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In this article we will show you how to fix ‘Spotify Local Files Not Showing’ issue. A lot of people are upset that their computers don’t show Spotify Local Files. Local Files are the ones you add from your computer to the Spotify player. Reports say that Spotify can’t get some of the files or can’t show them to the user. Local files on Spotify are your own files that you add from your device. There are times when Spotify doesn’t have the songs you want to hear. If you have a large personal collection of music and want to add it to Spotify to make a playlist, you can easily do so by using local files.
Once the files are added and synced, you can play them on all of your Spotify devices. Spotify is a digital music service with millions of songs that many people like to use. But when you use it, you might run into problems like Spotify wrapped not working, Spotify pausing all the time, and Spotify shuffle being bad. But today we’re going to talk about a different problem: Spotify’s local files don’t show up. Next, we’ll talk about some possible ways for you to solve the problem. In this post, we’ll talk about this problem and figure out what you can do how to fix ‘Spotify Local Files Not Showing’ issue.
What are local files on Spotify?
Local files on Spotify are songs, albums, or playlists that you have saved on your computer or mobile device. You can’t find these files on Spotify, but you can add them to your library so you can listen to them there. You have to turn on local file support in Spotify’s settings before you can add local files. Once you’ve turned on local file support, you can drag and drop your files into the Spotify window or go to the folder where your files are and click “Add to Library.”
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Name | Spotify |
Type | Digital music, podcast, and video streaming service |
Founded | 2006 |
Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
CEO | Daniel Ek |
Number of users | 381 million (2022) |
Download Now | Google play Store |
Download Now | iOS Store |
Once your local files have been added to Spotify, open the “Local Files” section of your library to listen to them. You can also use your local files to make playlists, and you can sync your local files to your mobile device so you can listen to them when you’re not connected to the internet.
Causes of ‘Spotify Local Files Not Showing’ issue
- File Path and Location Issues: If the file path of your local music files has been changed or if they are stored in a location that Spotify doesn’t have access to, these files might not show up.
- Incorrect File Formats: Spotify supports specific audio file formats. If your local files are not in these supported formats (like MP3, M4A, WAV), they won’t appear in the app.
- Firewall or Security Software: Sometimes, firewall or security software might block Spotify from accessing your local files, resulting in them not being displayed.
- Corrupted Files: If the local files are corrupted or damaged, Spotify might not be able to recognize and display them.
- Syncing Issues: If your local files are not properly syncing with your Spotify account, they won’t show up on other devices.
- Device Compatibility: Certain devices might not support the display of local files due to hardware or software limitations.
How to fix ‘Spotify Local Files Not Showing’ issue
Make Sure You’ve Enabled Local Files

- Open the Spotify app on your computer.
- Click on your profile name in the top right corner of the middle panel to access the drop-down menu. Then click on Settings.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Local Files.” If the button for “Show Local Files” has a gray background, indicating it’s off, click it to turn it on.
- Also, in the “Show songs from” section, ensure the toggles for the folders where your local files are located are turned on.
Clear your Spotify Cache
- Go to Advanced Settings on Spotify.
- Look in the Offline songs storage area to find Spotify’s cache.
- Use File Explorer to get to the right place.
- Take everything out of the folder and turn Spotify back on.
Move your local files
- Back up your local music files to another location.
- Remove all music files from their current location.
- Copy the files from the backup and restore them to their original location.
- Update Spotify’s list of local files.
- Spotify should now display all local music files in the app.
Get Rid of Index.dat in Spotify’s Storage Folder
- Open the Spotify app on your computer.
- Click on your profile name in the top right corner of the middle panel to bring down the drop-down menu. Then click on Settings.
- Scroll down to the section called “Storage,” and check the “Offline storage location” file path.
- Using the path to the file as a guide, find the index.dat file and delete it from your computer.
- Once index.dat is gone, close Spotify and open it again to see if the local files are showing.
Change your Firewall settings in Spotify
- Type “enable an app through Windows firewall” into the search box and pick the best result.
- Click Change settings in the upper right corner.
- Find the Spotify.exe file and click on the Private tab to check the box. Click OK to save the changes.
- Close the window, and Spotify should no longer say that it can’t find local files.
Understanding the Importance of Local Files in Spotify
- Diverse Content: Local files let you listen to music that Spotify’s streaming service might not have. This includes rare tracks, personal recordings, and music from independent artists who haven’t yet made it to the platform.
- Personalization: You can make truly unique music collections by adding local files to your Spotify playlists. You can mix your favorite songs from Spotify’s library with the songs you have on your computer.
- Offline listening: You can sync your local files to your mobile devices with Spotify. This means you can listen to these songs even if you aren’t connected to the internet. This is great for times when you don’t have access to the internet at all.
- Special Events and Mixes: Having local files on hand can be very helpful when making a playlist for a special event like a party or a workout. You can mix in your favorite songs without any trouble.
- Backing up Rare Content: If you have music that is hard to find or very rare, keeping local copies of it will make sure you can still listen to it even if it is taken off streaming services.
Conclusion
Local files on Spotify are your own files that you add from your device. There are times when Spotify doesn’t have the songs you want to hear. Spotify is, without a doubt, the best way to stream music on Windows. But for different reasons, Spotify doesn’t always find local Windows files. Luckily, you can quickly fix this problem by using any of the above solutions.
Questions and Answers
You must have a Spotify Premium account. The company doesn’t let free users add their own files to Spotify right now. You can only add files that are already on your computer. You can’t add files from your Android phone or iPhone, but you can listen to local files on these devices.
Possible solutions. According to an unofficial FAQ on the Spotify forum, you can’t use the ‘Add to playlist’ menu in the mobile app to add local files to playlists right now. But in the desktop app, users can still add local files to playlists.
Only being able to save songs to your Spotify library is affected by the new system. Each playlist is still limited to 10,000 songs, and users can only download 10,000 songs on each of their five devices to listen to offline.
If you find that your local Spotify files aren’t being sent to your iPhone or Android, it could be because the Sync feature is turned off. You need to turn on “Enable sync from desktop” to sync local files added from the desktop to mobile devices.