The popularity of this music streaming service is not a secret to anyone. Spotify is preferred by many people over other music platforms since it provides numerous options. It has all the options one may need, from an extensive library of music to podcasts and audiobooks.
Even if Spotify can be accessed using various devices, many gamers prefer using it on their desktop. This has a couple of reasons: first, it is way more convenient to use it on a PC even while you are in a game; and second, Spotify can integrate itself with other applications such as Discord or Minecraft to provide better experience.
The Premium option on Spotify is also full of great features. Such as no-ads, improved quality sound options, offline mode, and more. If you have not tried it so far, there is a lot you are missing out on. Be sure to buy Spotify Premium code and test all the premium features today.
But what proves to be bothersome are the bugs and glitches that you face while using this app on a Windows PC. Windows is very versatile; people use different versions and packages. Sometimes, it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why Spotify isn’t working on your PC.
In this guide, I will teach you the most common fixes you could try to fix Spotify not opening on a Windows PC.
You can try these fixes on both Windows 10 and 11, so let’s get going!
Force closing Spotify and running as an Administrator
At times, all you need to do is run Spotify as an administrator or close the app forcibly from Task Manager, then reopen. Here’s how!
To open Task Manager right-click on your taskbar, then choose Task Manager and if you are accessing it for the first time, select “More Details,” located in the bottom left corner.
Under Processes, you can see everything that is currently running on your PC. If you see Spotify on the list, despite not opening, right-click on it and select “End Task.”
Now try to open Spotify again, and also try running it as an administrator. It is very simple to do it: right-click on the Spotify app on your desktop and select “Run as administrator.” You will get a “User Control Prompt.” Click on Yes.
You can also go to Start > Type Spotify, right-click on the app, and select “Run as administrator.”
Note: This should fix most of the issues. Programs running in the Task Manager but not opening is a common problem with a lot of apps on Windows. Forcefully closing it and reopening it again is the simplest solution.
Sometimes Spotify doesn’t have the required privileges. Running the app as an administrator will give the program the necessary privileges to run without any errors.
Enabling Media Feature Pack
A frequent issue faced by Spotify users is that their Windows 10 or 11 computers do not have the Media Feature Pack enabled. This pack is needed to run a lot of programs. This feature pack contains necessary updates, bug fixes, and additions for media like audio and video.
Many users may not have turned on this feature or even installed it, especially after they have just finished installing their Windows operating system. Here is how you can fix this:
How to enable the Media Feature Pack
Click on Start and type Manage optional features. Open it and click on “More Windows Features” in the top-right corner of the window.
Wait for the features to load. Scroll down to find “Media Features” and enable it. Click OK.
I hope these fixes helped you fix your Spotify issues on your PC. If they didn’t, there’s nothing to worry about, because I will teach you the best way to troubleshoot and find out the exact reason now!
Troubleshooting Spotify not running on PC
So, first things first, before we dive into something so advanced: try uninstalling and then re-installing the app just to check if the issue gets solved.
Just open Spotify, and if you face any error codes, then pretty good! Just google that error code and you should be able to find a fix in the Spotify community forums.
If reinstalling does not work, then let’s see if the problem comes from our PC or the network. Use a VPN or change your DNS and set it manually to 1.1.1.1; if you don’t know how to do it, use Cloudflare Warp and enable it. If your Spotify is working now, then it was a network issue that’s stopping the app from running.
In case you’re still unable to open it, maybe reinstalling the software in safe mode will work. There are multiple guides available on how to do that on the official Microsoft forums!
Sometimes, the reason could be as silly as Spotify being down for all users. You can check that by typing “Is Spotify down” in the Google search or by following the “Spotify Status” account on Twitter.
Finally, you may consider using Spotify’s web player as a better alternative than the long process of rebooting in safe mode and reinstalling the application. This web version works just fine or even better, without any errors compared to the desktop app.
Are you looking for more useful guides? Check out How to use Spotify, a detailed guide that will teach you to use Spotify in the best way possible.
