Spotify Offline Music Download Guide: How to Set Up Local Playback on Phone and Computer

Spotify's offline download feature lets you enjoy your favorite music without an internet connection, making it especially useful for commutes, travel, or areas with poor signal. This guide walks you through setting up offline playback on both mobile and computer, plus how to manage downloaded songs for a smooth listening experience. Whether you're on the Free plan or a Premium subscriber, you'll find the right steps for your needs.

How to Download Music on Mobile

Open the Spotify app and navigate to the playlist, album, or podcast you want to save. Tap the "Download" icon (usually a downward arrow) at the top of the page, and the content will be saved locally. Note that Free users can only download shuffled playback, while Premium subscribers can download any track and listen offline freely.

Once the download is complete, the icon turns solid green. You can find all offline content under the "Downloaded" section in "Your Library." We recommend downloading over Wi-Fi to save mobile data. If storage space is low, long-press a downloaded playlist and choose "Remove Download" to free up space.

How to Set Up Offline Playback on Desktop

The Windows and Mac Spotify clients also support offline downloads. After logging in, right-click the playlist you want and select "Download." The download progress will appear next to the playlist in the left sidebar, and a green arrow icon will show when complete. Just like on mobile, only Premium subscribers can download songs to their computer for offline listening.

If you're using a shared computer, make sure you're logged into your own Premium account before downloading, and remember to turn off "Offline Mode" to avoid unnecessary data usage. In the client settings, you can also adjust download audio quality to balance file size and listening experience.

Common Offline Playback Issues & Troubleshooting

Sometimes downloads won't play offline—this can happen due to expired account authorization or exceeding device limits. Each Premium account can download songs on up to 5 devices. If you need to add a new device, you'll first need to remove authorization from an existing one. You can manage these devices from your account page.

If downloaded content suddenly disappears, check your internet connection and log back into Spotify—the app will re-sync automatically. When Offline Mode is on, you can only listen to downloaded tracks. Remember to turn off offline mode if you want to browse new content. Regularly clean up your download list to avoid taking up too much storage space.