How-To

How to Clear Spotify Cache

By Brian Burgess

Published December 18, 2023

If you’re troubleshooting an issue or need to reclaim drive space, we’ll show you how to clear Spotify cache on your phone or computer.

In some troubleshooting situations, you may need to clear the Spotify cache. For example, it’s a helpful step when Spotify won’t connect to the Internet. We’ll show you how to clear Spotify’s cache whether you’re using the desktop or mobile app.

In addition to helping fix problems with Spotify, deleting the cache can clear up storage space on your device. But before you clear the cache, there are things to consider.

Cached data improves the app’s responsiveness and prevents songs from buffering when you listen to them. Still, if you need to do it, we’ll show you how to clear the Spotify cache on your phone or computer in this guide.

What is the Spotify Cache, and Should I Clear It?

Spotify maintains cached data on your device to provide a responsive and reliable streaming experience. The data includes songs, parts of tracks, album art, playlist details, and other data like your Spotify Wrapped. Cached content will start playing quickly and continue to play during interruptions in data connectivity.

While clearing the Spotify cache can help fix problems on the desktop or mobile versions of the music streaming app, there are things to consider. For example, the Spotify cache improves the app’s functionality and responsiveness. The cache is where your listening history resides. And for Premium users, the cache allows tracks to play without dealing with a buffering stream.

It’s also important to note that when the Spotify cache reaches capacity, songs and podcasts you don’t listen to frequently are replaced with ones you do. In addition, a large cache (5-10 GB) can prevent your phone from loading Spotify properly.

Deleting the Spotify cache doesn’t affect your playlists, preferences, or offline downloads, as they are stored separately. Deleting the Spotify cache is safe and will mildly affect performance. So, with all that said, let’s look at how to clear Spotify cache on Android, iPhone, or your computer.

How to Clear Spotify Cache on the Desktop

You can clear the Spotify cache from the desktop app on your Windows or Mac system.

1. Launch the Spotify app on your computer.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right corner and select Settings from the menu that appears.
3. Scroll down to the Storage section on the right side and click the Clear cache button on the menu.
4. Click the Clear cache button when the verification message appears.

That’s all there is to it. The Spotify cache will be removed, but it’s important to note that it won’t go to zero. A few megabytes will be added back, which is normal behavior.

Clear Spotify Cache on Android

If you are rocking Spotify on your Android phone or tablet, clearing its cache is straightforward using the following steps.

1. Launch the Spotify app on your Android device.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings and privacy from the menu that appears.
4. Swipe down the screen to the Storage section and tap the Clear cache option.
5. Tap the Clear cache button when the verification message appears on the screen.

Clear Spotify Cache on iPhone or iPad

The steps to clear Spotify cache on your iPhone or iPad vary slightly from Android, but it’s quick and easy to do using the following steps.

1. Launch the Spotify app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.
3. Select Settings and privacy from the menu that appears.
4. Swipe down the screen and tap the Storage option from the list.
5. Tap the Clear cache button on the Storage screen.
6. Select the Clear cache option when the verification message appears on the screen.

Clearing Spotify Cache

Once you delete the cache, Spotify must download data from its servers again. Because of that, you may notice an increase in bandwidth or data usage while data is collected.

Whether it’s your laptop, phone, or tablet, you can clear Spotify cache using the steps outlined above. Remember, the Spotify cache is essential for the best results while listening to music and podcasts on the service. However, the cache can be safely cleared if you need to troubleshoot a problem or clear storage space on your device.