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5 ways to fix "Spotify application is not responding"
Spotify is one of the most popular streaming services. It has apps for the major computer and mobile operating systems. Sometimes, you may see the “Spotify application is not responding” error when you try to use the app on Windows 10 or 11.
Thankfully, there are several fixes for this issue, and we’ll go through them in the following sections.
How to fix “Spotify application is not responding”
Kill Spotify processes in Task Manager
Like all Windows apps, Spotify creates several (up to nine or more) processes when active. If there’s a problem with any of them, it may prevent the app from opening. On your Windows PC:
- Press CTRL + ALT + DEL on your keyboard and select Task Manager from the options.
- You can also right-click an empty space in the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Click the top icon on the left sidebar to open Processes. This shows all active applications in the foreground and background.
- Find Spotify under the app list. You can also type the name in the search box at the top of the window.
- Right-click on all active Spotify processes and select End Task. The processes should stop after a few seconds.
Use the taskkill command
The taskkill command is another way to stop Spotify processes using Windows Command Prompt. If for some reason, you can’t use Task Manager, try this option. Here’s how:
- Press the Start button and type cmd in the Windows search bar.
- Select Command Prompt from the results and click Run as administrator.
- Type taskkill /f /im spotify.exe. You can also copy and paste it into the CP window.
- Hit the Enter button to execute the command.
Ensure Windows Firewall (or a third-party security app) is not blocking Spotify
A firewall block may cause your “Spotify application is not responding” error. Here’s how to resolve it:
- Press the Start button and search for Windows Security in the Windows search bar.
- Open the app and select Firewall and network protection.
- Click Allow an app through firewall.
If you have third-party antivirus software, you also want to allow Spotify through the firewall. While the exact steps will differ you’ll probably find the option in the app’s firewall settings. You can also temporarily turn off the antivirus for a while and attempt to run Spotify again.
Delete your cached user data
While the previous steps won’t compromise your on-device data, this one will. So, only use it after you’ve tried the others. If a caching issue is causing the error, deleting your Spotify data may resolve it. Here’s how:
- Press Windows + R to open Run.
- Type in %appdata% in the text box and press OK.
Another option is to open the -user folder, right-click the local-files.bnk file, and select Delete.
Reinstall the Spotify app
If the “Spotify application is not responding” error persists after trying the previous solutions, you may need to delete the app entirely. Like this previous option, this will delete the user data on your computer. However, it won’t affect the important settings and data in your online Spotify account.
Follow these steps to reinstall Spotify:
- Press the Start button and go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
