Imagine settling in to enjoy your favorite playlist on Spotify, only to have your experience ruined by songs that keep skipping or refuse to play properly. It’s not just a minor inconvenience—it can completely disrupt your vibe. Many users, including myself, have faced this issue on desktop, where songs won’t even start. Others experience Spotify skipping songs when connected to external speakers like Amazon Echo, making it difficult to enjoy uninterrupted music. If you’re struggling with this issue, don’t worry—there are several effective solutions to fix Spotify keeps skipping songs and get your music back on track!
Let’s discover here!
Why Does Spotify Keep Skipping Songs?
If Spotify keeps skipping songs on your device, several factors could be behind this frustrating issue. Here are some common reasons and how to fix Spotify keeps skipping songs temporarily:
1. Unstable Internet Connection
A weak or unstable connection is often the main culprit. Since Spotify relies on a steady internet connection to stream smoothly, interruptions can cause songs to skip or stop playing.
- Check if your Wi-Fi is stable or switch to another network.
- If using mobile data, ensure you have strong coverage, as Spotify generally works better on Wi-Fi.
2. Offline Mode is Enabled
If Offline Mode is turned on, Spotify will only play downloaded songs. This can cause confusion if you’re trying to stream music but are unknowingly still in offline mode.
- Go to Settings and check if Offline Mode is enabled.
- Disable it to regain access to streaming and fix the skipping issue.
3. Playback Settings Are Causing Issues
Certain playback settings can interfere with smooth streaming and cause songs to skip. Features like Crossfade, Gapless Playback, or Hardware Acceleration may not work well on all devices.
- Try disabling unnecessary playback settings in Spotify’s Settings menu to see if the issue improves.
4. Device Performance Issues
Older or low-performance devices may struggle to keep up with Spotify’s streaming demands, leading to playback interruptions.
- Close unnecessary background apps to free up resources.
- If possible, try a different device to see if the problem persists.
5. Spotify Connect Issues
Spotify Connect lets you control playback across multiple devices, but connectivity issues can sometimes cause songs to skip or fail to play.
- Ensure Spotify Connect is working correctly and that all connected devices are properly synced.
- Restart both Spotify and your device to reset the connection.
How to Fix Spotify Keep Skipping Songs?
1. Clean App Cache
Over time, cached data can cause playback issues on Spotify. Clearing the cache can help resolve these problems and improve performance.
For Desktop:
- Open the Spotify desktop app and click on your Profile icon in the top right corner.
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- Scroll down to the Storage section.
- Click Clear cache next to the Cache option.
- A confirmation dialog will appear—click Clear cache to confirm.
For Mobile:
- Open the Spotify app on your device.
- Tap the Gear icon to access Settings.
- Scroll down and select Storage.
- Tap Clear cache.
- Confirm by tapping Clear cache again.
2. Free Up Device Storage
Running low on storage can slow down Spotify and cause playback issues. Ensuring your device has enough free space will help the app run more smoothly.
- Open the Spotify app on your device.
- Tap the Gear icon to access Settings.
- Scroll down and select Storage.
- Check how much space Spotify is using for downloads and cache.
- If storage is running low, clear downloads or cache directly from this menu to free up space.
By keeping enough storage available, you can prevent Spotify from skipping songs or even lagging, ensuring a seamless music experience.
3. Close Background Apps
Background apps running on your device can consume system resources and interfere with Spotify’s performance. Closing unnecessary apps can free up memory and improve playback stability.
For Desktop:
- Windows:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Under the Processes tab, locate applications using high CPU, memory, or disk.
- Select these applications and click End Task to close them.
- Mac:
- Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search, type Activity Monitor, and press Enter.
- In Activity Monitor, find applications consuming high CPU or memory.
- Select the app and click the X button in the top-left corner to quit.
For Mobile:
- iOS:
- Double-click the Home button or swipe up and pause to open the App Switcher.
- Swipe left or right to view open apps.
- Swipe up to close unwanted apps.
- Android:
- Tap the Overview button (square button) to open recent apps.
- Swipe left or right to see running apps.
- Swipe up or tap Close all to shut them down.
4. Log Out and Log Back Into Spotify
Logging out of Spotify can clear temporary data and refresh your session, helping resolve playback issues.
For Desktop:
- Click on your Profile icon.
- Select Log out.
For Mobile:
- Tap the Gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Log out.
- Restart Spotify and log back in.
Once logged in, try playing a song to see if the issue persists.
5. Restart Your Device
Restarting your device can help clear system glitches and refresh app performance.
For Desktop:
- Windows: Click Start > Power button > Restart.
- Mac: Click the Apple menu > Restart.
For Mobile:
- Android & iOS: Press and hold the power button, then swipe the power-off slider.
- Once the screen turns off, press and hold the power button again until the device reboots.
6. Disable Offline Mode
If Spotify is stuck in Offline Mode, it may cause songs to skip or not play properly. Turning it off may fix the issue.
For Desktop:
- Windows: Click the More button (three dots) > File > Offline Mode, then deselect Offline Mode.
- Mac: Click Spotify in the Apple menu > Offline Mode, then deselect Offline Mode.
For Mobile:
- Tap the Gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll to Playback > Offline, and toggle Offline Mode off.
7. Disable Crossfade
The Crossfade feature blends the end of one song into the beginning of another, creating a smooth transition. However, it may sometimes cause skipping or playback issues.
For Desktop:
- Click your Profile icon > Settings.
- Scroll to Playback > Crossfade songs, then toggle Crossfade off.
For Mobile:
- Tap the Gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll to Playback > Crossfade, then toggle off the Gapless Playback option.
8. Turn off Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration allows Spotify to offload certain processing tasks to your computer’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or other hardware components for improved performance. However, in some cases, hardware acceleration can cause playback issues, leading to skipping or lagging songs. Disabling this feature can help resolve these conflicts and ensure smoother playback.
- Windows:
- Click the More button (three dots icon) in the upper-left corner.
- Navigate to View > Hardware Acceleration and deselect it.
- Alternatively, go to your Profile icon > Settings, scroll to the bottom, and toggle off Enable hardware acceleration.
- Mac:
- Click Spotify in the Apple menu.
- Select Hardware Acceleration and deselect it.
9. Change Streaming Quality
Spotify offers different streaming quality options, and sometimes adjusting these settings can reduce playback issues. If songs are skipping due to network instability, changing the streaming quality from Automatic to Very High may help.
For Desktop:
- Click on your Profile icon > Settings.
- Scroll to Audio Quality > Streaming Quality.
- Click the dropdown menu (default may be Automatic) and select Very High.
For Mobile:
- Tap the Gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll to Audio Quality.
- Under Streaming, set WiFi Streaming and/or Cellular Streaming to Very High.
This ensures better sound quality while minimizing the potential Spotify skipping songs caused by inconsistent streaming settings.
10. Restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder (Windows Only)
The Windows Audio Endpoint Builder is responsible for managing audio devices and sound processing on a Windows PC. If you are experiencing Spotify skipping songs on Windows, restarting this service can help restore smooth playback.
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type services.msc and press Enter to open the Services window.
- Scroll down and locate Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.
- Right-click it and select Restart. Alternatively, select it and click the Restart button.
- Wait for the service to restart, then close the Services window.
After restarting this service, check Spotify again to see if the skipping issue has been resolved.
Conclusion
There are 10 common solutions to fix the issue when Spotify keeps skipping songs. While these fixes can temporarily resolve the problem for most users, the issue may occasionally return.
To avoid this frustration altogether, the best approach is to download and back up your favorite Spotify songs. This way, if playback issues arise, you can switch to another player and enjoy your music without interruptions!