Fix: The Spotify Application is Not Responding

Spotify is definitely the most popular music streaming service which covers most songs and artists and it does so with a clean interface along with reasonable prices. However, the application for Windows is not perfect and it often displays the “The Spotify application is not responding” error when you try to open the app.

The error also appears if the Spotify app is set to boot along with Windows and it will appear as soon as you boot your computer. Follow the set of methods displayed below in order to hopefully solve the problem successfully.

Solution 1: End the Process in Task Manager

It appears that the simplest, yet most effective solution to this problem is to end all Spotify-related processes in Task Manager as soon as the error appears. It should both solve the problem as the error won’t appear next time you try and run the app. Try it out below:

1. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination in order to open the Task Manager. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl + Alt + Del key combination and select Task Manager from the blue screen which will cover your Desktop. You can also search for it in the Start menu.

2. Click on More details in order to expand the task manager and search for the spotify.exe entry displayed on the list in the Processes tab of Task Manager. It should be located right under Apps. If you see multiple entries, right-click on all of them and choose the End task option from the context menu which appears.
3. Click Yes to the message which is going to be displayed: “WARNING: Terminating a process can cause undesired results including loss of data and system instability….” or any other dialog box, depending on the version of Windows you have installed on your computer.
4. Restart your computer and check to see if you are able to open the Spotify app without receiving this annoying error message.

Note: If this does not solve the problem for you, I recommend you also take a look at the Spotify Web Helper process under Background Processes section in Task Manager as users have reported that ending this process solves the problem as well.

Solution 2: Perform a Clean Install of Spotify

If the easy method above does not cut it, you may need to step your game up a bit and perform a clean reinstall of the Spotify app. This should solve the problem immediately but there are quite a few steps you should follow in order to perform the process in the best way possible.

First of all, let’s uninstall Spotify on your computer either by using the Settings app or Control Panel on your Windows PC:

1. First of all, make sure you have logged in with an admin account as you won’t be able to uninstall programs using any other account privileges.
2. You might lose all music you have downloaded for offline use along with playlists you have created in the app.
3. Click on the Start menu and open Control Panel by searching for it. Alternatively, you can click on the gear icon in order to open settings if you are using Windows 10.
4. In Control Panel, select to View as: Category at the top right corner and click on Uninstall a Program under the Programs section.

1. If you are using the Settings app, clicking on Apps should immediately open a list of all installed programs on your PC.
2. Locate the Spotify entry on the list and click on it once. Click on the Uninstall button above the list and confirm any dialog boxes which may appear. Follow the instructions on-screen in order to uninstall Spotify and restart your computer afterward.

After this, you will need to delete Spotify’s data left behind on your computer by following the set of steps below:

1. Navigate to the following location on your computer by opening the Windows Explorer and clicking on This PC:

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Spotify

2. If you are unable to see the AppData folder, you may need to turn on the option that enables you to view hidden files and folders. Click on the “View” tab on File Explorer’s menu and click on the “Hidden items” checkbox in the Show/hide section. File Explorer will show the hidden files and will remember this option until you change it again.

3. Delete the Spotify folder in the Roaming folder. If you receive a message saying that some files couldn’t have been deleted because they were in use, try exiting Spotify and ending its process just like in Solution 1.
4. Reinstall Spotify by downloading the installer from their website, running it from your Downloads folder, and following the instructions on-screen. The problem should be gone by now.

Solution 3: Disable Internet Connections on Your Computer

In some cases, disabling Wi-Fi, plugging off the Ethernet cable, etc, before you launch Spotify may also work and prevent the problem from occurring again. Simply disable the way you are using to connect to the Internet and try running the app. When Spotify starts, re-enable the connection and check to see if the error appears!