Are you facing high CPU usage while playing music on Spotify? Or the CPU utilizes more memory on its launch? Well, that is not an issue.
Spotify, one of the leading digital music platforms, offers millions of music and podcasts of your favorite musicians/personalities. Because of its high demand, Spotify is available on various platforms, including Android/iOS and PCs.
While using Spotify on a PC, high CPU usage is one of the common issues that you may face. This issue may not directly come from Spotify; other factors influence the high CPU usage while using Spotify.
This Spotify guide will list the 12 best possible fixes to reduce high CPU usage while using Spotify on PC.
12 Ways to Reduce Spotify CPU Usage
Like any other application on a PC, Spotify has an impact on CPU usage. Spotify is launched, and it consumes sufficient RAM and CPU, which gradually increases when you play music or keep using Spotify.
CPU usage is not an issue. However, when there is already too much load on the PC, running Spotify may put an extra load on the CPU, which may result in malfunctioning of the processes running on the system.
Reasons for High Consumption
Each problem refers to several sets of reasons, including high CPU usage. Keeping the reasons in view, the most suitable solutions are proposed; the high CPU usage of Spotify refers to the following reasons:
- Background processes: Spotify may run several background processes causing high CPU usage. You can check your computer’s Task Manager or Activity Monitor to see if this is true.
- Hardware Limitations: If your computer’s hardware is old or needs to be more powerful, it may struggle to handle the demands of Spotify. This can cause high CPU usage and other performance issues.
- Large Playlists: If you have a large playlist or are using Spotify to stream music for long periods, it can cause high CPU usage as the app tries to keep up with your demands.
- Third-Party Plugins: Some third-party plugins or extensions can cause high CPU usage in Spotify. Try disabling any plugins or extensions you may have installed and see if this resolves the issue.
- Outdated Software: Running an outdated version of Spotify or your operating system can cause performance issues and high CPU usage. Ensure you are running the latest version of Spotify and your operating system.
Solution 1: Close Unnecessary Apps/Browser Tabs
This is the primary remedy that you should do. Just look at the tasks that you are currently performing alongside Spotify. You must close the unnecessary Browser tabs, processes, and other applications.
For this, you need to open Task Manager. Launch the Task Manager from the Windows search bar or use the shortcut CTR+SHIFT+ESC.
- Focus on the CPU column and look for apps (foreground processes) and the background processes that consume the CPU more than others.
- After that, select which app is unnecessary and click on the End Task to close it.
That’s how you can optimize the apps through the Task Manager.
Solution 2: Clear the Spotify App Cache
A cache is the temporary memory location that fastens the overall operations. However, it does impact CPU usage as well. When the Cache is overloaded, Spotify tries to handle the load on its own, which cannot be managed properly, thus putting the load on the CPU.
To clear the Cache, open the Spotify app and then navigate to Settings:
Scroll down; there will be a Storage setting, where you will get the Clear Cache button. Click on it to wash it out quickly:
Solution 3: Restart Spotify
If you are done with the above solutions, and Spotify still consumes a lot of CPU, you must restart Spotify. Restarting the application will reset all the processes of Spotify. To close Spotify and then launch it, do this quick two-step remedy:
Open the Task Manager CTRL+SHIFT+ESC, select Spotify, and then click on the End Task as shown below:
Keep on doing that until you get the following interface:
Solution 4: Turn Off Hardware Acceleration
This Hardware Acceleration is also one of the reasons that your CPU usage is high while using Spotify. Hardware Acceleration uses CPU/GPU to deliver the best results for a better interface and usability.
Just do the following to turn it off:
- Open the Spotify Application.
- Click on the three horizontal dots in the top left corner.
- Then, click on View and turn off the Hardware Acceleration feature.
Solution 5: Reduce the Sound Quality
This is the beauty of Spotify; it offers the best sound quality. However, it may sometimes become a bottleneck due to inevitable CPU consumption. Unfortunately, you must reduce the sound quality when CPU consumption is uncontrolled.
To reduce the sound quality on Spotify, open Settings from the Spotify App:
You will see the Audio quality option, setting the Streaming quality to Low:
No need to alter any other Audio quality because they are not directly linked with the CPU usage.
Solution 6: Disable the Equalizer
Equalizer is what attracts the musician and the listener. However, sometimes these kinds of features of the Spotify application result in high CPU consumption. Thus, it needs to be turned off from the Spotify settings.
To turn off the equalizer, open Settings:
Scroll down inside it, where you will see the equalizer option. First, click the Reset button and turn the main toggle button off:
Solution 7: Disable Crossfade
Crossfade is the feature that merges one song with another, which is a resource–consuming task for a system having lower hardware specifications. This needs to be turned off to normalize the high CPU usage of Spotify.
To turn it off, scroll down to Settings of Spotify, and you will get the crossfade option in the Playback. Ensure to turn this off.
Step 8: Repair and Reset the Spotify
When you have practiced all the above fixes, Spotify can still not be used properly. You need to repair and reset the application through the system’s settings. For this, open the App settings of Spotify:
Scroll down inside the settings to get the Repair and Reset options. First, click on Repair and then on Reset:
Solution 9: Use the Spotify Web Support
Sometimes, the Spotify application is not working, and you must switch to the accessibility platform. Spotify web support also offers the same feature and support. So, if you cannot reduce Spotify CPU usage while using its app, you must use Spotify Web to get Spotify’s smooth and uninterrupted functionality.
Solution 10: Try Spotify on Some Other Device
Still, trying to eliminate Spotify’s high CPU usage after switching to the web? Then, you need to change the platform; for instance, you can change from Windows PC to mac. Or even then the problem is not fixed, you can change from desktop support to Android/iOS.
Solution 11: Re-Install the Spotify Application
When all the above solution does not work in your scenario, the last thing to do is a fresh installation. You must uninstall the current version completely and install a fresh copy.
First, to uninstall Spotify, you must search for its name in the search bar. Right-click on the result and then choose Uninstall:
You can go to the Spotify Download page and get the Spotify application.
Solution 12: Update Your Hardware
This is the last and most recommended method to fix the CPU usage issue. Suppose none of the above solutions has worked for you. Then, you need to update the hardware of your PC. We can list some of the recommendations for you that need to be considered:
- Increase the Capacity of your CPU or GPU: If your PC’s motherboard is customizable, you can easily replace the CPU chip or use a better graphics card to enhance the graphics performance.
- Increase the RAM: In the modern world, most PC’s come up with a motherboard that accepts increases in RAM. You can easily install another memory chip to enhance the RAM.
- Increase ROM (Storage Memory): One of the most ignored yet important components. If you are using the traditional storage type (HDD), updating it with the SSD is recommended. And if you are using the SSD, adding more storage devices is required.
Note: For the best performance, the above-stated components are recommended to be replaced instead updated them. As most of the motherboard does not support other than recommended chips.
Bottom Line
Spotify is a top trending audio music-providing platform around the globe. You might have encountered high CPU usage while using it. That’s normal when you are multi-tasking; you just have to optimize your system.
To reduce the high Spotify CPU usage, you must ensure that only necessary browser tabs, processes, etc., are opened. If you are sure you are using Spotify in an ideal condition, you should update your system hardware. This post has addressed the 12 best possible solutions to reduce Spotify usage.
Hey, I’m Hammad. I have been writing for several years now and have amassed a wealth of experience within my field. My focus is on technology and gaming, two areas that I am highly knowledgeable about. Also, I’m writer for iPhonEscape.com and CPUGPUnerds.com as well and where I have written over 350 articles.