Hey everyone! Let’s dive into the world of Spotify, the music streaming giant that’s a hit with just about everyone who loves music.
But, there’s a sneaky little issue that sometimes bugs users – songs turning grey and unplayable. Have you ever faced that? You’re all set to jam to your favorite tune, and bam, it’s greyed out.
We tailored this article for Spotify users who are frustrated by greyed-out songs and want to learn how to fix the problem. A recent survey found that 70% of Spotify users have experienced this issue, so we know it’s a common problem.
This article will help you understand the different causes of greyed-out songs and provide you with easy-to-follow solutions to get your music back on track.
Read on to learn more!
Content Overview
Understanding Why Songs Are Greyed Out on Spotify
So, what’s the deal with songs going grey on Spotify? It’s like you’re ready to groove, but Spotify says nope. This greyed-out song thing happens more than you’d think. Let’s break down why:
- Regional Restrictions: Have you ever traveled and found you can’t play some songs? That’s because music rights vary across countries. A song available in one country might not be in another.
- Licensing Issues: Sometimes, it’s all about the legal stuff. Spotify needs licenses for all the tunes they offer. If there’s a hiccup in the licensing – maybe the deal expired or something – the song gets greyed out.
- Artist or Label Decisions: Artists and their labels have a say too. If they decide to pull a song off Spotify, it’ll go grey. Maybe they’re tweaking the track or have other plans for it.
Also, don’t forget your Spotify settings. They can play a sneaky role in making songs grey out, like if you’ve got a low-quality stream setting or something’s off with your account.
In short, greyed-out songs on Spotify can pop up for a bunch of reasons. But don’t worry, we’re here to help you fix that!
Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix Greyed Out Songs
1. Update Spotify App
First things first, make sure you’re using the latest version of Spotify. Updates often fix bugs, including those pesky greyed-out songs. Here’s how to update Spotify, whether you’re on your phone, tablet, or computer:
- On phones and tablets: Head to your app store (Google Play for Android, App Store for iOS), find Spotify and hit ‘Update’ if available.
- On a computer: Make sure you have the latest version of the Spotify app installed on your device. Open Spotify and it usually updates automatically. If not, check the ‘Help’ menu and select ‘About’ to prompt an update.
2. Restart Your Device
Sometimes, the oldest trick in the book works best – restarting your device. It’s simple but can be super effective. Just turn off your device, wait a minute, and then turn it back on. This basic reboot can solve loads of issues.
3. Check Regional Availability
Remember, some songs might not be available in your country due to regional restrictions. If you’re traveling or have moved recently, this could be why songs are greyed out. To check:
- Look up the song on Spotify’s web version. If it’s unavailable, it might be a regional issue.
- As a workaround, you could use a VPN to access Spotify from a different country. Be careful, though, as this might go against Spotify’s terms of service.
4. Adjust Spotify Settings
There’s a nifty setting in Spotify that hides unavailable songs in your playlists. To change this:
- Go to ‘Settings’ in your Spotify app.
- Scroll to ‘Playback’.
- Find and toggle the ‘Show unavailable songs in playlists’ option.
5. Clear Spotify Cache
Clearing the cache can help, but remember, it might affect your downloaded songs. Here’s how to do it:
- On the Spotify app, go to ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down to ‘Storage’.
- Click on ‘Clear Cache’ and confirm.
6. Re-enable ‘Show unavailable songs in playlists’ if it was disabled
Enabling this option in the settings menu of your Spotify app will display all missing tracks, where users can then choose to remove them manually using the context menu.
7. Re-Adding Songs
If you’re still experiencing trouble playing songs on Spotify, you can also try deleting and re-adding the greyed-out songs. To do this, delete the song from your playlist, search for it again, and add it to your list. This method might help fix any issues you’re encountering.
8: Log Out and Log Back In on Spotify
Sometimes, a simple logout and login can do wonders, especially for sorting out playback glitches like greyed-out songs. This action refreshes your Spotify session, potentially clearing any minor hiccups.
For PC/Mac:
- Open the Spotify desktop app.
- Click on the Profile icon at the top-right corner.
- Select ‘Log out’.
- After logging out, log back in with your usual details.
For Android/iPhone:
- Open the Spotify app on your mobile device.
- Head over to ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down to find the ‘Log out’ button.
- Tap on it to log out.
- Then, sign back in with your Spotify credentials.
9: Turn Off Offline Mode in Spotify
Having Offline Mode on Spotify means you can only access songs you’ve downloaded, not the entire library. Switching it off allows for online streaming of all available songs.
For PC/Mac:
- On Windows: In the Spotify desktop app, click the three horizontal dots in the upper-left corner. Go to ‘File’, then ‘Offline Mode’. If ‘Offline Mode’ is checked, it’s enabled. Click to uncheck and disable it.
- On Mac: Open Spotify, click ‘Spotify’ in the Apple menu bar, then unselect ‘Offline Mode’ if it’s checked.
For Android/iPhone:
- Open the Spotify app.
- Go to ‘Settings’.
- Navigate to ‘Playback’.
- Find the ‘Offline’ toggle and switch it off.
10: Unblock Songs or Artists on Spotify
Sometimes, songs are greyed out because they’re blocked or hidden in your playlists. This can happen in personalized playlists like ‘Discover Weekly’ or on an artist’s profile page. Remember, hiding a song only greys it out in that specific playlist, not across Spotify. You can still find it in other playlists or through a search.
For Android/iPhone:
- To Unblock a Song:
- Open the playlist with the greyed-out song.
- Find the song and look for the icon with a circle and a minus sign inside it. Tap it to unhide the song in your playlist.
- Alternatively, tap the ‘More’ button (usually three dots) next to the greyed-out song and select ‘Hidden’. The song should now be playable again.
- To Unblock an Artist:
- Use the ‘Search’ function to find the artist with greyed-out songs.
- Go to the artist’s profile page.
- Look for the icon with a circle and a minus sign, and press it to unblock the artist.
- Or, tap the ‘More’ button at the top of the page and select ‘Allow to play this artist’.
After unblocking, check back to see if the songs are still greyed out or if they’re now playable.
11: Activate “Show Local Files” on Spotify
When the greyed-out songs are local files from your device, it’s important to activate the “Show audio files from this device” setting in Spotify. If these local files aren’t syncing properly from your computer, they may appear greyed out in your playlists. Downloading them directly on your device can make them playable.
For Android/iPhone:
- To Display Local Files:
- Go to ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘Local Files’.
- Look for the option “Show audio files from this device” and toggle it on. This will display your local files on Spotify.
- To Download Local Files Playlist:
- Navigate to ‘Your Library’.
- Find and open the playlist containing your local files.
- Tap on the ‘Download’ button to download the playlist, making the local files accessible in your library.
There you go! These steps should help get those greyed-out songs back in action. Let’s get the music playing again!
How to Prevent Spotify Songs from Becoming Unplayable?
A Spotify downloader is a way to go if you’re looking for a way to keep your Spotify content playable forever. With a Spotify downloader, you can take full control of your downloads and make sure they are stored offline with no risk of being greyed out again. Enjoy your favorite music offline without interruption.
Cinch Audio Recorder
If you’re looking for an easy and safe way to download music from Spotify, the Cinch Streaming Audio Recorder is your best bet. It’s a quick one-click solution with no need to sign in to your Spotify account, so there is no risk of getting your Spotify account banned or facing other issues. You can get the original sound quality MP3 without hassle, making it the perfect choice for downloading Spotify music.
How to use the Cinch audio recorder to download Spotify to MP3?
Do you want to download your Spotify songs to MP3 format? It is easy to do. Just follow these three steps:
Step 1: Download and install the Cinch audio recorder from the link below.
Watching the video below will teach you how to use the Cinch audio recorder and convert your favorite Spotify songs into MP3s easily.
Step 2: Start downloading music from Spotify
With Cinch Audio Recorder, you can download your favorite Spotify tracks quickly and easily. Just launch the software, press the yellow “Record” button in the upper-left corner, and start playing the music you want to save. The default output is MP3 format, but if you want a lossless audio file, you can also save it in WAV format. With just one click, you can get high-quality audio downloads.
Step 3: Output
After the Spotify recording is finished, right-click on any recorded songs and select “Open folder” to see all songs in MP3 format. You can also modify the output folder or MP3 bitrate from the Settings menu for even more control over your downloads.
With just three easy steps, you can now download your favorite Spotify music to MP3 and store it on your computer. You can then take these downloaded tracks and easily transfer them over to your iPod or other MP3 players to enjoy offline anytime, anywhere!
Note: Cinch Audio Recorder records what you are playing on your computer. Free Spotify users can listen to music at 160kbps, but Premium subscribers can listen to music at up to 320kbps. This is the highest quality available.
Cinch Audio Recorder Features
Cinch Audio Recorder has the best feature of recording Spotify music to MP3 with original sound quality. Its advanced algorithms extract the original sound from Spotify without altering or degrading it, so you get high-quality audio all the time (up to 320kbps for MP3 and lossless WAV). Not only that, but its user-friendly interface makes it easy to find the music you want and download it effortlessly. With Cinch, you can be sure you are always getting the highest-quality audio downloads available!
- Converting Spotify music to MP3 files and maintaining the output music as the same as the original quality (lossless .wav files)
- Automatically get the song’s tags, such as artist, album, and title (accuracy rate is near 100%)
- Recording Spotify while you mute the sound volume on the computer so that you can record music under any circumstances
- Filter out ads (between every two songs) while recording, automatically
- Support all music streaming services
- Edit the recorded music and save it as a ringtone for your phone
- Fix ID3 tags of your local music in batch
- 100% working for all streaming music sites(Apple Music, Google Music, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal etc. )
- It does not require a Spotify premium account.
Final words
In wrapping up, just as we’ve navigated the silent gaps of Spotify’s greyed-out tracks together, we find that the reasons for this musical pause are as varied as our playlists. Whether it’s a hiccup on the servers or geographic restrictions playing the role of an unwanted DJ, these silent tracks need not be the end of your listening session. For every note that falls into the grey, there’s a key to bring the music back to life.
Remember the solutions we’ve harmonized here, and if you prefer a permanent fix, consider the Cinch Audio recorder. With Cinch, you can capture your Spotify songs in pristine quality, ensuring that the only thing greyed out is the worry of ever hitting a mute button on your favorites. Let the high-fidelity beats play on, unrestricted, in your personal collection, ready for when your spirit calls for that special song.
