.
Step 1: Open Spotify, click on your account name followed by Settings.
Step 2: Click Show Advanced Settings.
Step 3: Under Compatibility, disable the Enable hardware acceleration slider.
Now restart Spotify and try again.
Check your GPU drivers
Next, it’s time to reinstall GPU drivers manually.
Step 1: Right-click Start and select Device Manager from the menu.
Step 2: Under Display Adaptors, find your graphics card’s name, right-click on it and click on Update Drivers.
Step 3: Click on Search automatically for drivers. Windows will then automatically look for and download the latest drivers for your particular GPU.
While this should help resolve the error, in case it doesn’t, click Uninstall device and restart your PC to force Windows to install the required drivers. You can then update them later.
Also read: Why does my Spotify keeps pausing? 6 fixes
Uninstall your antivirus
Yes, you read that right. At times, antivirus software can cause conflicts with programs or outright delete them. If you’re getting seemingly random crashes all the time but with no hardware or driver flaws, try uninstalling your antivirus to rule out the problem.
Reinstall the application
The first step that can solve just about any issue with the app is to straight-up reinstall. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press Windows key + X to bring up the Quick Access menu and click on Apps and Features.
Step 2: Find Spotify in the list and click the Uninstall button to remove the app.
Step 3: Now press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt. Type %appdata% and press enter.
Step 4: Delete the Spotify folder in the directory.
Now restart your PC and try reinstalling the Spotify app from the Microsoft Store. Log in again, and the error should’ve been resolved.
On a macOS device, follow these steps.
Step 1: Open the Finder menu and click Go.
Step 2: Head over to Library, followed by Caches.
Step 3: Find and delete the com.spotify.client folder.
Step 4: Now head over to Application Support.
Step 5: Find and delete Spotify.
Now try reinstalling the program to see if your error is resolved.Â
Also read: How to fix error 01 Canon?
Check the firewall
The firewall on your Windows and Mac PC can block Spotify causing unwanted crashes.
Check out our detailed guide on how to disable the firewall on a Windows PC here.
On a macOS device, follow these steps.
Step 1: Open the Apple menu and head over to System Preferences.
Step 2: Click Security and head over to the Firewall section.
Step 3: Click on Firewall options.
Step 4: Click Add Application.
Step 5: Find and add Spotify to the list.
Now try relaunching Spotify.
Use the web version
If the solution above didn’t solve the problem, it most likely indicates a bug fixed in later updates. Till then, you can resort to using the web version of Spotify.Â
The web version works exactly like the app and supports features like Spotify Connect and, of course, Search. The good thing about using the web version is that there will be no errors or bugs there.
Also read: How to fix System Service Exception in Windows 10?
