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How to: download music onto spotify

By Joe Dolan, October 9th, 2023

Spotify is a fantastic platform for discovering and streaming music, but sometimes you may come across songs or albums that are not available on the service. Fortunately, Spotify allows you to upload your own music files, so you can listen to your favorite tunes, even if they’re not in Spotify’s library. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to upload a song to Spotify using local files.

 

Prerequisites:

  1. A Spotify Premium account.
  2. The song or audio file you want to upload is stored on your computer.

 

Step 1: Prepare Your Music File

Before you can add a song to Spotify, ensure the audio file you want to upload is in the right format. Spotify supports the following formats:

  • MP3
  • M4P
  • MP4
  • M4A
  • AVI
  • WAV
  • WMA

If your file is in a different format, such as a YouTube video, consider converting it using a free audio converter tool like Audacity or an online service like Zamzar.

 

Step 2: Create a Folder for Your Local Files

To make things organized, create a dedicated folder on your computer to store your local music files. This will make it easier to locate and manage your uploaded songs in Spotify.

 

Step 3: Add Your Music to Spotify

  1. Launch the Spotify desktop app on your computer.
  2. Click on the “Edit” menu.
  3. Select “Preferences” from the dropdown menu.

 

Step 4: Enable Local Files

In the Spotify Preferences window:

  1. Scroll down to the “Local Files” section.
  2. Toggle the switch next to “Show Local Files” to the “On” position. This will allow Spotify to access and display your local music files.

 

Step 5: Add Music to Your Library

  1. In the left sidebar, click on “Your Library.”
  2. Select “Local Files” from the list of options.
  3. Click on “Add A Source” and navigate to the folder where you saved your music files in Step 2.
  4. Click “OK” to add the folder as a source for local files.

 

Step 6: Import Your Local Music to Spotify

  1. Your local music files should now be visible under “Local Files” in your Spotify library.
  2. Browse the list and find the song you want to upload.
  3. Right-click on the song and select “Add to Playlist.”
  4. Choose an existing playlist or create a new one. This will add the song to your playlist.

 

Step 7: Download on Mobile (Optional)

If you want to listen to your uploaded songs on your mobile device, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure your computer and mobile device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. On your mobile device, open the Spotify app.
  3. Go to “Settings” and scroll down to “Local Files.”
  4. Toggle on the switch next to “Show Local Files” to enable the feature.
  5. Your uploaded songs should now appear in the “Local Files” section of your mobile app.
  6. Download the songs to your mobile device by adding them to a playlist and making sure the playlist is set to download for offline listening.

 

Step 8: Enjoy Your Music

Now that your song is added to your Spotify library, you can enjoy it just like any other song on Spotify. Play it on your computer or mobile device, create playlists, and even download it for offline listening.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully uploaded a song to Spotify using local files. Enjoy listening to your favorite tunes on Spotify, even if they’re not available in the Spotify catalog.

James Madison University