Have you ever been caught up in a situation where your favorite songs on Spotify are getting undownload, even after you have spent hours downloading them? Well, that’s not an issue.
Spotify is a popular music streaming platform that permits its users to access millions of songs, audiobooks, and podcasts. With its user-friendly interface, customized playlists, and extensive library of content, Spotify has revolutionized the perspective people listen to music.
Apart from the online support, Spotify allows you to download music and listen to it offline. However, sometimes, Spotify automatically undownloads your music which is quite frustrating at the moment for the users.
Several potential reasons invoke this error, i.e., storage issues on the device, the cache of the Spotify app, and offline sync is disabled. Nothing to be worried about; we will elaborate on all the possible solutions to overcome this problem.
Why Does Spotify Keep Undownloading My Songs?
The offline support of Spotify is quite amazing. For that, users can download the music or the whole playlist. One thing to remember is that while downloading a playlist, there are a few Spotify terms that are to be followed properly. If not, you will be unable to download songs properly.
Now, we will list some of the major reasons why Spotify keeps undownloading songs:
- Insufficient Storage Space: Spotify needs enough space on your device to store downloaded songs. Moreover, it may face trouble while downloading and storing new tracks if the device storage space is low.
- Poor Internet Connection: Spotify needs a reliable internet connection to download and store songs. The download process can get interrupted if the internet connection is unstable or weak.
- Accumulated Cache Data: Over time, Spotify cache data accumulates and can take up extensive storage space.
- Offline Sync Settings: If Spotify’s offline sync settings are not set up properly, your songs may keep downloading.
- Outdated Spotify Version: Older versions of Spotify may not perform well, which can lead to problems related to song storage and the download operation.
- Songs Limit Exceeded: Spotify permits users to download up to 10,000 songs on each device for offline playback. In case of reaching the limit, Spotify undownloads the old songs to add new ones.
- Spotify Premium Subscription Ended: If you are out of the Spotify premium subscription, the former songs will become unavailable.
- Being Offline for More than 30 Days: Spotify automatically deletes the downloaded songs in case you are offline for over 30 days.
- Songs Deleted by Original Creators or Artists: If the artists or original creators delete their songs from the platform, your songs get undownloaded.
Let’s uncover the potential solutions to fix the downloading error.
10 Ways To Fix Spotify Keeps Undownloading Songs in 2023
Solution 1: Free Up Storage Space
Freeing up storage space assists in improving performance, preventing crashes, minimizing the need to purchase additional storage, and saving money. More specifically, it can also help Spotify to function properly and allocate space for downloading songs.
You can free up storage space on your system mainly by uninstalling unused programs, deleting temporary files, and clearing the Recycle bin.
To uninstall the unused programs, navigate to “Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features,” click on three dots and choose the Uninstall option:
Now, it’s time to delete temporary files on your system.
- Open up File Explorer and choose the drive that you want to clean.
- Then, select the Properties option and click on Disk Cleanup.
To clean Recycle Bin, open it up using the Start menu and permanently delete the unnecessary files and folders:
Solution 2: Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection
Checking your internet connection can help in troubleshooting the Spotify song undownloading issue. This can be checked by looking at the internet connection status you are currently connected to. For this, click on the internet connection option:
If the internet connection is stable enough, as in our case, then you do not need to troubleshoot. However, if there is some instability, you have to either troubleshoot the connection by running a troubleshooter at the path “System > troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters” and Run the Internet troubleshooter.
By running the troubleshooter, the internet problem will be fixed.
Solution 3: Clear Spotify Cache Data
Clearing Spotify cache data is essential for various reasons. For instance, to free up the used space by Spotify data, fix bugs and glitches, protect privacy, and improve the playback of songs. We recommend you clear Spotify cache data to enjoy listening to the downloaded songs without hassle.
Open the Spotify app using the Start menu to clear cache data on the Desktop:
Navigate to Settings and scroll down until you find the Storage section. Lastly, click on the Clear Cache button to clear Spotify cache data:
Solution 4: Enable Offline Sync Settings
By enabling the Offline Sync Settings, Spotify automatically downloads the playlists and songs saved for offline playback. This setting can be utilized when listening to songs when you don’t have an active internet connection.
Open the Spotify application on your desktop, and click on Settings. Then, scroll down and move to the Storage section. Specify the Offline storage location and make sure you have the Playlist you want to sync and download.
Solution 5: Update Spotify Version
Updating Spotify to the latest version is important to enjoy new features, fix bugs, and enhance security and compatibility. Therefore, updating the app regularly is recommended to ensure the best possible experience. Let’s understand how it can be done on various platforms.
For Android/iOS:
Open the App Store and search for Spotify. If there is an UPDATE button (as in our case), you must tap on it. Else, you already have the updated version:
For Desktop:
Open the App Store and search for Spotify. There would be an Update option just below the Open button. If there is no Update button, then you have the latest version:
Solution 6: Reconsider the Download Limit
As discussed earlier, you can download up to 10,000 songs on a single device. Spotify will immediately undownload your older songs if you reach the limit. In this way, it can offer space for the new ones.
However, if you wish to download new songs without deleting the existing ones, you can switch to a different device that has yet to hit the limit. Alternatively, save new Spotify songs using a different device if you have not used all your permitted devices.
Solution 7: Verify the Premium Membership
The previously downloaded music will no longer be available if you haven’t paid for Spotify or aren’t a Premium subscriber. Therefore, you must maintain your Premium membership to save your downloaded songs:
Solution 8: Log Out and Log in to Spotify Again
On Spotify, it is required to go online at least once every 30 days to keep track of your downloaded songs and collecting data plat data to pay artists. However, Spotify can automatically undownloads songs if you haven’t done that. As a result, you must redownload your music and keep using the internet at least once every 30 days.
So, log out by following the given instructions:
Now, log in back to Spotify:
Solution 9: Re-Install Spotify
If none of the above solutions have worked, you must uninstall Spotify and re-install the fresh copy to fix the bug. The process of uninstallation and re–installation varies from system to system and is as follows.
For Android/iOS:
Long press the application and choose the Remove App option to remove the app:
Once uninstalled, open your App Store and search for Spotify to have a fresh installation.
For Desktop:
Search For Spotify in the Windows search bar, right-click on it, and hit the Uninstall button:
Now, to get the latest Spotify app on your Desktop system. Go to their Downloads page or the system’s App Store to install it again.
Solution 10: Contact Spotify Support
The songs or playlists on Spotify that are grayed out after being downloaded to the local device typically experience this problem. This sometimes happens when the creator or artists of those songs do not want them to be available on Spotify for various reasons, such as an expired license.
In such a situation, you can ask Spotify to contact those musicians or record labels and request that they add those songs again. Moreover, Spotify Support can also assist you in this regard, and you can contact them through various means as directed below:
Bottom Line
Spotify undownloading songs can be annoying and interfere with your smooth music–listening experience. The main reason behind the discussed problem can be insufficient storage space, poor internet connection, outdated Spotify version, downloaded song limit exceeded, or the Spotify premium subscription ended.
However, you can easily fix it and resume listening to your favorite music without interruption by following the solutions provided in this post. These solutions range from verifying your internet connection to deleting cache data and updating your Spotify version. If you still have the same issue, we recommend contacting Spotify’s customer service for additional help.
Adnan is a Software Engineer with an aim to learn and teach the community through words. The go-to expert about Technology. He has honed his skills in crafting easy-to-understand documentation, tutorials, and articles on these powerful tools.