Updated on 2025-03-04
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5min read
Music should play, not pause, glitch, or skip. However, you hit the play button to lose yourself in the song, but Spotify keeps skipping songs: sometimes at 10 seconds, other times at 45 seconds. Or worse, the tracks change so fast that you don’t even get to see the song title. This is a common frustration among Spotify users everywhere, whether using it on the web player, phone, computer, or smart TV.
The good news? Fixing it is simple, no matter the device. However, don’t expect the usual advice to work here. The issue lies in system settings, background processes, or power restrictions, disrupting playback. Let’s go step by step and fix the issue.
Tip: If you find fixing the Spotify keeps skipping songs issue troublesome, you can choose to download Spotify songs as local files using Eassiy All-in-one Music Converter, and then listen to Spotify music smoothly with another player like WMP or VLC.
Fixed: Spotify Keeps Skipping Songs on Web Player
If tracks on Spotify browser jump instantly to the next song or cut off after a few seconds, following these troubleshooting steps should bring stability to playback.
Fix 1: Clear Spotify Web Player's Cache and Cookies
Browser cache and cookies bring convenience. However, oversized or outdated cache data can become corrupted, leading to conflicts between stored session data and Spotify’s continuously evolving platform. By refreshing your session, clearing old data, and logging in again, you can initiate a clean yet updated browsing environment, removing potential clashes. Follow these steps.
Step 1: Log Out of Spotify on Your Browser
- Click on your profile icon at the top-right corner of the Spotify web player.
- From the drop-down menu, select Log out.
This will end your active session on the browser.
Step 2: Delete Spotify Cache and Cookies
Cache-clearing process varies by browser. Here’s an example of how to do this on the popular Chrome browser on Windows or Mac devices:
- Click on the Tools menu (three-dot at the top-right corner of Chrome).
- Navigate to History. Then click Clear Browsing Data on the side panel.
- A pop-up will appear: set the time range to All Time to wipe out all stored cache.
- Ensure that Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked.
- Hit Clear Data.
Once done, restart Chrome.
Step 3: Login Spotify Web Player Again
Now that the cache has been cleared, visit open.spotify.com in your browser.
- Hit the Log in button at the top-right corner.
- Choose your preferred login method and sign in.
This isn't just a routine login. Instead, you’re entering Spotify with a clean slate. Now, queue up your favorite tracks because this should fix Spotify song skipping issue in most cases.
Fix 2: Switch to Another Browser
Spotify regularly makes changes to its code on browsers. This can cause temporary incompatibility on the browsers. Of course, Spotify will fix the issue itself after knowing about the problems. So, if Spotify’s web player still skips songs even after refreshing the session, you can simply switch to another browser.
For instance, if you’re currently using Chrome, consider launching Edge on Windows or Safari on Mac. Visit open.spotify.com, log in, and check if playback is normal.
Fix 3: Listen to Spotify Music with Other Media Players
Even after switching multiple browsers, the issue hasn’t disappeared? That means the problem isn’t browser-related. Instead of troubleshooting endlessly, a practical solution is to store your Spotify music directly on your Windows or Mac and play it through any media player—without ever relying on the Spotify web player or app.
StreamFox for Music, the Eassiy All-in-One Music Converter makes this possible by letting you convert and download Spotify tracks in MP3, AAC, FLAC, etc. So, you can play the same Spotify playlists via native media players on your device. There are also more benefits to it than streaming. For instance, unlike Spotify browser streaming, which caps playback at 256 kbps, StreamFox ensures you get 320 kbps audio. This is achieved using ODSMRT technology, which directly pulls audio from Spotify’s servers, preserving the original sound clarity.
Eassiy All-in-one Music Converter
Download music from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and three other music services as local MP3 in 320kbps with ID3 tags retained.
Key Features
- Download Spotify songs in 320 kbps without a premium account.
- The built-in Spotify browser lets you log in, browse, and save tracks instantly.
- Metadata like album art, artist name, and playlist info are preserved just as they appear on Spotify.
- 50x download speed, batch processing, and automatic organizations of saved files makes this process effortless and quick.
Download Spotify Songs Using StreamFox for Music
Step 1. Install StreamFox for Music on your computer. Launch the app and select Spotify.
Step 2. You’ll be redirected to the built-in Spotify web player. Click Log in at the top right and enter your free or premium account credentials, just like you would on a regular browser.
Step 3. Browse your library and drag any playlist, album, song, or audiobook to the plus (+) icon at the top right to queue them for download.
Step 4. Choose your preferred format for each track or apply a universal format for all files. Then, hit Convert All at the bottom right to download the songs in 320 kbps quality.
Step 5. Find your downloaded music in the StreamFox Downloads folder. You can now play them using VLC or any media player and even transfer them to other portable devices.
Fixed: Spotify Keeps Skipping Songs on iOS/Android/Windows/Mac
Some of you might be facing the issue of song skipping within the Spotify app itself. For instance, here’s how can the song-skipping issue unfold:
- Instead of playing songs one by one, Spotify app rushes through multiple tracks.
- Songs will start but the playback will cut off abruptly after 9-10 seconds, or continue up to 45 seconds, then move to the next song without warning.
- Songs switch too quickly.
These playback inconsistencies are often the result of device settings interfering with Spotify’s functionality. Whether you're using Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android, we'll go through the specific adjustments needed to stop this skipping issue for good.
Fix 1: Update Audio Driver
Spotify continuously updates its app with improved audio engines and processing methods. So, older drivers can fail to recognize and handle the sound data coming from the app, leading to unnecessary song skips. The solution here is to update the audio firmware on Mac or Windows computer.
On Windows
Regardless of which sound card your Windows system uses, the Device Managers will allow you to get the latest framework easily and fix Spotify skipping songs problems. Follow these steps:
Step 1. Press Win key and type Device Manager. Select the option.
Step 2. Once inside, expand the option labeled Sound, video and game controllers.
Step 3. Locate your active audio processor (Realtek, Intel, or other). Right-click on it and choose Update Driver.
Step 4. A window will pop up with two options. Pick Search automatically for drivers. As long as your PC is online, Windows will fetch the latest version and install it.
You’ll have to restart the computer to apply the changes. Once that’s done, open the Spotify app on Windows and the songs should play without skipping.
On Mac
Updating drivers isn’t possible separately on macOS. They come bundled with system updates. So, simply keep macOS up to date for Spotify to work nicely. Here’s how to update your system:
Step 1. Open System Settings.
Step 2. In the left sidebar, select General, then click Software Update on the right.
Step 3. You’ll see an Update Now button if a new software version is released. Click it to install the latest macOS version.
Once it’s finished, reopen the Spotify app and play songs normally.
Fix 2: Remove All Downloads
Spotify stores its offline files in its proprietary formats, and more importantly, they’re tied to its app. Over time, the data can become corrupted and lead to erratic playback issues like sudden cutoff or tracks refusing to play. You can fix this by simply wiping all the downloads.
On iPhone/Android
There’s no need to go playlist to playlist and remove them one by one. The Spotify app comes with a built-in option to delete all offline files in one go. Here’s how to use it:
Step 1. Go to Spotify’s Settings menu.
Step 2. Scroll down to Data saver and offline option. (On iPhone, go to Storage instead.)
Step 3. Near the Storage breakdown, tap Remove or Remove all downloads button.
When the confirmation prompt appears, tap Remove to finalize.
Tip: Next to the Remove Downloads button, you will find an option to clear cache, make sure to delete them too. Spotify will then unlink all stored data associated with it and the playback should return to normal.
On Windows/Mac
The process to remove downloads on Mac or Windows Spotify app is just as simple:
Step 1. Click on your profile icon at the top-right. Then, select Settings.
Step 2. Scroll down to Storage.
Step 3. Click Remove all downloads. Then, confirm.
Tip: Make sure to delete the cache files that Spotify stores.
After completing these steps, try streaming a song. If the issue was linked to faulty offline files, everything should now play smoothly.
Fix 3: Disable Hardware Acceleration
Spotify skipping songs can also be a result of system resources not being allocated to it. Here’s how to make sure such options are turned off on your devices.
On Windows or Mac
Windows or Mac, Spotify will skip songs when the audio processing happens via GPU instead of CPU, leading to inefficient decoding. To disable such configurations:
Step 1. Tap your profile avatar in Spotify desktop and choose Settings.
Step 2. Locate Show Advanced Settings in the settings page.
Step 3. Find Enable Hardware Acceleration and enable it.
On iPhone/Android
Although Spotify mobile app doesn’t provide the Hardware Acceleration feature, Battery-saving modes on smartphones function similarly to it. To disable such restrictions and ensure Spotify doesn’t skip songs, follow these steps:
On iPhone
Step 1. Go to Settings > Battery.
Step 2. Turn off Low Power Mode.
Now, your Spotify can use resources freely even when running in the background and play songs without skipping them.
On Android
Step 1. Open Settings > Apps > Spotify.
Step 2. Select Battery and choose Unrestricted (instead of Optimized).
Fix 4: Re-login Spotify
Logging out and signing back sounds like a simple fix to work. However, it will let Spotify to force a full re-sync of your account data. This can resolve playback inconsistencies and clear minor glitches affecting your listening experience.
On iPhone/Android
Step 1. Tap your profile picture on the home screen (top left).
Step 2. Select Settings & Privacy.
Step 3. Scroll all the way down and tap Log out. Confirm.
Once done, simply use your preferred method to sign in to your Spotify account. This will eliminate session-related issues and fix skipped songs or playback failures.
On Windows/Mac
Step 1. Click on your profile icon in the top-right corner of the Spotify app. Then, select Log out.
Step 2. Now, login Spotify again. Scan the code via your phone camera to pair with the Spotify app on the mobile or use other sign-in methods.
Fix 5: Turn off Crossfade
Adjusting Crossfade to zero is another common fix recommended by online Spotify users who are dealing with the same Spotify skipping songs issues. So, it is definitely worth a try if the above fixes weren’t of any help.
On iPhone/Android
Step 1. Choose the Playback option in the Spotify’s Settings menu.
Step 2. Drag the Crossfade slider to 0 seconds.
On Windows/Mac
Step 1. Scroll to the Playback section in the Settings screen.
Step 2. If Crossfade is enabled, toggle it off to disable the setting.
Fixed: Spotify Keeps Skipping Songs on TV
If the Spotify songs are skipping on the TV app or when you’re using Spotify Connect to transmit the audio to TV, a simple fix is to remove the app from your TV, add it from the TV store, and then log in again. This will fix any glitches or syncing issues that causes Spotify to skip songs during playback.
Conclusion
And there you have it—problem solved! No matter where or on which device the issue of Spotify skipping songs was happening, you’ve now got working solutions to fix it easily. And if such issues keep coming back, you can always take full control of your music by using StreamFox for Music.
StreamFox allows you to save the Spotify songs in MP3 at its original 320kbps quality. So, you can play them on any media player and skip using the Spotify app altogether. And there’s no premium subscription needed to make this happen.