Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services, giving you access to millions of songs, playlists, podcasts, and more. As a free Spotify user, you can stream music online but not download songs locally. With a Spotify Premium subscription, you get additional features like offline listening.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to download and save songs, albums, playlists locally from Spotify to listen offline when you don’t have an internet connection.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
To download songs from Spotify for offline playback, you need:
- A Spotify account (free or premium)
- The Spotify app installed on your device
- An internet connection for downloading songs
- Enough storage space on your device
Note: Spotify Free users can only download podcasts for offline listening, not songs or music. You need a paid Premium account to download songs.
Download Songs on Mobile
Follow these steps to download Spotify music on your iPhone, Android, or tablet:
1. Open Spotify App
Launch the Spotify mobile app on your device and log in to your account.
2. Find Song or Playlist
Search for the song, album, artist or playlist you want to save for offline listening. You can download a maximum of 10,000 songs per device on up to 5 devices.
3. Tap Download Button
Tap the Download button (downward arrow icon) next to the song or playlist to start downloading. You’ll see a “Downloading” message when the download begins.
Download songs on Spotify mobile
4. Verify Download
Once it finishes downloading, the downward arrow will turn green. You can view all your Spotify downloads by going to Your Library > Downloaded.
That’s it! The songs or playlists will now be available for offline playback even without an internet connection.
Download Songs on Desktop
You can also download Spotify music on your Windows PC or Mac computer:
1. Open Spotify Desktop App
Launch the Spotify desktop app on your computer and log in.
2. Find Song or Playlist
Search for the song, album, artist or playlist you want to download.
3. Click Download Button
Click the Download button next to the song or playlist. The button will show a downloading progress bar.
4. View Downloads
Go to Collection > Downloads to see all your Spotify downloads ready for offline playback.
Download Spotify songs on desktop
Listen to Downloaded Songs Offline
To listen to your downloaded Spotify music offline:
- On Mobile: Tap Your Library and select Downloaded to find your saved songs, playlists and podcasts.
- On Desktop: Click Collection then choose Downloads to find your offline content.
You can play the downloaded songs, albums or playlists without an internet connection. Keep in mind the downloads expire after 30 days if you don’t go online, so you need to reconnect to Spotify every 30 days.
More Tips for Downloading from Spotify
Here are some additional tips for downloading and listening offline:
- Downloads work across mobile, desktop, tablet etc. But you can only be offline on 5 devices at a time.
- Make sure you have enough free storage space on your device to save the downloads.
- Downloads may fail if you switch devices or reinstall the app. You’ll lose the downloads and need to re-download.
- For mobile devices, enable the “Download using cellular data” setting to allow downloads even when not on WiFi.
- Delete old Spotify downloads from time to time to free up storage space.
Summary
Downloading songs on Spotify for offline playback gives you access to your favorite music anytime, even without an internet connection. Simply tap the download button within the Spotify mobile or desktop app to save songs, albums or playlists locally.
The offline downloads sync across your devices but expire after 30 days unless you reconnect. So download your favorite playlists before your next road trip or flight!
With Spotify Premium, you get high-quality audio, ad-free listening, offline mode and plenty more features for enjoying music on the go.
