If you want to listen to Spotify music without an internet connection on your computer, Spotify gives Premium subscribers a straightforward way to download music for offline listening. You can download playlists and albums through the Spotify desktop app and listen to them later without an active internet connection.
There is one important detail to know before you start. Spotify’s official desktop download feature is designed for offline listening inside the Spotify app. It does not save songs as ordinary MP3 files that you can move to another music player or folder on your computer.
Also, Spotify does not let you download an individual song directly on desktop. If you want a particular song offline, you can add it to a playlist and then download that playlist.
The process is pretty simple once you know where the Download option is. Here’s how to get it done.
How to Download Spotify Music on Your Computer
To download Spotify music,
- Make sure you have an eligible Spotify Premium plan and an active internet connection.
- To start, open the Spotify desktop app on your Windows PC or Mac and sign in to your account.
- To download individual songs, first add the songs to a playlist, because Spotify does not provide a direct individual-song download option on desktop.
- To download the music, open the playlist or album and click the Download button.
- To check whether the music is ready for offline listening, look for the downloaded status beside the content.
- To listen without an internet connection, use Spotify’s Offline Mode after your music has finished downloading.
Step 1: Make Sure You Have Spotify Premium
Before downloading music, check that your Spotify account has an eligible Premium subscription. Spotify’s current Premium benefits include downloading music for offline listening, while the free version does not provide music downloads for offline listening.
Open Spotify and sign in to your account. If you are already using Premium, you’re ready to continue. If you’re using the free version, you can still stream available music online, but the offline music download feature is not available.
Having Premium is especially useful if you’re planning to travel, work somewhere with unreliable Wi-Fi, or simply want to avoid using your internet connection every time you listen to your favorite playlist.
Step 2: Open the Spotify Desktop App
For the computer download process, open the Spotify desktop application rather than relying on a regular web browser.
On Windows, open Start > All > Spotify and launch the application. On a Mac, open Finder > Applications > Spotify and launch Spotify.
Once Spotify opens, sign in using the account that has your Premium subscription. Make sure you’re connected to the internet at this point because Spotify needs an active connection to download the selected content.
If Spotify is already installed and you’re signed in, you can move directly to the next step. Keeping the application updated is also a good idea because outdated versions can sometimes cause download or synchronization problems.
Step 3: Find the Music You Want to Download
Now find the album or playlist containing the music you want to make available offline.
You can use Home > Search > Search bar to look for an artist, album, song, or playlist. When you find the music you want, open the appropriate album or playlist.
There’s an important limitation here. On the desktop version of Spotify, you can’t directly download an individual song. If you only want one or two songs, create a playlist and put those songs in it. You can then download the playlist. Spotify specifically recommends adding an individual song to a playlist when you want that song available offline.
This approach is also useful if you’re putting together a custom playlist for a road trip, flight, workout, or long work session.
Step 4: Create a Playlist for Individual Songs
If the songs you want are scattered across Spotify, you can create a dedicated playlist before downloading them.
Go to Your Library > Create Playlist > Name Your Playlist and give it a recognizable name, such as “Computer Offline Music.”
Next, search for the songs you want and use More Options > Add to Playlist > Your Playlist Name. Repeat this for each song you want to include.
Once you’ve added everything, open Your Library > Playlists > Your Playlist Name. You should now see the songs together in one place.
This is often the easiest method when you don’t want to download an entire album or a large playlist just to get a few specific tracks.
Step 5: Click the Download Button
Once you have opened the playlist or album, look for the Download button near the top of the page.
Click Download and Spotify will begin downloading the available content to your computer for offline playback. Keep the Spotify application open while the download is taking place, and make sure your internet connection remains stable.
The amount of time required depends on factors such as the number of tracks, your internet speed, and the selected audio quality. A large playlist can take considerably longer than a small playlist.
You should also make sure your computer has enough available storage space. Spotify recommends having at least 1 GB of free memory when troubleshooting download problems.
Step 6: Wait for the Downloads to Finish
After clicking Download, give Spotify enough time to finish synchronizing the music.
You can check the status of your music within the playlist or album. Spotify displays download status so you can tell whether content has successfully been downloaded or still needs to be synchronized.
Don’t immediately disconnect from the internet after clicking the button. Wait until the downloads are finished. If you close Spotify, shut down your computer, or lose your internet connection while content is still downloading, some tracks may not be available offline yet.
For a large playlist, it is usually easier to start the download while you’re connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network and let Spotify finish the process.
Step 7: Turn On Offline Mode
Once your music has finished downloading, you can test it by using Offline Mode.
In Spotify on Windows, go to Spotify > three-dot menu > File > Offline Mode. On Mac, go to Spotify > Offline Mode from the Apple menu. Spotify notes that content you haven’t downloaded will become unavailable while Offline Mode is active.
This is a useful way to confirm that your downloads are actually ready. If your downloaded playlist continues playing while you’re offline, everything is working as expected.
Remember that Spotify offline downloads are not normal audio files. You should think of them as content stored by the Spotify application for offline playback rather than MP3 files that you can browse through in File Explorer or Finder.
Step 8: Keep Spotify Downloads Available
There is one more thing worth knowing. Spotify requires you to go online periodically to keep your downloaded content active.
According to Spotify, you need to connect to the internet at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads. Your downloads can also be removed if you reinstall Spotify, exceed the supported device limit, or encounter certain app or storage issues.
Spotify currently allows up to 10,000 tracks across up to five devices, subject to the applicable account and plan rules.
So, if you’re preparing for a long trip, don’t download your playlists months in advance and then forget about them. Open Spotify and connect to the internet periodically so your offline content remains available.
FAQs
Can I download Spotify songs directly to my computer as MP3 files?
No. Spotify’s official download feature is for offline playback inside Spotify. It does not provide an option to save Spotify’s catalog as ordinary MP3, WAV, or other standalone music files.
Can I download one Spotify song on my computer?
Not directly. Spotify’s desktop download feature works with playlists and albums. If you want one particular song offline, add it to a playlist and download that playlist.
Do I need Spotify Premium to download music?
Yes, an eligible Premium plan is required for downloading music for offline listening. Spotify’s free version allows podcast downloads but does not provide music downloads for offline listening.
Can I listen to downloaded Spotify music without Wi-Fi?
Yes. Once the content has been successfully downloaded, you can listen to it using offline playback. You can also manually enable Offline Mode to make Spotify play only content that has been downloaded.
Where does Spotify save downloaded music on my computer?
Spotify manages the downloaded content within its application and cache system. You should not expect to find your downloaded songs as normal MP3 files that you can open and copy from File Explorer or Finder.
Why isn’t my Spotify playlist downloading?
Start by checking your internet connection and available storage space. Also make sure you haven’t reached the device limit and that your Spotify app is up to date. Spotify recommends restarting the application if downloads aren’t working.
Will Spotify downloads remain forever?
Not necessarily. You need to connect to the internet at least once every 30 days to keep downloaded content available. Reinstalling Spotify can also require you to download your music again.
Can I download Spotify music without Premium?
You can listen to music with a free Spotify account, but music downloads for offline listening require an eligible Premium plan. Free users can download podcasts where the feature is supported.