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Local Files not showing songs ( Mac desktop or iphone app)

Local Files not showing songs ( Mac desktop or iphone app)

 

Plan: Premium

Device: Macbook Pro M1 2020

Operating System: Big Sur 11.6

 

 Issue: I looked up all the answers from previous people having the same issue as me but it's still unresolved. I went to enable my local files and add the source from the folder where my music is. I see my local files but it doesn't have anything. I  logged out of spotify &  restarted my laptop but there is nothing in my local files. I tried to test out another folder but same problem. 

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Reply
15 Replies

Hi there @amsc99,

 

Thank you for reaching out to the Community.

 

Just to confirm, did you follow the exact steps that's provided in this article?

 

Also, these are the ones that the feature is designed to work with:

  • .mp3

  • .m4p (unless it contains video)

  • .mp4 (if QuickTime is installed on your computer)

  • .m4a (unless it’s an Apple lossless file; ALAC or ALE)

We also suggest that you perform a clean reinstall of the app. This will make sure there's no old cache files causing this,

 

Keep us posted.


Take care!

JeremyModerator
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Live, love, laugh and listen to music 🙂

I also followed these steps and the local files still aren't showing up on the spotify desktop app (and my files are .mp3)

 

Hi @hboom22!

 

Here's something you can try out:

  1. Set the app to Offline Mode by clicking on the three dots menu in the upper left corner > Spotify > Offline Mode and restart the app.
  2. Now turn it back off and restart once again. This will force a resync of your library.

After the resync is complete, your local files should appear in a folder in Your Library.

 

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

YordanModerator
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did you find a fix?

the only way to solve this issue is by downloading an mp4 file of the song. 

This doesn't work -- is there any solution?

Hey there,

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

First we'd need to make sure, that the files aren't DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected. If you have iTunes, you can check for DRM protected tracks by following these steps.

 

Also make sure to follow the exact steps from this support article, as we recently did a little redesign of the Local Files feature. Now the files must be physically on the device you want to play them on and syncing local files between devices is no longer possible.

 

Keep us posted,

 

Cheers!

DianModerator
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Thanks for following up. I have followed the instructions exactly (I did that right at the start). ITunes no longer exists so the article on checking DRM looks very out of date. I suspect the problem is the location of the files. In Spotify the Local Files are by default in "My Music" (where is that?) or "Downloads". I think if I put a file in my [user]/downloads folder, it becomes visible in Spotify. But if I "add a source" and choose the folder where all my music is saved, it doesn't work. I do not want all my music in my downloads folder, so the question is how to assign a place that Spotify will actually use.

 

It really, seriously, shouldn't be this difficult. And these problems have persisted for years and years and years. I know I have had local files working in the past but I guess Spotify updates have caused new problems. 

So how exactly would I get an mp3 file I have on my laptop to play on Spotify on my phone now?

Hey everyone,

 

@vcobtn, in this case, could you reinstall the app and try to set a folder once again? Also, we recommend checking if Filevault could prevent some apps from accessing to your data. In that scenario, Spotify won't be able to access your files or select a different folder. 

 

@patriciag48, in order to play your files on your phone, we suggest that you follow these steps.

 

Let us know how it goes.

AndresMModerator
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"Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't." -Henry Thoreau

This is a question for the developers of the Spotify Desktop app...why don't any of your solutions involve fixing this issue on the app side of things? If an issue has existed for years without anyone looking into potential bugs and figuring out a fix there's something very wrong with the way things are being done over at Spotify. Take some initiative and add it to your next sprint! I can't imagine it would be that time consuming to fix this.

If your Spotify local files are not showing on your iPhone, you should go to Settings and scroll down to the Playback tab. Make sure that the 'hide unavailable songs' option is turned off. Now you should be able to see your local files as they sync

 

Hope this helps

I've turned on local files in my app on my mac air. I've got lots of legally owned mp3 downloaded music files stored on my mac air.
when I try to add them to spotify by selecting 'add a source', the songs are either greyed out in my finder or spotify says can't accept mp3 files.
I use spotify on my mac air and on my google pixel.
I used an app called 'playlisty' to move my apple music to spotify and wonder if this is the issue?

Hey @Erica888,

 

Thanks for reaching out!

We merged your post here, hope you don't mind 🙂

 

Take a look at the moderator posts in this thread, especially the reply from @Dian, they should help you out 🙌🏼
Another reply to take note of is the one from @vcobtn. See what they have said in regards to the location you import the local files from.


Hope this helps!

VasilModerator
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I have an album of mp3s that were added to desktop app but all of a sudden I can't play them. Nor remove them or re-add them. They're still on my hard drive. Apple Music accepts them and plays them without no issues but I can't play on Spotify, no matter what I do. 

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