Q: Every time I try to play something using the Windows version of Spotify it shows the “Spotify can’t play this right now” message, this has been going on for a couple of days now and browser and phone versions are still normal. I’ve researched this topic for hours. Please help!
When you’re streaming on the Spotify desktop app with pleasure, it stops suddenly. That’s annoying. And all you can see is a notice passing by. It says like this: Spotify can’t play this right now, if you have the file on your computer, you can import it. What’s wrong? Why did this happen? I want to listen to these tracks as well as they used to be. These might be your first thoughts when you met with this issue. I understand what you’re worrying about. But don’t fret, it doesn’t matter at all. This article will share multiple solutions for you to choose from.
Part 1 Why Does It Say Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now?
Before applying the possible working methods, the more important thing to do is to figure out the reasons why Spotify can’t play the tracks suddenly. What are the key points that have resulted in this? In general terms, there are four kinds of possibilities.
1# Copyrights and region restrictions. Though Spotify allows you access to millions of tracks on its app, it highly respects the artists and with DRM copyrights agreement as the standard, which means you may not hear the audio files on Spotify due to copyrights or region disallow.
2# Incorrect devices or improper settings. This happens 90% approximately when you use an output device for streaming or you have enabled some specific settings related to audio output that prevent your Spotify track from playing properly.
3# Software bugs and errors. Sometimes you are encountering some issues, that’s because the app has been influenced by some mistakes or errors in the process. It may be corrupted files, software bugs, downloading errors, and so on.
4# Outdated Spotify app. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest version. The newly-released app can resolve many mistakes in the older version. Make sure to have downloaded and installed the latest version.
Part 2 Top Ways to Fix Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now PC
This issue is common and frequently seen on Spotify’s desktop app. When you see a notice saying Spotify cannot play this right now, you can follow the below steps to fix it. First, I’ve summarized some common and simple methods to fix this. Check it and setup can save your efforts.
Checklist Before Methods
- Make sure your Windows PC is connected to a good and stable network. If not, switch to another Wi-Fi connection.
- Check if it is the case of region restriction that the song you play is no longer unavailable now.
- If you have enabled Spotify local files to function on your PC, try to disable and enable it again to solve the local playback issue.
- Please ensure your device has enough storage space to run and stream Spotify music on your computer.
- Try common troubleshooting steps like logging out of Spotify and rel logging in; uninstalling and reinstalling.
Fix 1 Update Spotify Desktop App
The first workaround you can apply is to check and update the Spotify app on your Windows computer. Bugs or errors in the old version of Spotify will go with the old app. After the update, it will give your Spotify desktop a refresh.
Method 1. Check Spotify Update via App. You can directly find and get updates from its official desktop app. Launch the Spotify desktop app and click the three-dot menu icon from the left panel; then select Help > About Spotify. In the pop-up window, you can see the current version info of your installed Spotify app. If there is one version available for update, you can see a download link below.
Method 2. Check Spotify Update via App Store. You can also go to the App Store to search for the Spotify app. When you see an Update button on the app detail page, meaning you’ll need to install the latest version.
Fix 2 Clear Spotify Cache on PC
If it has something wrong related to your cache files, the best way for you is to clean up all Spotify caches on your PC to fix it. And also, clearing app caches from time to time can avoid meeting such issues. Here’s how to clear the Spotify cache on your PC.
Step 1. Launch the Spotify app on your computer from the Quick Search menu or the Quick Shortcut on the screen.
Step 2. Navigate to your profile icon and click the down arrow and select Settings.
Step 3. Scroll down to the bottom and find the Storage settings.
Step 4. Find the Offline storage location to see the folder where you saved your Spotify downloads and caches.
Step 5. Go to the folder you save Spotify files directly using Windows File Explorer.
Step 6. Select all the cache files within the folder and delete them.
Fix 3 Disable Hardware Acceleration Setting
There is a specific setting on your Spotify PC that is named Hardware Acceleration. It is used to solve graphic issues by disabling the use of a graphics processor(GPU) in your computer. But it will make the application work slower when redrawing the screen. Disabling the feature might be helpful for the not playing issue.
Step 1. Run the Spotify app on your PC and click the three-dot icon to open the menu from the left panel.
Step 2. From the drop-down menu, select View > Hardware Acceleration.
Step 3. Next, a notice will come up to ask for your confirmation to set this up or not.
Step 4. Click OK to confirm your choice and restart the Spotify app to apply the changes.
Fix 4 Change Spotify Streaming Quality
Spotify premium users can listen to high-quality audio for streaming with a bit rate of up to 320 kbps. While for Spotify Free users, it is limited to 160 kbps. And if have canceled the Spotify premium subscription, your plan will be downgraded to the Free plan automatically. In this case, the streaming quality might have changed and so you can’t play the tracks properly. To set streaming quality, do as follows:
Step 1. Launch the Spotify desktop app and click the Profile icon in the upper-right corner.
Step 2. Click Settings from the drop-down list and scroll to Audio Quality.
Step 3. Navigate to the Streaming Quality section and adjust it.
Fix 5 Set Default Audio Format
Spotify can’t play this right now Windows 11/Windows 10? Changing the default audio format might help. Please follow the steps below to adjust the suitable audio format for output.
On Windows 11:
- Press Start by clicking the Quick Search menu and then select Settings.
- Select the Sound navigation option.
- Click Speakers to reach the Format setting.
- Then click the Format drop-down menu to select a lower or higher Hz output setting.
For Windows 10:
- Right-click the volume control (speakers) system tray icon to select Sounds.
- Click the Playback tab if it’s not selected.
- Select your default speakers there, and press the Properties button.
- Click the Advanced tab on the Speakers Properties window.
- Change the Hz setting on the Default Format drop-down menu.
Fix 6 Delete Windows Hosts Files
When your Spotify desktop can’t play this right now, check with your Windows hosts files.
- Search for Notepad from the Start search bar and right-click > Open as Administrator.
- Click on File > Open and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc.
- Click “Text Documents” > “All Files” next to the File Name box. Here you can see many files.
- Select Hosts and open it. You’ll see a block of text with # in front of each line.
- Press Ctrl + F to find any entries that include Spotify in the address.
- Delete the entries and save changes, then restart Spotify to see if it works.
Fix 7 Enable Protected Content (Web Solution)
If you use Spotify web player, this method is applicable. You need to make sure that your Spotify web player has not been blocked or prevented from playing music from Spotify. Check and enable the protected content on your browser settings as follows:
On Chrome: Enter chrome://settings/content in your browser address bar. Under protected content, turn on Allow site to play protected content from Spotify.
On Firefox: Enter about: preferences#content in your browser address bar. Under DRM content, turn on Play DRM.
On Edge: Go to Microsoft download center and select your language then click Download. Choose your platform and click Next to enable the web player.
Part 3 Bonus: How to Listen to Spotify Music Free of Errors
With the listed methods above, you’re able to know how to fix Spotify can’t play this right now error. Here comes the best alternative way to help you avoid such issues in the future. This method is to download Spotify songs offline via third-party tools like Tunelf Spotify Music Converter to enable you free of errors. Why use third-party tools? As Spotify premium users can download Spotify music as offline playback, why do we need other tools? That is due to the DRM copyright restrictions. All Spotify soundtracks are restricted by copyrights which disallow you to play Spotify on other devices except for its app. Tunelf Spotify Music Converter is a professional music downloader and converter that can help you!
Tool Needed: Tunelf Spotify Music Converter
Tunelf Spotibeat Music Converter, also known as Tunelf Spotify Music Converter, is a handy music downloader with powerful functions. It is designed for all Spotify users to download Spotify music, podcasts, and playlists and convert them to multiple audio formats like MP3. This intelligent software can remove DRM from Spotify and the original music quality as well as the ID3 tags will be retained. Thanks to its 5x faster conversion speed, you’re able to download Spotify playlists or music in batches. To conclude, this tool is quite convenient and useful if you want to back up Spotify files and stream them on multiple devices without premium or errors. Try Tunelf Spotify Music Converter by clicking the below download link and you’ll never regret it.
Key Features of Tunelf Spotify Music Converter
- Download Spotify playlists, songs, and albums with free accounts easily
- Convert Spotify music to MP3, WAV, FLAC, and other audio formats
- Keep Spotify music tracks with lossless audio quality and ID3 tags
- Remove ads and DRM protection from Spotify music at a 5× faster speed
