Spotify Switches To Desktop Player? 7 Common Issues (Solved)

Spotify, being one of the most popular music streaming platforms globally, has shown its ingenuity in creating different avenues for its users to get the most out of their Spotify experience.

You can listen to music using the Spotify App for PCs, both Windows and MacOS, as well as the Spotify web player.

If you have found yourself unhappy with Spotify switching from the app to the web player, this article will shed some light on this issue and how to resolve it.

1. Your Password has been Compromised

In this technological age, hacking is unfortunately not uncommon. It might happen that you could find yourself in the crossfire between hackers and large platforms like Spotify.

If you notice your playlists no longer look the same and mid-song Spotify suddenly asks to play through the web player, you could possibly be a victim of a hack.

A red flag would be if, after being asked to switch to the web player, random music that wasn’t part of your playlist begins playing.

The best thing to do, in this instance, is to reset all your Spotify-related passwords.

This means you need to reset your Spotify password, the password of the email associated with your Spotify account, and your Facebook password if you have used Spotify through that interface.

Here’s how to reset your password on your Windows or MacOS device:

1. Open your Spotify Account in your browser (Safari or Chrome).
2. From the menu on the left, select ‘Change Password’
3. Enter your password in the ‘Current Password’ field.
4. Enter the password you’re changing to in the ‘New Password’ field.
5. Confirm by re-entering that password in the ‘Repeat New Password’ field.
6. Click on ‘Set New Password’ to finish.

It is important to regularly update your passwords or set complicated passwords.

2. You are Logged onto Several Devices

At different times of the day, you might like to play your music from different devices – be it your car while you drive, your laptop while you work, or your cellular device while you exercise.

However, sometimes apps can get a bit confused when working across different devices. Especially if, for example, you are logged on to the web player and the desktop app at the same time.

When this occurs, it is recommended that you log out of all devices and log on to the device you wish to use at that moment.

Here’s how to sign out of Spotify on your devices:

1. Log in to you Spotify account page, via the website
2. Select ‘Settings’
3. Under Settings, look for ‘Devices’ and tap on it.
4. Here you can see all the devices currently connected.
5. Select ‘Sign Out of everywhere’

However, this process does not include partner devices, such as speakers, TVs, etc. In this case, you need to go to the ‘your apps’ page on the Spotify website. From there, you must select ‘Remove Access’.

3. The Spotify App Cache hasn’t been Cleared

Spotify uses cache files on your computer to allow the app to run faster.

What is cache memory?

Cache memory is the portion of total storage used by software (Spotify in this case) to store data temporarily so that the data extraction process is sped up.

Simply put, cache memory permits Spotify to retrieve your playlists, songs, and artist profiles that you click on faster, by storing and remembering data while you’re using the app. 

However, the cache memory can get full and cause your app to run at a slow pace, which could in turn, cause Spotify to try to consolidate your experience and automatically open the web player.

Here’s how to clear Spotify cache on both Windows and MacOS:

How to Clear your Spotify Cache on MacOS:

1. Start by opening ‘Finder’
2. On the taskbar, click on ‘Go’
3. Choose ‘Computer’
   • Another method is, hit ‘command+shift+c’ which will take you straight to the computer Menu.
4. Click on your Mac’s name.
5. Select ‘Users’ and choose the correct user.
6. Open the ‘Library’ folder.
7. Navigate to the ‘Cache’ folder.
8. Drag ‘com.spotify.client’ into the trash

Here’s how to clear your Spotify Cache on Windows:

If you have downloaded Spotify from the official website, take these steps:

1. Click on the Windows icon in the lower left of your taskbar.
2. Navigate to your local disk i.e. Windows C
3. Select ‘Users’ and then the folder with your username.
4. Click ‘App Data’
5. Select ‘Local’
6. Click on ‘Spotify’ and delete the ‘Storage’

If you have downloaded Spotify from the Windows Store, then follow these steps:

1. Open Windows search bar.
2. Type in ‘%appdata%’ and enter.
3. Navigate to ‘App Data’ then click ‘Local’
4. Select ‘Packages’
5. Choose the folder named ‘SpotifyAB.SpotifyMusic_zpdnekdrzrea0’
6. Double-click on ‘Local Cache’ and then open the folder named ‘Spotify’
7. Click on ‘Data’ and delete all of its contents.

4. Your Computer Hasn’t been Restarted in a While

There are numerous instances where a technical glitch on an app or interface is caused by your computer not being rebooted in a while.

If you have both the Spotify App and the web player active on your computer, the system can get confused, especially after days or weeks without being switched off.

Endeavor to reboot your computer at least once a week, not just to flush the system’s memory, but to resolve application issues like Spotify switching between its two interfaces.

5. Your Spotify App is Outdated

Running an older version of Spotify on your Windows or MacOS device can cause some malfunctioning and glitches, like switching to the desktop player automatically.

Here’s how to update your Spotify app on both Windows and MacOS:

How to Update Spotify Desktop App on Windows:

1. Open Spotify on your Windows PC.
2. When you have logged in, click on your Profile icon.
3. If you see ‘Check for updates’ on the drop-down menu, it means you need to update your app.
4. Click this, then follow the on-screen instructions.
5. If you do not see the ‘Check for updates’ option, you are currently running the most up-to-date version of Spotify.
6. Once this is complete, close Spotify and reboot your PC

How to Update Spotify Desktop App on MacOS:

1. Launch Spotify on your MacOS device.
2. When you are logged in, click on ‘Spotify’ in the top left corner.
3. Click on ‘About Spotify’ to check which version of Spotify your desktop is currently using.
4. If ‘A new version of Spotify is available’ appears on your screen, then you need to update your app.
5. Click this option, and Spotify will automatically start updating to the newest version.

6. Your PC needs to be Updated

We usually don’t make the necessary effort to update our computers, either under the assumption that it should automatically update themselves like smartphone devices, but that’s not always the case.

Windows and MacOS are regularly releasing new updates for computers to optimize usage and make the experience more enjoyable.

Here’s how to update your PC:

To update your Windows computer, follow these steps:

1. Select the ‘Start’ icon.
2. Click on the ‘Settings’ icon.
3. Select ‘Windows Updates’
4. Click on ‘Check for updates’
5. If there are new updates, you can select to download them.

To update your MacOS computer, follow these steps:

1. Before installing any software, you should first back up your Mac.
2. From the Apple Menu in the corner of your screen, choose ‘System Settings’
3. Click ‘General’ in the sidebar.
4. Now click ‘Software Update’ on the right.
5. If Software Update finds new updates, click ‘Update Now’

Please also read our article about common issues users experience with Spotify Premium on PC.

7. The Spotify App is Corrupted and You Need a Clean Re-Install

If you have tried updating your Spotify app and updating your computer, but you still are experiencing the same problem, then the problem could be that your Spotify App is corrupted. This means that you need to perform a clean reinstall.

An unstable internet connection when initially downloading the app could be the cause of the app being corrupted.

Here’s how to re-install Spotify on your MacOS and Windows device.

How to Uninstall Your Spotify Desktop App on Windows:

1. Open your Windows Start Menu.
2. Search and locate the ‘Spotify’ app.
3. Right-click, and then choose the option to ‘Uninstall’.
4. Press the ‘Windows+E’ keys at the same time to open up ‘File Explorer’.
5. Search for the file named: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\
6. Open this folder and then delete all the associated files. Doing so will completely uninstall the Spotify app from your Windows PC.

Once you have completed this, visit Spotify’s official website to re-download the desktop app.

How to Uninstall Your Spotify Desktop App on MacOS:

1. Start by opening ‘Finder’ and opening up ‘Applications’
2. Highlight Spotify’s icon and then drag it to the trash.
3. Next, click on the search bar at the top of your screen and type ‘~/Library/Preferences’
4. Click enter.
5. Select ‘Preferences’
6. Locate the folder named ‘Spotify’
7. From here, erase all the associated .plist files.
8. Once complete, type ‘~/Library/Application Support’ and navigate to the ‘Spotify’ folder.
9. Highlight this folder and drag it to the trash.

Once you have completed this, visit Spotify’s official website to re-download the desktop app.

For more on general issues on the Spotify App, check out our easy guide exploring why Spotify isn’t working.

Sources

How To Clear The Spotify Cache
How Often Should You Reboot Your PC And Why It Should Be Done Get the latest Windows update