(9 Fixes) Spotify Not Working On Mac [Updated 2023]

Your Mac just made a massive fart.

Except…

It didn’t release gas.

What came out was a faulty Spotify instead.

Speaking of which, I’m here to tell you:

Your Spotify app’s not gone.

In fact, I have just the fix to get Spotify back into its groove.

Continue reading to find out:

9 effective fixes to get Spotify working on your Mac.
Why apps running in the background can cause your Spotify to crash.
How to do a thorough and complete reinstall of Spotify (and clear its cache).
And so much more…

Why is Spotify not working on Mac?

Spotify isn’t working on your Mac due to a corrupted file or account. Other reasons could be a temporary bug or glitch in your app and Mac. Running outdated software on your Spotify and Mac might also cause issues. Lastly, Spotify doesn’t work due to hardware acceleration or overloading your cache.

Spotify not working on Mac: 9 fixes

#1: Restart your Mac

Simple restarts have come a long way.

It’s a go-to method for fixing app crashes, glitches, or temporary bugs.

Not to mention, if you have any corrupted configuration setting on Spotify, then…

A simple reset should do the trick.

Why?

Because it refreshes the entire system.

And when that happens, your device feels brand new.

So, let’s go ahead and restart your Mac:

Shut down your Mac.
Wait for 1 minute.
Power on your Mac.
Launch Spotify.

Still not working?

Don’t worry. We’ve got 8 fixes to run through.

#2: Close other apps running in the background

Here’s how you should think of this fix:

When a ton of apps are running in your background, it strains your Mac’s memory.

It’s almost like you’re stretching a rubber band until it snaps in half.

Put simply, your Mac has the capacity to run maybe about 6 to 8 apps at a time.

But when you go beyond that, well…

Let’s just say your Mac slows down or starts freezing.

As a result, several apps may crash in the process.

Fortunately, all you need to do is close any unused apps running in the background.

Say you had Netflix, VLC, Evernote, and iTunes open earlier.

If you’re not using them right now, simply right-click each app and close it.

This way, your Mac should have some breathing room to run Spotify without issues.

#3: Reset Spotify

In some cases, your Spotify app didn’t launch properly.

As a result, you run into a glitch where Spotify displays a black screen.

When it comes to issues like these, don’t panic.

I’ve run into similar problems in the past on my Roku device, desktop PC, and even my PS4.

Heck, I’ve had situations where Spotify stops working on Alexa out of the blue.

Thankfully, this is a minor bug you can easily remedy by resetting the app.

Here’s how it’s done:

On your Mac’s menu bar, tap “Spotify.”
A drop-down menu should appear.
Select the “Quit Spotify” option.
Relaunch the app.

#4: Stop any running activity on your Spotify

Here’s another glitch to be aware of:

Even after closing Spotify, it might still be running in the background.

Meaning, even if you’ve closed the app, the program’s still active.

It might be downloading your songs, reloading data on the app, and so forth.

In effect, even after you relaunch Spotify…

It doesn’t load properly because it was still running in the background.

Another way of looking at this is a minor glitch that happened after you closed the app.

To fix this issue, all it takes is 4 steps:

Press the Command + Space key on your Mac.
Search for “Activity Monitor.”
Scroll down and select Spotify.
Tap the “X” icon in the top menu (located beside the “Activity Monitor” text).

#5: Update your Spotify app

Why shoud you do the update?

Because apps depend their lives on it.

Put simply, a software update isn’t just about boosting an app’s performance or functionality.

It’s also meant to resolve bugs, errors, and glitches present in the previous version.

In fact…

Updating Spotify was the #1 fix that solved several users’ issues when it didn’t work on mobile data.

So, how do you update your Spotify app?

It’s simple.

Step 1: Open your Spotify app.

Step 2: Select your user profile icon.

In the top-right corner section of your app, you should see your user profile.

Step 3: Click “Update available. Restart now.”

If there’s a new update, you should see this option.

However, if it’s not there, here’s what you need to do:

#6: Update your Mac’s OS

You already know how strict Apple is when it comes to OS updates, right?

When you refuse to update any iOS device, apps and even some functions turn obsolete.

Allow me to paint you a clearer picture.

Below is a table that shows the supported OS versions of each device to run Spotify:

Device	Required software version to run Spotify
Mac	OS X 10.11 or higher
iOS	iOS 12 or higher
Android	Android OS 5.0 or higher
Windows	Windows 7 or higher

Not to mention, AirPods and Airplay don’t work on your Mac unless…

You’re running an updated software version.

To update your Mac, here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Tap the Apple icon on your menu bar.

Now, take note.

Your menu bar may look different depending on your current OS version.

For example, the menu bar for Mojave 10.14 looks slightly different from a High Sierra OS.

Step 2: Choose “About This Mac.”

After tapping the Apple icon on your menu bar…

The “About This Mac” option’s the first item you’ll see.

Step 3: Select “Software Update.”

From here, simply follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the update to finish.

#7: Turn off Hardware acceleration

First time hearing this term?

Don’t worry.

It’s nothing complicated.

Hardware acceleration is a setting you can enable that allows a program like Spotify to…

Use your Mac’s hardware and perform a process efficiently.
Offloads any work that your CPU’s struggling to do or perform.

Put it this way.

Your Mac has its main processing power, also known as the CPU.

Imagine the CPU as the heart of your Mac.

If you’re running Adobe Photoshop and VLC at the same time…

Your Mac has to pump out a lot of work to keep both programs running.

In addition, you can’t just run all programs through your Mac’s CPU.

Mainly because that’s exactly what leads it to crash in the first place.

Where hardware acceleration comes in is…

It removes some of the load from your Mac’s CPU so that everything else runs smoothly.

By default, Spotify may already have hardware acceleration enabled.

However, this might also be why the app stopped working all of a sudden.

And in effect, we’ll have to disable it.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Tap “Spotify” on your menu bar.

The menu bar runs on the top screen of your Mac where you’ll see options like:

Finder.
Siri icon.
WiFi status.
Battery icon.
Time and date.

On your Spotify app, you should see the options on your menu bar:

File.
Edit.
View.
Help.
Spotify.
Window.
Playback.

From here, tap “Spotify” to display a drop-down menu.

Step 2: Disable or toggle off Hardware Acceleration.

#8: Do a thorough clean reinstall of your Spotify app

Most online advice will tell you to reinstall Spotify to solve your issue.

However, that’s not always effective.

The ineffective approach is simply deleting the app and reinstalling it.

The tried-and-tested method, on the other hand, requires a lot more legwork.

Not to mention, you’ll have to delete a ton of files on your Mac for this fix to work.

In addition, it’s so effective you can use it when Spotify doesn’t work on your iPhone too.

Now, don’t let this discourage you.

Below, I’ve made sure to give a thorough and easily digestible guide on reinstalling Spotify.

How to reinstall Spotify on your Mac

Step 1: Close Spotify.

With the app open, tap “Spotify” on your menu bar.

Then, select the “Quit Spotify” option.

Step 2: Uninstall the Spotify app.

In your menu bar, select “Go.”
From the drop-down menu, tap “Applications.”
A pop-up menu should appear.
Select Spotify and right-click the app.
Choose “Move to Trash.”

Step 3: Select the “Go to Folder” option.

On your Mac’s menu bar, tap “Go.”

From the drop-down menu, choose “Go to Folder…”

Step 4: Head to your caches folder.

You should see a pop-up menu appear on your Mac’s screen.

From here, type “~/Library/Caches” and tap the “Go” button.

Another menu should pop up.

That’ll be your Caches folder.

Step 5: Delete all the cache in your Spotify.

In the Caches folder, delete the 2 items:

“com.spotify.client.”
“com.spotify.installer.”

Simply right-click each folder and select “Move to Trash.”

Step 6: Go to your Spotify preferences.

Access your “Go to Folder” option again from your Mac’s menu bar.

In the pop-up menu, type “~/Library/Preferences”

Your Preferences folder should appear on your screen.

Step 7: Delete the Spotify client file.

On your Preferences folder, you’ll see a ton of files.

Scroll down until you see “com.spotify.client.plist.”

Right-click the file and click “Move to Trash.”

Step 8: Delete your Spotify’s Application Support folder.

On your Mac’s menu bar, tap “Go.”
Choose “Go to Folder…”
Type “~/Library/Application Support.”
Right-click the Spotify folder.
Select the “Move to Trash” option.

Step 9: Remove any saved application state in Spotify.

Tap “Go” on your Mac’s menu bar.
Select “Go to Folder…”
Type “~/Library/Saved Application State.”
Right-click the folder named “com.spotify.client.savedState.”
Select “Move to Trash.”

Don’t forget this 1 crucial step

Before reinstalling Spotify, restart your Mac.

This will allow your system to apply all the changes you’ve made.

Trust me…

Doing this 1 step can spell the difference between a fix that works from one that doesn’t.

After restarting your Mac, install and relaunch Spotify.

Here’s a video as well to help you through the process:

#9: Check @SpotifyStatus

If all else fails, there’s still one more thing you can do.

First, check Spotify Status.

That’ll tell you if other Mac users also see the same issue.

In addition, it’s the best way to get updates on what Spotify has to say about the problem.

If there’s an update that Spotify released to solve this issue, it should be on that page.

That aside, you can also reach out to Spotify support or their community.

Both are great resources you can use to troubleshoot your current issue.

And finally, tweeting to @SpotifyCares is always a recommended option.

These are experts who have professional knowledge and experience working with the app.

Not to mention, they’re always willing to help.

So, as you can see, even if these fixes don’t solve your problem…

You can still rely on Spotify’s experts, community, and customer support to help you out.