How to Download Music from Spotify (Free & Premium Guide)
Table of Contents
Most people searching for this are trying to do one of two things. Some want to download music from Spotify for offline listening. Others want to save Spotify tracks as local files they can keep on a computer, move to a USB drive, or play in another app. Those are two different goals, and Spotify does not handle them the same way.
Can You Download Spotify Music?
Yes, Spotify Premium lets you download albums, playlists, and podcasts for offline listening inside the Spotify app. Spotify Free can download podcasts only. If you want regular audio files such as MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A, or OPUS on your computer, you need a separate file-based workflow such as MusicFab Spotify Converter.
Key Takeaways:
- Spotify Premium supports offline downloads for albums, playlists, and podcasts.
- Spotify Free supports podcast downloads only.
- Spotify downloads stay tied to the app and are not regular transferable music files.
- Spotify allows up to 10,000 tracks per device on up to 5 devices.
- You need to go online at least once every 30 days to keep downloads active.
- Spotify Downloader supports exporting Spotify content to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A, and OPUS, while keeping ID3 tags and lyrics.
How to download music on the Spotify app?
Make sure you have a Premium subscription before downloading.
On iPhone & Android
- Open Spotify on your phone and choose the album, playlist, or podcast you want to save
- Tap the Download button and wait for the download to finish.
- Once it is complete, you can play the content without an internet connection.
If you want just one song offline, add it to a playlist first and then download that playlist. This is more in line with how Spotify structures offline listening.
Wondering about more details on how to download from Spotify on your mobile phone? This post provides several solutions for you.
On Desktop(Windows/Mac)
- Open the Spotify desktop app, logging in as a Premium.
- Find a playlist or album, click the Download button.
Tips: You can optionally activate Offline Mode via Settings to view only offline content.
On Apple Watch
Downloading Spotify files to your Apple Watch can be an excellent option if you plan to leave your phone behind while working out. But it is more specific than phone or desktop downloads. To listen directly from your Watch you need paired Bluetooth headphones plus a celluar or Wi-Fi connection during setup.
Best For: Enjoying Spotify tracks wherever you go without needing your smartphone.
How To Download Music From Spotify Premium to Apple Watch
- Step 1: Launch the Spotify app on your Apple Watch
- Step 2:
- To download from your iPhone: Go to a playlist or podcast, tap the three dots, choose Download to other devices, and then select your Apple Watch.
- To download from the Watch app itself: Open the playlist and tap the download icon.
Note: There is a limit of 100 downloads per playlist on Apple Watch.
Where Spotify save downloaded files?
To view your downloaded songs within the Spotify app:
Open Spotify → go to Your Library → tap Downloads (or filter by "Downloads") to see offline.
The downloaded music files are stored in hidden folders on your device, and are only inside Spotify. Not as an MP3, not movable. You cannot share or export the files to other apps or devices. Get more details on where is downloaded Spotify songs.
| Desktop(Windows&Mac) | Windows: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Spotify\Storage Mac: username/Library/Application Support/Spotify/PersistentCache/Storage |
| Mobile Phone | Android: Android/data/com.spotify.mobile.android.ui/files/spotifycache/Storage/ iPhone: not user-accessible, they are stored within the Spotify app's private data. |
Spotify Official Download Limits
Besides, there are some other requirements you need to know:
| Device Limit | up to 5 devices per account |
| Songs per device limit | up to 10,000 songs offline |
| Premium Expiry Effect | Cancelling Premium removes access to all downloaded tracks. |
| Online Verification | Online and log in at least 30 days, or the offline content will expire. |
Use one of the third-party tools to save playlists in high quality as local files in the format you prefer, such as MP3, WAV, or FLAC. So that you can enjoy them anytime and anywhere.
Below we picked various tools, covering downloader software, audio recorder, and online websites to meet your different needs. Stay tuned for more info.
How to Download Spotify Music as Local Files on Computer via MusicFab?
Maybe you want to keep songs on your computer, move tracks to a USB drive, back up your library, or organize music in your own folders. Those are all local-file needs, and they are different from Spotify’s standard offline mode.
MusicFab Spotify Downloader is designed to save songs, podcasts, playlists, albums, and radio from Spotify as local files with a built-in browser. It allows you to keep lyrics and ID3 tags for easier management with batch download support. Even if you are free user, you can download Spotify songs now.
Thanks to its advanced technology, it is the only one that downloads music rather than recording it, compared to other top Spotify music downloaders. This speeds up the download process, which is a major advantage, especially for those who, like me, need to download many songs at once.
Best For: Professionally downloading Spotify tracks with maximum quality and format customization.
MusicFab Major Features
| Supported Operating System | Windows 11/10 (32 bits and 64 bits) / macOS 10.10 - 15.x |
| Free Trial | Download up to 3 full songs per supported service |
| Audio Quality | Up to 320 kbps / 24-bit |
| Output Format | M4A(AAC), FLAC, OPUS, MP3, WAV, and more |
See the comprehensive MusicFab review: MusicFab Review: Features,FeedBack, User Guide
How to Download Music from Spotify using MusicFab
Quick Video Tutorial (or read the texts below)
- Step 1: Launch MusicFab Spotify Converter. Next, log in to Spotify. It supports you in downloading with both free and premium accounts. Next, search for and select the song, playlist, or podcast to download for offline use.
- Step 2: In this step, specify the format and quality of the audio output from the pop-up panel. You can save MP3 files in up to 320 kbps or M4A up to 256 kbps quality while using MusicFab Spotify Converter. Then, click the 'Download Now' button.
- Step 3: MusicFab Spotify Converter saves the file to your local storage at 20 times the speed of its peer tools. After this, you can enjoy Spotify content on your PC, mobile device, or any other smart device for free, even without an internet connection.
How to Download Music From Spotify For Free
MusicFab can help you download tracks, playlists, podcasts, and more from Spotify to local storage for sharing through a USB drive and uploading to cloud storage. But after its free trial, you need to pay.
Free methods do exist, but they usually involve more trade-offs than Spotify’s built-in offline mode or a dedicated desktop tool. They are better for occasional use than for building a large, well-organized library.
If you don't have high-quality demand and only a few songs need to be downloaded, then you can choose between the two ways below:
Audio Recording Tool: Audacity
Best For: Recording Spotify tracks in multiple formats like WAV, MP3, FLAC, etc.
Audacity is one of the best-known free options because it can record desktop audio. Recording desktop audio captures all desktop sound. So it is useful for occasional one-off captures, but it is still a recording workflow, not a one-click music download workflow.
How To Download Music From Spotify Using Audacity
- Step 1: Install and launch Audacity on your Windows, Mac, or Linux device.
- Step 2: Locate and click the "Edit" button in the top-left corner of the toolbar. From here, you will get the "Preferences" option.
- Step 3: In this step, click on "Audio Settings" from the left side of the menu. Here, you will find the "Windows WASAPI" option appearing in the Host box, located below the Interface segment. Mac users can select "Core Audio" appearing in the Host box.
- Step 4: When recording computer playback using Audacity, you need to disable Software Playthrough. This can be done by navigating to "Transport," then "Transport Options," and finally "Software Playthrough." You can also turn it off by clicking on "Recording" below the Audacity Preferences segment.
- Step 5: Play the Spotify track you wish to save locally and press the red "Record" button in Audacity. The open-source recording tool will automatically record the audio in real-time. On completion of recording, press the "Stop" key.
- Step 6: Click on "File" appearing at the top menu bar and choose "Export." Next, select "Export as MP3" and finally click on "Save."
Free Online Downloader: SpotiDownloader
Best For: Download only a few low-quality songs
SpotiDonloader is a browser-based Spotify converter with no software installation required and no account registration. It supports you in downloading Spotify songs to low-quality MP3 files.
How To Download Music From Spotify Using SpotiDo nloader
- Step 1: Select the Spotify track or playlist you wish to download in MP3 format. Copy the file link by clicking the Three Dots followed by Share.
- Step 2: Next, paste the link in the search bar and wait for it to process.
- Step 3: Click the Download button. SpotiDownloader will save the file automatically in MP3 format. For multiple files, click the "Download Zip" button.
Online websites can only convert Spotify to MP3 up to 128 kbps, and they generally cannot allow you to batch download playlists or albums.
Related Article: Best 9 Online Tools to Safely Download Spotify Playlist to MP3
Comparative Overview:Method to Download Spotify Music
| Different ways of downloading Spotify music | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features/Method | Official Method | MusicFab Spotify Downloader | Audacity(Audio Recorder) | SpotiDownloader(Online Tool) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best For | Spotify Premium Users want to listen offline within Spotify App | Professional, high-quality downloads and batch processing. | Recording individual tracks for free; good for users don't mind real-time recording | Quick free downloads of individual tracks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost | Spotify Preimum subscription | Free Trial(3 full songs) | Free | Free | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quality | Up to 320 kbps | Up to 320 kbps/24-bit | Depends on source quality | up to 128 kbps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed | Fast | 20X Faster; Direct download | Real-time recording | Varies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | Ogg Vorbis or AAC formats | MP3,M4A,FLAC,WAV,OPUS | WAV,MP3,FLAC | Only MP3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key Pros | built to Spotify app | High quality, speed. No risk of account ban. Batch downloads Save metadata | Free and open-source | Free and simple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key Cons | Cannot export | Paid service after a limited trial | Manual. Not suitable for large collections | Low quality and no batch download | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAQs
1. What is the best way to download music from Spotify?
The best method depends on your goal. If you only want offline listening inside Spotify, the best option is Spotify Premium. If you want local music files you can keep on your computer, organize into folders, transfer to a USB drive, or play in other compatible apps, a tool like MusicFab Spotify Converter is the better fit.
2. Can you download individual songs from Spotify?
Not in the flexible way most people expect. Spotify’s offline downloads are mainly built around albums, playlists, and podcasts. On Apple Watch, Spotify explicitly says you can’t download individual songs directly; you need to put the song in a playlist and then download that playlist. The same mindset applies to Spotify’s broader offline design: it is built around in-app listening, not standalone song files.
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