So, are you in the mood to listen to some local tracks you have downloaded? But unfortunately, the Spotify application is not showing them.
No worries, you have landed on the correct page.
I am one of the suffering Spotify users of this problem. After researching and testing several techniques to resolve the issue, I shortlisted the most effective ones here.
So, why are the Spotify local files not showing up?
Spotify local files are not showing because your windows firewall or antivirus might be blocking Spotify, or incorrect local files location, or your local files are in incorrect format, etc. Or it might be just a bug in the app, in which case clearing cache/reinstalling the app solves the issue.
Read the entire content and follow the methods step-by-step.
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How to Fix Spotify Local Files Not Showing
1. Check Account and Network
2. Check Local Files Location Settings on Spotify
3. Delete local-files.bnk
4. Change Windows Firewall Settings
5. Clear Spotify Cache from your Device
6. Check the Local files format
7. Reinstall/Update Your Spotify App
How to Fix Spotify Local Files Not Showing
Spotify is one of the best and most used music streaming platforms out there. It offers a vast library containing pieces of music from assorted genres of different languages along with user-friendly features. Still, you might find certain songs of different languages unavailable on Spotify.
What to do then?
One of Spotify’s user-friendly features allows its users to play local tracks from the desktop app. Meaning, you can download the music tracks from other sources and play them on Spotify. On top of that, you can access the local songs from your phone’s Spotify app.
However, many users seem to face the problem with the local files not showing on Spotify from time to time. This issue is mainly seen on mobile apps, but some claim to face it on the desktop app as well.
Here are the steps to fix Spotify local files not showing:
1. Check Account and Network
To play your local music tracks stored on pc from your mobile device, you must first make sure of two things:
You need to connect both your PC and mobile to the same wi-fi network.
You need to have logged in to the same account from both of your devices.
Also, check out our separate post on fixing Spotify stuttering on android devices.
2. Check Local Files Location Settings on Spotify
You have to make sure that Spotify is looking for the local tracks in the correct location. To do that, check with the local files location settings on the Spotify desktop app.
Here are the steps to check the location of the local files:
Click on the drop-down arrow beside your account name (located in the top right corner).
Go to Settings.click-on-settings
Scroll down to find the Local Files settings.
Make sure that the Show Local Files option is turned on.
Turn on/off Downloads & Music Library options to access files from downloads and music folders.
Add your preferred location by clicking on ADD A SOURCE.check-local-files-location-settings
Relaunch the app, and Spotify should show the local files.
Quickly check out how to stop Spotify from opening on startup.
3. Delete local-files.bnk
Spotify stores the location of your local music files in a file named local-files.bnk. Deleting that file might solve the problem.
The reason behind this is when you delete the existing local-files.bnk file, Spotify has to go through the folders again to find the local music files. As a result, it refreshes and updates the local files’ list.
Here are the steps to find the file and delete it:
Click on the drop-down arrow beside your account name (located in the top right corner).
Go to Settings.click-on-settings
Scroll down and turn off the Show Local Files option.show-local-files
Exit the app.
Navigate to C:\Users\*USERNAME*\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\Users\####-user\ from file explorer.
Find local-files.bnk and delete it.
Reopen the Spotify app and turn on the Show Local Files option.
N.B. On windows, the AppData folder is hidden by default. TO unhide it, click on the View bar on top of the file explorer and check the Hidden Items box.
If the issue is still persistent, don’t worry. Try out the following solutions.
Check out the easiest way to know how much space does Spotify take up.
4. Change Windows Firewall Settings
Remember, you have to be connected to the same Wi-fi network from both devices in order to listen to the local music tracks.
If you already are, then you can try changing your windows firewall settings. Sometimes Windows Firewall tends to block certain apps thinking of them as threats. You have to allow the app through the firewall manually.
Here are the steps to allow Spotify through Windows Firewall:
Open Control Panel from the Windows start menu.
Select System and Security.
Select Allow an app through Windows Firewall listed under Windows Defender Firewall.allow-app-through-firewall-windows-10
Scroll down the list of apps to find Spotify and check the boxes under both the Private and Public
Click OK.private-and-public-on
Launch the Spotify app to see if it solved the issue.
Quickly check out how to turn on canvas on Spotify.
5. Clear Spotify Cache from your Device
Spotify downloads temporary files to ensure quick playback or tackle sudden interruptions in connectivity. However, sometimes these cache files tend to cause several problems in the Spotify app.
Clear the cache from both the desktop and the mobile app.
Here are the steps to clear the Spotify cache:
Windows/Mac:
Click on the drop-down arrow beside your account name (located in the top right corner).
Click on Settings.click-on-settings
Scroll down and click on Show Advanced Settings.
Scroll down through the list until you get to the Offline songs Storage.clear-spotify-offline-cache-from
Navigate to the location from your file explorer.
Select everything inside the folder by pressing Ctrl+A / Command+A and then press Del/delete.
Confirm to delete everything.
N.B. On windows, the AppData folder is hidden by default. TO unhide it, click on the View bar on top of the file explorer and check the Hidden Items box.
Android/iOS:
Go to Spotify app settings.
Go to the Storage option.
Select clear cache/delete cache.
Now relaunch both the apps and check if this resolves your issue.
6. Check the Local files format
Spotify only supports .mp3, .m4p(containing no video) & .mp4 audio file formats. So, unless your local music files are in these formats, Spotify will not show or play them.
You can convert from other formats to these using media converters. There are several online audio converters available. You can also use offline applications like FREE Audio Converter or AVS Audio Converter for bulk conversions.
Convert those files and then copy the converted files to your local location. Add the location to Spotify and relaunch the app to refresh. If your local files’ formats were causing the issue, converting them to the desired format will solve it.
7. Reinstall/Update Your Spotify App
As a last resort, you can install a refreshed version of the app/update to the latest version on both of your devices.
Here are the steps to reinstall Spotify:
Windows:
Close Spotify.
Go to the Control Panel.
Select Programs and Features.
Find and select Spotify and choose Uninstall.uninstall-spotify
Download Spotify from their official website and install it.
Mac:
Open Finder.
Select Go, hold the Option key, and select Library.
Open Caches and delete the Spotify.Client folder.
Go back and open Application Support.
Delete the Spotify
Open Finder again and go to Applications in the sidebar menu.
Find the Spotify app and drag it to the Trash. Empty Trash to delete the app.
Download Spotify from their official website and install it.
Android/iOS:
Tap and hold the Spotify app icon.
Select options and then delete/uninstall.
Download it again from Google Play Store/App Store.
With a fresh installation, you should get rid of the local files not showing up issue.
What Are Spotify Local Files?
Local files are files that are in your PC’s storage. Let’s say you are searching for a song that is not available on Spotify, so you downloaded it locally on your pc from some other source. As I mentioned earlier, one of the most exciting features Spotify offers is, importing your own music into your Spotify library.
You can add the file/files to your desktop Spotify app and sync it with your playlists! This feature is available to both standard and premium users.
And, if you have a premium subscription, you can also listen to your downloaded local tracks from your mobile device. You can even download them on your mobile.
How to Add Local Files to Spotify
Listening to the locally stored music files via the app is one of the handy features Spotify offers. You can sync them with your existing playlists.
However, keep in mind that you can only do this via the Spotify desktop app.
On Windows, Spotify automatically runs a scan on all your downloads and music folders when you install the app. However, on Mac, you have to enable the option manually after installing Spotify.
Here are the steps to add local files to Spotify:
Click on the drop-down arrow beside your account name (located in the top right corner).
Go to Settings.
Scroll down to find the Local Files settings.
Turn on the Show Local Files option (if it’s not already).
Add your preferred location by clicking on ADD A SOURCE.
Relaunch the app, and Spotify should show the local music tracks.
How to Access Local Files from Spotify Mobile
Unfortunately, you can’t add local files to Spotify from your mobile device. Spotify only allows you to do it from the desktop app. Follow the steps in How to Add Local Files to Spotify to do that.
But, if you have a premium account, you can listen to the local songs stored on your PC via Spotify mobile.
On Android devices, the app automatically syncs with the PC’s local files. You just have to download the playlist on your mobile. On the other hand, on iOS, you have to enable the option manually and then download the playlist.
Here are the steps to access local files from Spotify on iOS:
Open the Spotify app and go to settings.
Scroll down to local files and turn on Local audio files.
Find the local songs.
Download the entire playlist (Spotify doesn’t allow to download of individual songs).
N.B. Make sure you are using the same Spotify account and connected to the same wi-fi network.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, one of the workarounds helped you get rid of the problem. Let me know in the comment section which one did.
However, if you are still encountering the problem, it can be an issue with the account or the app. You can always reach out to the Spotify support team. Email or report to them with your issue; they will solve it for you.
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