Use the app to play music files stored on your device, which we call local files.

• Spotify Won't Download Playlist
• Spotify Local Files Won't Download

Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs. Spotify Premium lets you download up to 10,000 songs on up to five devices, so that you don't have to use your precious mobile data to stream your favorite music and podcasts on the go.

Note: Files or downloads from illegal sources are not permitted.

For: Premium

1. On desktop, import your local files (with the 'Desktop' steps).
2. Add the files to a new playlist.
3. Log in on your mobile or tablet using the same WiFi as your desktop.
4. Go to Settings > Local Files and switch on Local audio files.
   Note: You need to allow Spotify to find devices in the prompt that shows.
5. Download the playlist with your local files.

Didn’t work?

Make sure:

• You're logged in to the same account on both your desktop and mobile
• Your devices are connected to the same WiFi network
• The app is up-to-date on both devices
• Your device is up-to-date
• The Spotify app has access to your local network. Check in your iPhone/iPad settings under Spotify

For: Premium

1. On desktop, import your local files (with the 'Desktop' steps).
2. Add the files to a new playlist.
3. Log in on your mobile or tablet using the same WiFi as your desktop.
4. Download the playlist with your local files.

Didn’t work?

Make sure:

• You're logged in to the same account on both your desktop and mobile
• Your devices are connected to the same WiFi network
• The app is up-to-date on both devices
• Your device is up-to-date

1. Click , then Settings.
2. Scroll to Local Files and switch Show Local Files on.
3. Switch off any sources you don't want.
4. Click ADD A SOURCE to select another folder.

Music from that folder is now in Local Files in the menu on the left.

Supported file types

Note: Some of your files may be protected in restricted formats. Install QuickTime on your computer to allow most of these tracks to be played on Spotify.

• .mp3
• .m4p (unless it contains video)
• .mp4 (if QuickTime is installed on your computer)

The iTunes lossless format (M4A) isn't supported.

If your file isn’t supported, we do our best to match it with songs from the Spotify catalog. The version we match with might differ from the original.

Last updated: 24 September, 2020

Community Answers

Play 'local files' on my mobile device

What's the easiest way to be able to play 'local files' that reside on my desktop device on my mobile? After bringing them in to the desktop Spotify client as a playlist I'm able to play them there, a...

How do you add Local Files to the Desktop app?

Answer: We have an extensive record collection, but if the track you’re after hasn’t found its way on to Spotify yet, don’t worry! You can add any personal music you have with a feature...

Can you upload your own music?

Yeah, I've tried to figure it out but I can't seem to find how I have to do it anywhere..

More at the Community

“I have songs on my PC that are not on Spotify servers, but I wish to listen to them with Spotify. How can I import my local music to Spotify?”

Though Spotify offers a large music library, sometimes you may find that the songs you are looking for are not available on Spotify. One of the unique aspects of Spotify is that it blends a typical streaming music service with the playback of music you have stored on your own PC. This way you can supplement Spotify’s 50 million-track library with other tracks you own that don't appear in the Spotify database of tunes.

Normally, when you install the Spotify app successfully on your computer, the program will automatically search and sync locally stored music on your hard drive. But, what if you've got a collection of MP3s spread across several folders or even external storage? Spotify obviously won't know about these, so sometimes, you have to manually add these tracks.

Step 1 Add local music tracks to a Spotify

Go into Preferences first. (Windows users can find it under Edit, while Mac users can find it under Spotify.)

Then scroll down to Local Files and select ADD A SOURCE.

With the folder added, any unrestricted music contained within will be immediately imported into the Spotify library. Then you will see the music added under the Local Files tab in the main menu tree.

Step 2 Create a new playlist

After adding the music to your desktop’s library, you’ll need to create a new playlist to put it into by clicking the New Playlist button down in the bottom left-hand corner of the Windows desktop client. As an example, we’ve created a new playlist named “Copied”,

Spotify Won't Download Playlist

Once the playlist is ready, jump back over to the Local Files tab, and add the song you want synced to the playlist.

Now you can freely enjoy your local music tracks on Spotify.

Extra Tips: How to Export Spotify Songs as Local Music?

Spotify enables you to import local music to Spotify. Can you export Spotify songs as local music? Logically, you are not able to do that, as Spotify is a streaming music service offering songs in a proprietary format. However, you can turn to Sidify to save Spotify songs in MP3 format so that you can keep them as local files. Here's a step-by-step video tutorial for your reference:

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Spotify Local Files Won't Download

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