Spotify is undoubtedly the most popular music streaming service among millions of users. You will enjoy automatically generated playlists and other features such as Group sessions to host a private music streaming session. While the Spotify app works as expected on Android and iOS, the same cannot be said for desktop alternatives.
Spotify desktop apps don’t feel native compared to their competitors. It works as expected for most of the part, but sometimes, you may encounter unresponsive apps, which can disguise and cause you to scratch your head.
If you are facing such problems, you have come to the right place. This post will talk about the seven best ways to fix Spotify unresponsive on Windows and Mac. Lets start.
1. Reopen Spotify
It is possible that the Spotify application did not start properly and this could cause an error when opening the application. To check, click the red “X” on the right side of the Window to close Spotify. It may take some time to completely shut down.
On a Mac, you can right-click the Spotify icon in the Dock and select Close or Force Close.
Wait a few seconds and reboot. Then check if everything is working as intended. If not, don’t worry, we have more tricks on hand.
2. Restart PC or Mac
I continue to recommend this solution in almost all my Windows 10 and Mac guides. Restarting the device is a good idea to fix errors without messing things up too much.
On Windows, click the Windows icon and select Restart. On Mac, tap the little Apple icon in the upper left corner and select Restart.
3. Use Task Manager (Windows)
Before I start deleting or reinstalling Spotify, I have another simple option that could be the solution to all your Spotify problems on Windows.
Sometimes the Spotify app never stops properly and continues to work even after the app is closed. When you restart the application, the system messes up because according to him, Spotify is already running. And this can lead to Windows not responding error.
Follow the steps below to completely remove the Spotify process from the background using Task Manager.
Stage 1: Press the Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut on your keyboard and select Task Manager from the blue screen that will fill your desktop.
Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+Shift+Esc key combination to open the Task Manager.
Step 2: Right click and select the Processes tab and go to Spotify.
Stage 3: Click on the Spotify icon, open it and select End Process.
Step 4: Restart your computer and check if the Spotify app opens without getting an annoying error message.
If it opens successfully, you are good to go, but if it is still not responding, you will need to go ahead and follow the next method.
4. Use Activity Monitor (Mac)
Similar to Task Manager on Windows, you can use Activity Monitor on Mac to close the Spotify app completely. Go through the steps below.
Stage 1: Use Command + Space on your Mac and search for Activity Monitor.
Step 2: Select Spotify from the menu and tap the X to close the app.
5. Reinstall Spotify
You may need to step up your game a bit and do a clean reinstall of the Spotify app. This should fix the problem right away, but you should follow a few steps to perform the process as best as possible.
Go through the steps below.
Reinstall Spotify on Windows
Stage 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard and right-click on Spotify to select Uninstall.
Step 2: If the app asks you for confirmation, click OK. Now press Windows key+E on your keyboard to open File Explorer and navigate to the folder structure below.
C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\
Stage 3: You need to delete the Spotify folder. If you cannot view AppData under your username, right-click Quick access and select Options.
Step 4: Under the View tab, click on Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and then click Apply and OK. Now you can see the hidden folder named AppData.
After that, you can finish reinstalling the Spotify app from Microsoft Store.
Reinstall Spotify on Mac
Stage 1: On Mac, open the Finder menu.
Step 2: Go to Applications and search for Spotify.
Stage 3: Right click on the app and move it to the trash.
6. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Many Spotify users claimed that unchecking the Hardware Acceleration option helped them bring sanity into their lives.
When you open the Spotify window on Windows, press the Alt key on your keyboard and choose View under the File menu.
Now uncheck Hardware Acceleration and close Spotify. Wait a few minutes and reboot to check if it works.
On Mac, you can disable Hardware Acceleration by opening the Spotify app and selecting the Spotify menu in the menu bar.
7. Update System OS
You should make sure that your Windows or Mac system is fully up to date. Updating your Operating System can eliminate annoying errors, so it’s always a good idea to check for updates from the Settings or System Preferences menu on Windows and Mac respectively.
Enjoy Spotify Without a Glitch
Spotify is an integral part of my work-from-home routine. And I’m sure it applies to many of you too. If you encounter any errors while playing your favorite tracks, follow the steps above and fix the problem. While you’re at it, let us know which trick worked for you in the comments section below.
Next: Want to change the Playlist cover in Spotify? Read the post below to know how to change it on mobile and desktop.
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