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How to fix Spotify can’t play this right now error on Windows?

Recently, some Spotify users have been complaining about problems when using the app. They found themselves unable to play songs using the Spotify music player. In some cases, users couldn’t play a specific song — or a number of songs — from an album. In others, when trying to play a song, users received an error message that didn’t offer any actual insight into how the issue could be resolved. The error message simply stated that Spotify couldn’t play the song at the moment and prompted to instead import an audio file from a computer.

Why Is Spotify Not Working in 2021?

This may indeed have something to do with the timing — perhaps your version of Spotify is corrupt or there are issues with the Spotify server that may be resolved soon. In some cases, a few tweaks in Spotify’s or your device’s settings may be enough to quickly fix the problem.

In other instances, however, the problem you are experiencing with the app may have deeper roots. It may be related to an issue with your audio drivers, in which case you may need to reinstall your drivers.

How to Fix “Spotify Not Playing on My Computer”

As we’ve mentioned above, there may be quite a few reasons why you are running into Spotify issues on your device. Depending on what’s causing the problem, you may also need to try out different solutions — or even a combination of a few solutions — to get rid of the problem.

Below, we will go over a few popular fixes for Spotify playback issues. We will start with the easiest options first — and we suggest you do the same. If the simple solutions don’t work, you can move on to more complicated fixes.

How to Fix the “Can’t Play the Current Track” Issue on Windows 10

Let’s start fixing your Spotify issues. Here is how we suggest you start:

  1. First, try restarting your computer. This is the simplest and most obvious solution to a lot of PC and app issues, and it is highly effective in a lot of cases.
  2. If this doesn’t work, try disabling Spotify’s hardware acceleration feature.
  3. If you are still facing the issue, clear out Spotify’s local cache — this is another fix that is often successful in many cases.
  4. You can also change the streaming quality on Spotify. On most devices, you will have the choice of the following playback tiers: 24 kbps (Low), 96 kbps (Normal), 160 kbps (High), and 320 kbps (Very High). Switching to lower streaming quality may also help you get rid of the “Can’t play this track” error.
  5. Finally, if none of the solutions above have worked, you may have to reinstall your audio drivers.

Now, let’s look at each of the above solutions in a bit more detail.

Fix 1: Restart your computer

The first thing we suggest you try is simply restarting your computer. To do this,

right-click the Start menu button and hover the cursor over the Shut Down or Sign Out options. Here, select Restart.

Once your computer restarts, open Spotify again and check if the issue has been resolved. If you are still having problems, try disabling Spotify’s hardware acceleration feature.

Fix 2: Disable Spotify’s hardware acceleration feature

Hardware acceleration is a great feature to have on board as it can take a lot of pressure off the

software algorithms. By default, Spotify’s hardware acceleration feature is turned on. However, if you are wondering how to fix the “Can’t play the current track” error message, disabling this feature may be one of the ways to go.

Here’s how to disable Spotify’s acceleration feature:

  1. Open Spotify.
  2. Click the Ellipsis button on the top left side of the page.
  3. Here, select View.
  4. Next, deselect the Hardware Acceleration option.
  5. Restart the app and check if you can now play tracks without issues.

Fix 3: Clear Spotify’s local cache

If the above solutions haven’t worked and you are running into the same problem, try clearing out Spotify’s cache. To delete the data stored in Spotify’s cache, do the following:

  1. First, close Spotify if you have the app open.
  2. Next, launch the Run dialog box: use the Win + R key combo.
  3. When you see a text area, type the following text and press the Enter key:

%appdata%

  1. The AppData folder will open.
  2. Once it does, go to Spotify > Users.
  3. Click your username.
  4. In the folder, delete the file titled “local-files.bnk”.
  5. When this is done, launch Spotify. Check if you are still getting the error. If you are, try adjusting the streaming quality on Spotify.

Fix 4: Change the streaming quality on Spotify

As we’ve mentioned above, Spotify lets you choose between several streaming qualities. You can choose to stream in

  • 24 kbps (Low),
  • 96 kbps (Normal),
  • 160 kbps (High), or
  • 320 kbps (Very High).

To switch between different streaming qualities, do the following:

  1. Click the Ellipsis button.
  2. Next, go to Edit > Preferences.
  3. Scroll down to Audio Quality.
  4. Here, you will see the different quality options for your stream.
  5. Choosing a lower stream quality may help you fix the playback issues you are having on Spotify.
  6. Try going down a level in stream quality and check if this resolves your Spotify issue.

Fix 5: Update/reinstall your audio drivers

Now, if all of the above fixes have failed, chances are that your Spotify problem lies deeper — and you may need to update or reinstall your audio drivers.

Outdated or corrupt drivers can actually cause lots of problems on your PC — and not only with apps like Spotify. Drivers are key elements in connecting and operating a range of external devices and are absolutely necessary to make your whole system run smoothly. If they are out of order or not updated in time, you can run into lots of different issues on your PC. Your system can experience a drastic slowdown, your peripherals may malfunction, and you can also experience game crashes and security threats.

This is why it is very important to keep your drivers updated and working properly.

There are several ways to keep your drivers in order.

First, you can update your drivers manually. This option is typically recommended for users with more experience because making a mistake when updating your drivers can lead to very serious consequences. If you are up for the task, here’s how to proceed:

  1. Press the Windows key + X key combo to launch the Power User menu.
  2. Select Device Manager from the menu.
  3. Next, locate the “Sound, video and game controllers” category and expand it.
  4. Right-click your audio device to select it.
  5. In the context menu, choose Update Driver.
  6. Click “Search automatically for drivers” for the system to locate and install new drivers.
  7. Restart Windows to complete the process.

Now, here’s the catch. If Windows can’t locate the needed drivers, you will need to find, download and install them manually. This involves going to the driver manufacturers’ websites, locating the latest available driver versions and then installing them yourself. Naturally, if you’ve never done this before, the process can seem a bit intimidating.

Another way to update your drivers is to do it with a specialized program — like Auslogics Driver Updater. Once you install the software, it will pretty much take on the whole process. It will run a scan of your system and let you know if any outdated or ill-performing drivers are located. If such drivers are found, the program will then proceed to update them to the latest available versions.

If you want to use Auslogics Driver Updater to update your drivers, here are the steps to take:

  1. Start by downloading Auslogics Driver Updater from the software’s official page.
  2. Download the program.
  3. To install it, follow the prompts of the Installation Wizard.
  4. Once you have successfully installed the program, click “Scan for Driver Issues”.
  5. Auslogics Driver Updater will now scan your system to locate problematic drivers.
  6. Once you see results, go on to click the Update Drivers button.

And this is pretty much it — your drivers have been successfully updated and your driver-related issues should now be resolved.

You can now launch Spotify again and check if the annoying “Can’t play this track” error has disappeared.

We hope that the above solutions have been helpful and you have been able to fix your Spotify issues. If there is one particular fix above that has worked really well in your case, please share in the comments below.