How to Download Songs on Spotify – A Quick and Simple Guide

Did you know Spotify has 615 million users? They have over 100 million tracks and 5 million podcasts.

Listening to your favorite songs can use a lot of data and battery. But Spotify Premium lets you save up to 10,000 albums, playlists, and podcasts offline. You can listen on five devices.

Downloading songs on Spotify saves data and battery. Free users can only download podcasts. But Premium users can listen offline and save space by adjusting audio quality.

Want to save data and battery? Let’s look at how to download songs on Spotify.

Getting Started with Spotify Downloads

Spotify lets you download songs for offline listening, but it depends on your account type. Knowing how to get Spotify songs offline is key. Several factors affect your music listening experience.

Before you start downloading songs on Spotify, make sure your device meets the requirements. You need at least 1GB of free storage space. You also need a Premium subscription for USD 11.99 a month.

What you need before downloading

Good internet is needed for smooth downloads. WiFi is better than mobile data. Make sure your device works with Spotify. You can download it on phones, tablets, laptops, smart speakers, and wearable devices.

Free vs Premium download differences

Free Spotify users can’t download songs to listen offline. Premium subscribers can download songs fully on many devices. So, you need a premium account to listen to Spotify songs offline.

Account Type	Download Capabilities	Offline Listening
Free Account	No downloads	Not available
Premium Account	Unlimited downloads	Full access

Free users can only download podcasts. They need the internet to stream music and can’t listen offline.

Premium offers more than just downloads. You won’t see ads, can skip songs, and play any track anytime. Some artists give Premium users new music for two weeks first.

Premium users must go online every 30 days. This keeps your downloads ready to listen anytime.

How to Download Songs on Spotify

“To download songs on Spotify, go to a playlist or album and click or tap the Download button.”

Spotify lets you download tracks in different ways. Here’s how to get your music for offline listening.

How to download playlists on Spotify

Open the Spotify app and find your playlist. Tap the downward-facing arrow icon below the playlist name. Your download starts right away. You’ll see a green arrow under each song once it’s done. Find your downloads under Your Library > Playlists > Downloaded.

Downloading full albums on Spotify

Getting albums works the same way. Here’s what to do:

1. Launch Spotify and search for your album
2. Tap the downward-facing arrow icon at the top left
3. Wait for the green arrows to appear beneath each track
4. Access your downloads through Your Library > Albums > Downloaded

Saving individual songs on Spotify

You can download single tracks in two ways. First, add songs to your Liked Songs playlist. Tap the heart icon next to any track you want to save.

The second option is to create a playlist:

• Search for the song you want to download
• Add it to a new or existing playlist
• Enable downloads for that playlist

Premium subscribers can download up to 10,000 tracks across five devices. You need to connect to the internet every 30 days to keep your downloads. If you hit the device limit, Spotify removes downloads from the least used device.

Your library is easier to manage with downloaded content. Select the Downloaded option in Your Library. This helps you keep your offline collection organized, even without the internet.

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Downloading over WiFi is better than using cellular data. Make sure to turn off Download Using Cellular in Settings > Music Quality. This saves your data while downloading lots of content.

Smart Data Usage Settings

Managing mobile data on Spotify can lower your phone bill. The app has smart settings to control data usage without losing quality.

Setting download quality for data saving

Spotify’s Data Saver mode sets audio quality to 24kbps over cellular data. This is great for those with limited data plans because it uses less bandwidth.

These settings help you choose the right quality:

• Normal (96 kbps) – Balanced quality and data usage
• Low (24 kbps) – Minimal data consumption
• High (160 kbps) – Better audio quality
• Very High (320 kbps) – Premium exclusive

You can set different quality levels for Wi-Fi and cellular. For example, you might choose “Very High” quality on Wi-Fi and “Low” on cellular data.

Using Wi-Fi-only mode

Enabling Wi-Fi-only downloads can prevent unexpected data charges. Just go to Settings > Music Quality > Download Using Cellular and switch it off.

Data Saver does more than adjust audio quality. It cuts down on data usage by limiting image loading and non-essential features. Your data usage stays low even during streaming.

Download your favorite playlists on Wi-Fi before leaving. This way, you can listen without using cellular data. You can also download podcasts ahead of time, no matter your subscription type.

The app lets you set automatic quality adjustments based on your connection type. It switches between high-quality audio on Wi-Fi and data-saving mode on cellular networks. These changes happen automatically.

Note that streaming one hour of music at normal quality uses about 144MB of data. These data-saving tips can greatly reduce this while keeping your listening enjoyable.

Battery-Saving Download Tips

Spotify users often worry about battery drain when downloading music. The app needs specific conditions to download properly. You can save your device’s power while building your offline library by understanding these requirements.

Best time to download songs

Your device’s screen must stay active and unlocked during downloads. Download big playlists or albums when your phone is charging and you’re not using it. Night-time downloads can work well, though results differ – some users managed to download only 134 songs out of 314 through the night.

To save battery while downloading:

• Plug your device into a charger
• Use a stable WiFi connection
• Turn off other apps running in the background
• Lower your screen brightness
• Turn off battery-heavy features

Background download settings

Your background app settings will affect Spotify’s performance and battery usage. Android devices can see the battery drain up to 28% per charge, and some users report higher numbers around 35%. These settings need proper adjustment to work well.

Android users should go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Spotify > Battery Saver and pick “No Restrictions”. This lets downloads continue with minimal battery use. iOS users need to check Settings > Spotify > Background App Refresh is turned on.

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Different things can slow down your downloads. Battery-saving apps often stop Spotify from working properly in the background. Cache cleaners might force your music to download again, which wastes battery power.

Turn off any battery-saving apps while downloading to get the best results. You can turn them back on after your downloads finish. This helps balance battery life with download speed.

Note that downloads might stop if you run out of storage space. Keep at least 1GB free to avoid failed downloads that drain your battery with repeated attempts.

These battery-saving tips combined with the right background settings will help you manage Spotify downloads better. Your music library can grow without draining your phone’s battery unnecessarily.

Managing Storage Space

Music lovers who download songs on Spotify often struggle with storage space. You need to manage your device’s storage well to keep enjoying your favorite tracks without interruption.

Check available storage

Your Spotify app needs a minimum of 1GB of free space to work smoothly. The app takes up storage space in two ways: it caches content for faster playback and stores downloaded music for offline listening.

Here’s how to check your storage usage:

1. Open Spotify and tap your profile picture
2. Select Settings and privacy
3. Scroll to Data-saving and offline
4. Tap Storage to view usage details

Android users can store their downloads on an SD card. The steps are simple:

• Go to Settings and privacy
• Select Data-saving and offline
• Choose Storage location
• Pick your preferred location and tap OK

Desktop users can move their Spotify downloads by clicking Settings, scrolling to Storage, and selecting CHANGE LOCATION.

Remove unnecessary downloads

Smart download management helps you optimize storage space. You can remove specific playlists or albums:

• Open Your Library
• Filter content by Downloaded
• Select the item you want to remove
• Tap the green download icon to remove it

You can reset your storage completely by going to Settings > Storage and selecting Remove all downloads. Think twice before taking this step as it removes offline access to all your music.

The app’s cache grows as you listen to more songs – these temporary files help music start right away. You can clear your cache while keeping your downloads:

1. Access Settings and privacy
2. Tap Data-saving and offline
3. Select Storage
4. Choose Clear cache

Spotify stores downloaded content as encrypted files, including cached songs you haven’t played recently. Newer songs replace older ones in the cache automatically.

Desktop users find their downloads in [C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Spotify\Storage].

The files are encrypted and work only in the Spotify app.

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Regularly cleaning up old downloads helps save space for new content. You can enjoy your favorite tracks offline while keeping your storage tidy.

Offline Mode Essentials

“You need to go online at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads. This is so Spotify can collect play data to compensate artists.” — Spotify, Official Spotify Support

Offline mode lets you stream music without the internet. It’s great for when you’re in areas with no signal. Knowing how it works helps you enjoy your downloads more.

Activating offline mode

Mobile users go to Settings > Playback and toggle Offline. Desktop users find it in File > Offline Mode.

After turning it on, your device plays only downloaded content. This is useful for:

• Traveling in areas with bad internet
• Saving mobile data
• Avoiding streaming problems
• Conserving battery

Premium users can download up to 10,000 tracks on five devices. That’s 50,000 tracks in total. Free users can only download podcasts.

30-day offline limit explained

The 30-day limit is important for Spotify’s downloads. It helps artists by collecting play data. Here’s what you need to know:

1. You must connect to Spotify’s servers every 30 days to keep your downloads.
2. Each account needs its own verification. Family plan members going online won’t help you.
3. Spotify removes downloads from your least used device if you go over the limit.

Downloads have DRM restrictions. You can only play them in the Spotify app. You can’t transfer them to other platforms or devices.

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The app goes to offline mode automatically when you lose internet. Turning it on manually helps save data and battery by using only downloaded content.

For long trips or remote areas, plan ahead:

• Download everything you want
• Connect to Spotify before the 30-day limit
• Check your storage space
• Keep your Premium subscription active

Your downloads will disappear if you don’t check in online within 30 days. This rule applies even with an active Premium subscription on auto-renewal.

Device-Specific Download Tips

Every device has special ways to make Spotify downloads better. These tips help you enjoy music more on any device.

iPhone download tricks

The iOS version of Spotify is smooth and clean. iPhone users get a neat layout to manage downloads and settings.

To make iPhone downloads better:

• Set audio quality in Settings > Audio Quality
• Turn on automatic downloads for new playlists
• Set up storage alerts to avoid running out of space
• Use the built-in equalizer to improve sound

iPhones have a special equalizer in the app. This lets you change sound settings. Downloads work better on iPhones because iOS controls background tasks tightly.

Android optimization

Android users can make their downloads better, even with some issues. Some Android users have seen crashes and broken features.

Here are tips to improve Android downloads:

1. Clear app cache in Settings > Storage
2. Turn off battery optimization for Spotify
3. Keep offline content under 58GB to avoid slowdowns
4. Use an SD card for storage if you can

Android needs more scrolling to find some features. Keep your favorite playlists and downloads easy to find.

Desktop download settings

Desktop versions let you control downloads more. You can change where downloads go in Settings > Storage > Change Location. This helps manage big music collections.

Desktop users often have more space. These tips work well:

• Choose “Very High” quality for best sound
• Make different folders for different playlists
• Use the app’s tools to watch storage

Desktops can download faster because of stable internet and more power. Windows and macOS look a bit different, but they work the same way.

Keeping settings the same on all devices helps. Switching platforms might change storage or sound quality. Downloads don’t move between devices automatically. You have to download each one yourself.

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Desktop apps are more stable than mobile ones. They’re great for big playlists. The bigger screen makes it easier to organize your music.

Spotify limits downloads to five devices per account. It removes downloads from the least used device when you reach this limit. This keeps your music up to date on your most used devices without extra work.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Spotify download problems can be frustrating. Error messages and storage alerts happen at the worst times. Here’s how to solve these common issues on any device.

Download failed errors

Download failures can happen for many reasons. Bad internet or app problems are the main causes. Spotify stops downloading when it crashes, which happens more with high-quality settings.

Here’s how to fix download failures:

1. Check these important things:
   • Internet connection
   • Enough storage space (at least 1GB)
   • App version
   • Background download permissions
   • Battery settings

If downloads fail, try stopping the app and clearing the cache. Android users with SD card issues should try this:

• Go to Settings > Storage to unmount the SD card
• Take out the card and put it back in
• Install Spotify again

Storage full problems

Your device might show free space, yet storage issues occur. This seems odd at first. Spotify needs specific storage conditions beyond available space. You need at least 1GB of free memory for downloads to work properly.

Storage problems need these fixes:

• Head to Settings > Apps > Spotify > Clear Cache to clear app data
• Use Remove all downloads to free up space
• A clean uninstall helps with a thorough cleanup

Smart storage management requires knowing Spotify’s memory usage. The app keeps cached content for quick playback and downloaded music for offline use. Cache builds up as time passes and causes storage issues, even with few downloaded songs.

Sync issues

Your liked songs might not show up on all devices – this points to sync problems. A song you like should appear on other devices right away. Users report delays between desktop and mobile apps.

Sync problems show up as:

• Missing playlists on some devices
• Liked songs not appearing
• Updates taking too long between platforms
• Inconsistent download status

Check if you use the same account on all devices first. Different Spotify accounts or wrong login details cause most sync problems. Log out of Spotify everywhere and reinstall the apps if the account details match.

Stubborn sync issues need these fixes:

• Check your internet connection
• Update Spotify on every device
• Look at your subscription status
• Turn offline mode off and on
• Link your devices to your account again

Backend issues sometimes cause sync problems. You’ll need to wait for Spotify to fix server problems in such cases. Your downloaded content stays available in offline mode during this time.

Note that downloads have limits – save up to 10,000 tracks on five different devices. Going over these limits removes downloads from the devices you use the least. Your offline library stays accessible if you connect to Spotify’s servers once every 30 days.

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iPhone users should clear the cache through Settings > Storage to fix sync or download issues. Android users need to go to Settings > Apps > Spotify > Storage and Cache. These steps often fix both storage and sync problems at once.

Conclusion

Becoming skilled at Spotify downloads will change how you experience music. It helps protect your data and battery life. Your favorite tracks stay at your fingertips when you manage downloads smartly.

Your Premium subscription gives you access to powerful features. You get high-quality audio downloads and flexible storage options on multiple devices. It also gives you smooth offline listening without draining your resources when you properly set up data-saving and battery optimization.

Note that everything in Spotify downloads comes down to these basics:

• Download your content over WiFi
• Maintain sufficient storage space
• Connect once every 30 days
• Adjust quality settings based on your needs
• Use device-specific optimization features

Smart download management lets you enjoy uninterrupted music. It keeps your data usage and battery consumption in check. These download features and storage management tips will help create your perfect offline listening experience.

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