Spotify for Windows

About this release

The desktop client is the version worth using if music is on in the background all day. It handles very large libraries without the slowdown the web player shows, keyboard media keys work properly, and the queue behaves like a real queue rather than something that resets when a page reloads. Gapless playback, crossfade and normalisation are all in settings rather than buried.

Library and playlist work is the part the desktop does better than any other surface. Multi select, drag between playlists, folder organisation, collaborative lists and sorting by every column are all present, and building a long set from a big library is quick enough to do while something else is playing. Playlists can be reordered by hand and duplicated without losing their order.

Local files sit alongside streamed ones. Point the client at a folder and anything it recognises joins the library, mixes into playlists and plays in the same queue, which is the practical answer for tracks the catalogue never had. Metadata from the files is used as it is rather than being overwritten.

Playback quality steps up to the highest tier the account allows, output device can be pinned so it does not follow the system default, and an equaliser with presets sits in settings. Remote control of other devices on the same account works from the now playing bar, and the client keeps a cache so repeated listening does not pull the same audio down twice.

What it does

Large library handling

Tens of thousands of saved tracks stay responsive, which the web player does not manage.

Full playlist tooling

Multi select, folders, drag between lists, manual ordering and collaborative editing.

Local file playback

Point it at a folder and your own files join the library and the queue.

Playback shaping

Crossfade, gapless, volume normalisation and a preset equaliser in settings.

Device control

Play to another device on the account and control it from the now playing bar.

Offline cache

Repeated listening plays from cache rather than pulling the same audio again.

Changed in this version

• Faster start on very large saved libraries.
• Queue editing reworked with clearer drag targets.
• Local file scanning handles nested folders more reliably.
• Reduced memory use during long sessions.
• Fixed an output device switch that could drop audio after sleep.

System requirements

Install order

1. Unpack the archive.
2. Run the installer, which places the client in the user profile by default.
3. Launch once and set the audio quality and output device.
4. Add local music folders in settings if you keep your own files.

Worth knowing before you start

File details