Spotify is the hotspot of all your favourite songs, podcasts, and much more. Whether it’s an explicit version of any song or you can’t find that particular song anywhere else, it’s definitely on Spotify. There are available organic Spotify promotion too but the Spotify application is not free from glitches and bugs.
Be it the application on your desktop or the software on your smartphone, Spotify Premium will be of no use if you come across the notification: Spotify can’t play this right now.
If you are facing this issue, it can be a mere network issue. On the other hand, Spotify is particular about regions and songs. There are chances that that particular file you want to play is unavailable in your region. Additionally, there are restrictions regarding the free use of Spotify. Moreover, overflowing the local cache might prevent the song from getting played.
This is not the end of the reasons that might trigger the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ issue. Users are found to be mishandling the settings of Spotify. If you depend on the web player of Spotify, then users have reported that there are issues with the Spotify web player.
Whatever the scenario is, you might be looking for a solution to get rid of this ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ issue. Here are a few tried and tested solutions to keep your nerves stable with Spotify.
Restart your device and Login Again
The easiest way to handle the Spotify can’t play this right now is to give your device a quick restart. Whether it’s your desktop app or smartphone one, a quick restart might clear the temporary glitch out of your way. Reboot your computer or smartphone.
After that, you need to go to the application. Make sure that you log out of your Spotify account. Keep in mind that you are aware of the sign-in credentials, or else, it can be frustrating. So, backup your Spotify account’s credentials. After you have signed out of your Spotify account, wait for a while. Now, try logging into your Spotify account again. Provide the right account credentials, check if Spotify allows you to play your songs.
Deactivate Hardware Acceleration Feature in Spotify
If you can still notice that Spotify can’t play this right now, then it’s clear that you have to do something else other than just restarting your device. Users have claimed that disabling the hardware acceleration feature of Spotify can make the issue disappear.
But, what is this hardware acceleration? Hardware acceleration in Spotify is a recommendable feature that helps you out when you don’t want software algorithms to go heavy. Spotify, by default, keeps this feature active.
But, the active hardware acceleration can cause the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ issue. To disable the hardware acceleration in Spotify, you have to abide by the following instructions:
- Explore the Spotify application.
- Select the Ellipsis icon from the top-left corner of the application.
- Go for the View option, and then disable the Hardware Acceleration option.
This might not act instantly. Instead, you should restart the Spotify application and then launch the application again. Now, check if you can play that file that shows that Spotify can’t play this right now.
If you’re using the Spotify application on a Mac device, the steps are slightly different. Click the Spotify option from the top-most bar on the screen, a context menu will appear. Locate the Hardware Acceleration option and click on it to uncheck the item. Now, you can explore the application and play the song that keeps showing: Spotify can’t play this right now.
Make Changes to the Streaming Quality
Audio quality matters, and if you are tuning into Spotify Premium, then there’s no chance that you are compromising on music quality. But, if you have recently withdrawn your Premium subscription and want to play a particular song in high-quality, then you might witness the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ issue.
Here’s how you can bring a fix to this by using the following steps:
- Open Spotify and locate Settings. It’s usually under your account option. Click on Settings from the menu.
- Look for Music Quality, and there will be an item called Streaming quality. Keep it Normal rather than very high or poor quality.
- Restart your Spotify application and check if you can play that problematic song.
Erase Local Spotify Cache Files
The overflowing load of local cache files must be tampering with the functionality of Spotify. And, the application might not be able to play the current song that you have requested.
Therefore, you have to delete all the local Spotify cache files, and here’s the method to do it:
- Make sure that you have closed the Spotify application.
- Open a Run prompt by pressing the Windows and R keys simultaneously.
- Now, type ‘%appdata%’ in the Open box. And, hit the Enter key.
- When the File Explorer opens, follow the file path: Spotify> Users> [Account_name].
- You have to select the local-files.bnk file and delete it.
Well, this method is suitable for Windows PCs. If you own a Mac system, then the same local-files.bnk file is situated under the file path ‘/Users/[Your Spotify]/Library/Application Support/ Spotify/Users/[Your Spotify Account_name]-user’.
Delete that file from your system and try playing that particular file on Spotify. The Spotify can’t play this right now shouldn’t appear anymore.
Is the Song Available Even on your Spotify Preferences?
Spotify allows users to create a unique collection of songs through playlists. However, if you ever delete a song from a playlist, it might appear in the list. But, the fact is that you can’t play the song inside that playlist. Therefore, you have to find out whether the song is playable or not.
Go to Spotify Settings after opening the app. Under the Display option, enable ‘Show unavailable songs in playlists’. It will show you the songs currently unavailable for you to play. If you want to play them again, then you need to download them. Hopefully, these solutions will resolve the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ issue. Otherwise, you need to reinstall the Spotify app.
