How to Fix Spotify Web Player Won’t Play

Having problems trying to fix your ‘Spotify web player won’t play’ issue?

Getting problems from Spotify’s web player can actually be an annoying problem. If you normally use the application, then you may not understand this. However, for us who don’t necessarily enjoy having so many programs installed or running at-a-time, it is a big deal.

Personally, some of us here at Saint, are guilty of this. Sometimes, having the web player is more than enough, especially if I’m running Photoshop, Discord, VSCode, and three other applications at the same time.

For you Spotify web player users out there, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll be going over a list of methods you can use to fix your problem. Here’s how you can fix your ‘Spotify web player won’t play’ issue.

Let’s dive in!

 

1. Refresh Play.

Starting this list off with our favorite solution, the ‘Refresh Play’. We came up with this nickname since the steps basically require you to mindlessly refresh the tab while clicking on the play button until it works.

Doubtful, we know. However, surprisingly, this method actually came from Spotify’s support, and funnily enough, the support member doesn’t know how this works. We assume that constantly refreshing and hitting the play button sends a command that refreshes your page while auto-playing the current song once it refreshes.

Here’s how you do a ‘Refresh Play’ on your web browser:

  1. Start by opening up the Spotify web app on your preferred browser.

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  1. Now, hover your cursor over any album cover. A play symbol should appear as you hover.
  2. Next, start clicking on the Play button vigorously while refreshing your browser. You can press the F5 key or press CTRL + R to refresh your browser while simultaneously clicking.

Continue clicking even while the page is fully reloaded. If that didn’t work the first time, try it again a couple more times until it works.

 

2. Try Another Browser.

Coming up with the simplest fix, trying out a different browser can help you diagnose if the Spotify problem is isolated on the browser you’re currently using. If Spotify works there, then you’ll be able to confirm that the problem is coming from your default browser.

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Try to open Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox, whichever is another browser. Log in and play a couple of songs to see if the issue persists there.

 

3. Clear Your Browser’s Cache Files.

Did Spotify work on your other browser? If so, then we can immediately give this method a shot. Cache files can be a pretty useful asset for your browser. These files are responsible for storing any changes you make to a website, including keeping you logged in.

Though your cache files elevate your experience by a lot, these files can be problematic. Additionally, for services like Spotify that are network reliant, cache files can occasionally mess with the connectivity of the stream. This might be why Spotify is freezing.

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Unfortunately, there isn’t a general step-by-step process of clearing the cache files of a browser that we can provide. You will have to personally search through the internet for the steps to clear your browser’s cache files.

Keep in mind, since these files store your settings and login details, you will be logged out of every website you’re currently logged into.

 

One of the useful features that Spotify added for its users is being able to link individual songs. This can be extremely useful when you want to send a song to that special someone or to a friend. We’ll be using this feature to try and fix your problem.

Copy-pasting the song link to your address bar will open that song on the current tab you’re on. By default, this should play automatically and unfreeze your Spotify web player.

Here’s how you can use a Spotify song link:

  1. First, open up the Spotify web app on your preferred browser.
  2. Now, look for and right-click on any song to bring out a pop-up menu.

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  1. From here, go ahead and select Copy Song Link. This will automatically copy the song’s link into your clipboard.
  2. Finally, paste the link into your address bar by pressing CTRL + V or right-clicking the address bar and clicking on Paste.

Press Enter and this should auto-play the song that you’ve linked. If not, try to click on the song to play it and see if it works.

 

5. Play Spotify Through Your Device.

This is a very common issue for new users, or even for users that haven’t explored Spotify’s entire interface as much. Since Spotify is a music-streaming service, you can’t stream on more than one device at a time.

In doing so, Spotify avoids the risk of one user buying one account which is then shared with other users. In this case, Spotify might be playing your song through a different device. In the steps below, we’ll be looking at the devices connected to your account as well as redirecting the stream back to your computer.

Here’s how you can check which device Spotify is playing on:

  1. Open up the Spotify web app on your browser.
  2. Now, on the lower-right corner of your screen next to the volume bar, there should be a computer and speaker icon. Click on this.

  1. This should open up a little Connect to a device pop-up.
  2. If you see a lot of devices, the one in green text is the device that Spotify is connected to. Click on your computer to switch the stream back to your device.
 

6. Disable Any Active VPNs.

Being safe and secure is a privilege that not a lot of people can enjoy. In our digital modern world, being secure online is just as important as real-life security. Luckily, VPNs are a great way to keep ourselves safe.

VPNs connect your personal IP to a VPN server, thereby masking and hiding your personal IP address from your browsing habits online. However, VPNs were only associated with hackers for a long time. Due to that, VPN servers are usually blocked by high-security websites, like Spotify.

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Since Spotify is a music-streaming website, a rejected VPN address can result in the web app freezing. Now, unfortunately, we are unable to provide a general list of steps to turn off your VPN, because every VPN is configured differently.

If you’re on a family computer, try to call someone who’s more familiar with the computer. Additionally, you can also try looking for the VPN that’s active on your computer and search for instructions on how to disable it online.

 

7. Migrate To The App.

Unfortunately, this may be the sign to migrate to the Spotify app. Exhausting all the methods above should mean clearing everything browser and Spotify-related to your problem. Additionally, checking out the Spotify app can also be a great way to troubleshoot your problem.

If the Spotify app itself still refuses to play, then perhaps there’s a connection problem. The good news is that there shouldn’t be anything on your computer that’s messing with this, since the web app primarily functions through the internet.

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You can find the installer on their official webpage here. We recommend downloading the installer from their website instead of other sources, even from the Microsoft store. Based on our experience and from the resources we’ve read, there are fewer problems with installations from their website.

Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, we hope to have helped you fix your ‘Spotify web player won’t play’ issue. If you have any questions or clarifications, feel free to leave us a comment down below.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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