How to fix "Spotify application is not responding"

If you can’t listen to music or podcasts in Spotify because the Windows app is giving you a “not responding” error, there are a variety of potential fixes. In all likelihood, though, you’ll only need one of them to get back on track, as it were.

How to fix “Spotify application is not responding” in Windows

There are a few different troubleshooting steps you can try.

1. Killing Spotify processes in Task Manager

Spotify spawns a number of Windows processes whenever it’s active, possibly as many as nine or more. That usually isn’t a problem, but if one or more of them gets “stuck,” it can interrupt the app or prevent you from launching it again.

In Windows 11:

• Hit Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard and select Task Manager.
• Task Manager should default to the Processes view. Look for Spotify under the Apps section.
• Right-click on Spotify and select End Task. It may take a few moments for all processes to halt.
• Relaunch the app.

2. Using the taskkill command prompt

You really shouldn’t need this, but if Task Manager isn’t an option for some reason, you can end Spotify processes using the Windows Command Prompt.

• Search for cmd in the Windows search bar and select Command Prompt from results.
• Type in taskkill /f /im spotify.exe and hit Enter.
• Relaunch the app.

3. Check that Spotify is allowed through the Windows Firewall (or your third-party security app)

Most Spotify functions depend on internet access. Even though the app supports offline listening, a block by Windows Firewall might potentially break the app as a whole.

• Search for Windows Security in the Windows search bar and open the app.
• Select Firewall and network protection in the sidebar.
• Click Allow an app through firewall.
• Click Change Settings.
• In the list that appears, scroll until you find Spotify, and make sure that all relevant checkboxes are ticked unless you don’t want the app to work on Public networks (usually meaning public Wi-Fi hotspots).
• Click OK.

If you have third-party antivirus software, you can potentially run into similar problems. Instructions will vary, but there should be some way of marking Spotify as safe or allowed.

4. Delete Spotify’s cached user data

You should automatically try the previous three steps first, but if nothing’s been successful so far, it could be a caching issue. Don’t worry, things should be back to normal once you sign back into Spotify.

• Hit Windows + R to open the Run pop-up.
• In the text field, type in %appdata% and hit Enter.
• In the folders that appear, navigate to Spotify > Users.
• Select the folder with random-looking characters and hit Delete.
• Try relaunching the app.

5. Reinstall or repair the Spotify app

As a last resort, you can try repairing or reinstalling Spotify.

• Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
• Click on the triple-dot icon next to Spotify Music, then Advanced options.
• Scroll down and select Repair or Uninstall.
• If you uninstall, the fastest way to reinstall is by finding Spotify in the Microsoft Store.