Have you ever heard a song on Spotify and thought, “This just isn’t for me”? In this guide, you’ll find out how to mark a song you don’t like and where to locate it later in case you change your mind. It’s a simple way to keep your playlists enjoyable and personalized. Ready to take charge of your listening experience?
Let’s get started!
How to Dislike a Song on Spotify
If a track in your Spotify playlist or recommendations isn’t quite your style, you don’t have to keep listening. Spotify’s “Hide song” feature makes it easy to remove songs you’d rather skip from personalized playlists, Discover Weekly, radio stations, and more.
1. Hiding a Song in a Playlist
The “Hide song” option helps you refine what you hear in a specific playlist or station. With just a tap, you can hide tracks that don’t match your taste, making it simpler to enjoy the music you love.
Note:
Hiding a song in one playlist doesn’t remove it from all playlists on your account. You’ll need to hide the song individually in each playlist where it appears.
1. Open the Spotify mobile app and go to the Home page.
2. Use the Search feature to find the playlist or radio station you’re looking for.
3. Locate the song you want to remove, then tap the three dots (More) icon next to it.
4. From the menu, select “Hide song.”
5. The hidden track will now appear greyed out with a circle and minus sign, and Spotify will automatically skip it in that playlist or station.
6. If the same song shows up in other playlists, just hide it there too for a smoother, more personalized listening experience.
If you change your mind and want to unhide a song in a playlist:
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Tap the More button (three dots) next to the hidden song.
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Look for the “Hidden” option or the circle with a minus sign.
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Tap it to unhide the song and make it playable in the playlist again.
2. Block an Artist’s Songs Completely
If there’s an artist whose music just doesn’t suit your taste, you can block them entirely on Spotify. This prevents their songs from showing up in your playlists, radio stations, and recommendations.
Note:
Blocking an artist is more permanent than simply hiding a song. Once blocked, you won’t hear any of their music across the platform until you choose to unblock them.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Spotify mobile app.
2. Go to the Home tab or use the Search feature.
3. Type in the name of the artist you want to block and open their profile.
4. Tap the three dots (More) icon in the top-right corner of their profile.
5. Select “Don’t play this artist.”
6. Spotify will show a confirmation prompt—tap to confirm.
That’s it! Their music will now be blocked platform-wide.
If you change your mind, unblocking an artist is easy:
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Go back to the artist’s profile on Spotify.
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Tap the More button (three dots) in the top-right corner.
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Select “Allow to play this artist.”
Their music will once again be included in your playlists, stations, and recommendations.
3. Exclude a Playlist from Influencing Recommendations
If Spotify keeps pulling suggestions from a playlist that doesn’t reflect your current mood or music taste, you can exclude it from shaping your recommendations. By creating a custom playlist for songs you dislike and enabling the “Exclude from your taste profile” feature, you can subtly guide Spotify’s algorithm over time.
Note:
This method doesn’t have the instant effect of hiding a song or blocking an artist, but it’s a great way to fine-tune your listening experience gradually. As you continue adding songs to the excluded playlist, Spotify will learn and adjust your recommendations accordingly.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Create a new playlist in the Spotify mobile or desktop app.
- Give it a name like “Disliked Songs” or “Exclude from Recommendations.”
2. Add songs you don’t like to this playlist:
- Tap the three dots next to any song.
- Select “Add to Playlist”, then choose your custom playlist.
3. Once you’ve added some tracks, open the playlist.
4. Tap the More button (three dots) in the playlist view.
5. Select “Exclude from your taste profile.”
Now Spotify will stop using that playlist to influence your recommendations, allowing your future listening suggestions to better match your preferences.
4. Remove a Song from a Playlist
As your music taste changes, you might want to update your playlists to match what you like now. Spotify makes it simple to remove songs from any playlist. You can also help Spotify suggest better music by liking songs you enjoy.
Note:
Liking songs helps Spotify learn what you enjoy. The more songs you like, the better your recommendations—like Discover Weekly—will get.
To remove a song from a playlist:
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Open the playlist that has the song you want to remove.
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Scroll to find the song.
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Tap the three dots (…) next to it.
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Choose “Remove from this playlist.”
To improve your music suggestions:
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When you hear a song you like, tap the heart or plus (+) icon to add it to your Liked Songs.
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Spotify uses your liked songs to recommend similar music and artists.
How to Find Songs You’ve Disliked on Spotify
If you’ve hidden or blocked songs on Spotify and want to find them again, it depends on how you disliked them. Hidden songs usually show a circle with a minus sign. Here’s how you can find and manage them:
1. Show Hidden Songs in Playlists
Sometimes songs are hidden in playlists, and you need to adjust your settings to see them again (this doesn’t work for Daily Mix playlists).
Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Spotify app on your phone.
2. Tap on Settings from the Home screen.
3. Scroll down to Playback settings.
- On iPhone, turn off “Hide Unplayable Tracks.”
- On Android, turn on “Show Unplayable Songs.”
4. Go back to the playlist where you think a song is hidden.
5. Look for songs marked with a circle and minus sign—these are hidden songs.
6. Tap the icon to unhide the song and make it playable again.
2. Use Spotify’s “Download Your Data” Tool
You can also request a list of songs you’ve disliked by downloading your Spotify data.
Follow these steps:
1. Go to the Spotify Account Overview in a web browser.
2. Log in to your Spotify account.
3. Go to Privacy Settings.
4. Scroll down and select:
- Download Your Data >
- Account Data >
- Select Account Data >
- Request Data
5. Choose “Extended Streaming History.”
6. Spotify will email you once the data is ready (this can take up to 5 days).
7. Open the email and follow the link to download your data.
8. In the file, you’ll see a history of the songs you’ve played and disliked over the past year.
Conclusion
Even though Spotify doesn’t have a dislike button, there are easy ways to stop hearing songs you don’t like—by hiding songs, blocking artists, or adjusting playlists. These tools help Spotify understand your taste so it can recommend music you actually enjoy.
If you ever want to find the songs you’ve disliked or hidden, you can do that too using the app settings or by downloading your data.
Take control of your music! Try out these tips today and make your Spotify experience better and more personal.