How to fix Spotify when it randomly crashes on Windows 11
Spotify is one of the best services that provide the ability to listen to your favorite music and podcasts. However, while the Windows desktop app offers a smooth and responsive listening experience, it is not without its problems.
If Spotify keeps crashing on Windows 11 computers, all hopes should not be lost. Here are some troubleshooting steps to prevent the app from randomly crashing on Windows 11. Check out the top reasons why you should not use Spotify.
1. Reboot the computer
After Windows has been running for an uninterrupted period, it can create a lot of temporary files and cache in the background. It stores many of them in your computer's RAM. The problem is that once this data accumulates, it can affect its performance and cause some apps like Spotify to crash.
By restarting your computer, you are clearing these temporary files and freeing up the system resources that were consuming them, which can solve many problems you are having on Windows 11. This includes Spotify crashing issue.
2. Quit and restart Spotify
When Spotify keeps crashing, try closing the app completely by forcing quit and then launching it again.
Follow the steps below to force close Spotify:
- Right-click on the Start Menu on the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- In the Processes tab, find the Spotify process, right-click on it, and choose End task.
3. Make sure Spotify is up to date
- Updating the Spotify desktop app can also get rid of random crashes. To update Spotify:
- Open Spotify and click on the menu button How to fix Spotify when it randomly crashes on Windows 11 - Explanations next to your profile name at the top right.
Click Update Available. Restart now. Restart the application. You'll know the update is ready if there's a blue dot next to the menu button How to fix Spotify when it randomly crashes on Windows 11 - Instructions
4. Run Spotify with administrator rights
Sometimes, if the app does not have certain permissions, it may crash while running. You must give it administrative privileges by running it as an administrator to prevent this from happening.
Here's how to run Spotify as an administrator:
- Right-click on the Spotify icon on the desktop and select Run as administrator
- Click Yes on the UAC prompt to allow the app to make changes to your Windows 11 PC.
- If that fixes the problem, you'll probably have to make the administrative privileges permanent. Here's how to do it:
- Right-click the Spotify icon on the desktop and select Properties.
- On the Shortcut tab in the pop-up window, click the Advanced button.
- Another popup will appear. Select the Run as an administrator check box and click OK.
- Click OK again to close the properties popup and save changes.
5. Run Spotify in compatibility mode
Running Spotify in compatibility mode for an earlier Windows version can help solve the crash issue. We recommend that you try Compatibility Mode for Windows 7 and 8 only, as these modes are more likely to work.
To run Spotify in compatibility mode, follow these steps:
- Right-click the Spotify icon on the desktop and select Properties.
- Select the Compatibility tab on the pop-up window.
- Under Compatibility Mode, select the check box and choose Windows 7 from the dropdown list (try the next Windows 8 if that doesn't work).
- Under Settings on the Compatibility tab, select the Run this app as an administrator check box.
- Click OK to close the popup and apply the changes.
- Check how to run old games and apps on Windows.
6. Try freeing up some hard disk space
If there is not enough space on your storage drive, applications can start to crash. You can do many things to free up storage on your Windows 11 PC.
For example, you can:
- Move files you don't use to an external storage device or any cloud service and delete any files you don't need.
- Uninstall apps you don't need and make sure you enable app archiving.
- Make sure the storage sensor is set up.
- Open the Disk Cleanup utility and select the drive you want to clean. Next, select the appropriate checkboxes under Files to delete and click OK. In the next popup that appears, click Delete Files to start the process.
7. Clear Spotify Cache
While using the Spotify app on Windows 11, can create a large cache. Removing them can help improve its performance and even prevent it from crashing unexpectedly.
If you downloaded the Spotify app from the website, here's how to clear the cache:
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
- Copy and paste the command below into the text box, and hit Enter:
%LocalAppData%\Spotify\Storage\
- Press Ctrl + A to select all files in the storage folder.
- Press Shift + delete.
- In the pop-up asking if you want to permanently delete the files in the folder, click Yes.
- If you installed Spotify from the Windows Store, you can try to delete the cache using:
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
Copy and paste the following command into the text box and hit Enter:
%LocalAppData%\Packages\SpotifyAB.SpotifyMusic_zpdnekdrzrea0\LocalCache\Spotify\Data\
- Press Ctrl + A to select all files in the data folder.
- pressure pShift + delete.
- Click Yes to permanently delete the files.
8. Run the Apps Troubleshooter
This method only works if you have downloaded Spotify from the Windows Store. When you use the Apps troubleshooter, Windows 11 will check your apps and help you fix any problems it finds.
Here are the steps to run the Apps troubleshooter:
- Right-click on the Start Menu on the taskbar and select Settings.
- Go to System -> Troubleshooting -> Additional Troubleshooting Tools.
- In the Other section, locate Windows Store Apps and click the Run button.
- Wait for the troubleshooter to do its job, then implement any suggested solutions. Some fixes will also be applied automatically. Check Spotify App Keep Pausing? The best way to fix it.
9. Disable hardware acceleration
By default, Spotify will use hardware acceleration, which can sometimes cause problems, including crash issues.
To disable hardware acceleration in Spotify, follow these steps:
- Open Spotify, click the menu button How to fix Spotify when it randomly crashes on Windows 11 - Explanations at the top right, and choose Settings.
- Scroll down to the Compatibility section in Settings and tap the toggle in the Enable hardware acceleration dialog to disable it.
10. Reinstall Spotify from Windows Store
If Spotify is still crashing randomly after the above steps, it might be time to give it clean data by uninstalling and reinstalling it. The best way to do this is from the Windows Store.
Here's how to uninstall and then reinstall Spotify:
- Right-click on the Start Menu on the taskbar and choose Apps and Features.
- Under the list of apps, click inside the search box and enter “Spotify” to make Spotify the only app on the list.
- Click on the More button on the right and choose Uninstall.
- Click Uninstall again to remove Spotify from your system.
- Hit the Windows key and enter “store” in the search box at the top.
- Under Best Match in the search results, click Microsoft Store to open the app.
- Click inside the search box at the top, enter “Spotify,” and hit the Enter key.
- Spotify will appear at the top of the results, and you just have to click Install in its menu.
- Smooth Spotify Experience on Windows 11
When Spotify keeps crashing on Windows 11, it's very difficult to enjoy listening to your favorite artists and podcasts. Fortunately, you can solve the problem in several ways and get back to taking advantage of this great service.
If all the troubleshooting steps in this article didn't work, you can always use Spotify's web version as an alternative. But if you are keen on using the desktop app, you can reinstall Windows 11 as a last resort to fix random crashes. You can now check out the best web apps to enhance your Spotify experience.