Spotify Web Player: Your Definitive Guide

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Want to do a deep dive into the Spotify Web Player? This article teaches you all you need to know about the tool to use this popular music streaming tool.

What is Spotify Web Player?

Spotify Web Player is a browser-based player that allows you to stream Spotify via supported web browsers. With the web player, you do not need to install Spotify apps. This makes it convenient to use Spotify without installing yet another app!

In this guide, you will learn how to:

• Create a Spotify Account (Sign Up for Spotify)
• Install Hotkeys Extensions in Supported Browsers
• Spotify Web Player Hotkey Extensions for Chrome and Firefox
• Login to Spotify Web Player
• Create Playlists on the Web Player
• Rename a Playlist (Not Available on Web Player)
• Make a Playlist Secret or Delete a Playlist
• Add Songs to Your Playlist
• Enable Shuffle and Repeat with Spotify Web Player
• Resolve Common Web Player Errors
• Use Spotify Web Player on a Mobile Device
• Things You Can Do on the App, Not Available on the Web Player

If you wish to read a particular topic, jump to it by clicking the topic in the Table of Contents below:

Create a Spotify Account (Sign Up for Spotify)

Obviously, to use the Web Player, you require a Spotify account! This section will be useful for readers that want to use the Web Player but do not have an account yet.

To create a Spotify account follow the steps outlined below:

• Click Sign Up for Spotify link

• The sign up page provides option to sign up with Facebook or email. To sign up with Facebook, click the link and sign into your FB account. For this guide, I will show you how to create an account using your email.

• To create an account using your email, scroll down the page and enter enter the details in all the fields. See instructions in the image below.

• Depending on the size of your monitor, you may need to scroll down a bit to click Sign Up.

• When you click Sign Up, you will be redirected to download Spotify software. You may download and install or cancel the download. For the purposes of this guide, I do not require the Spotify app, so I cancelled the download. All demonstrations on this guide will be via Spotify Web Player, not the app.

• Once you sign up you will receive an email from Spotify asking you to confirm your account. Open the email and click CONFIRM ACCOUNT.

Install Spotify Hotkeys Extensions in Supported Browsers

You can use Spotify Web Player on the following browsers:

Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge (Comes preinstalled on Windows 10)
Opera

These are the browsers officially supported by Spotify Web Player. If you use any other browser, the player may not work as expected.

If you use Spotify web player, you may miss out on Hotkeys (keyboard shot cuts that allows you to Play, Pause, Play Next and Previous Track). However, if you install Hotkey extensions for Chrome and Firefox you will be able to use the Hotkeys you normally have in the Spotify Apps.

How to Install Spotify Web Player Hotkey Extensions for Chrome

To use the hotkeys for Chrome browser, you have to install the extension. Follow the steps below.

• Open Google Chrome
• Then click this link Spotify Web Player Hotkeys (opens in a new window/tab)

• Click Add to Chrome. Then confirm the installation by clicking Add extension.

How to Install Spotify Web Player Hotkeys Extension for Firefox

To install the extension for Firefox, use the steps below:

• Open Firefox browser
• Then open Spotify Hotkeys (new window or tab)

• Click Add to Firefox. Then confirm by clicking Add. Finally click Ok to the notification.

Spotify Web Player Hotkeys for Chrome and Firefox

In this section, I will cover Hotkeys for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers.

Web Player Hotkeys for Chrome

The following are the default Hotkeys for Chrome and what you use them for.

Play/Pause : Alt+Shift+P
Next       : Alt+Shift+Period
Previous   : Alt+Shift+Comma
Save Track : Alt+Shift+F

You can configure these Hotkeys by opening chrome://extensions/shortcuts in your Chrome browser. Then scroll down to Spotify Web Player Hotkeys.

Here you can modify the default Hotkeys. You could also add a Hotkey for Repeat and Shuffle – highlighted in red.

In the image below I have added my Hotkeys for Repeat and Shuffle. To add a Hotkey, place your mouse on the field. Then press the Alt button and Space bar together. You could also use Ctrl button and Space bar.

Web Player Hotkeys for Firefox

Below are the Spotify Web Player Hotkeys for Firefox browser.

Play/Pause : Alt+Shift+P
Next : Alt+Shift+Right Arrow
Previous : Alt+Shift+Left Arrow
Shuffle : Alt+Shift+F
Repeat : Alt+Shift+R
Play Album: Alt+Shift+B

To modify these Hotkeys, follow the steps below:

• From the top right corner of Firefox, click the 3 lines. Then click Add-ons.

• Firefox Add-ons page opens. Click Extensions tab.

• Then beside Spotify Hotkeys, click Options. Scroll down until you get to Shortcuts.

Here you can modify the Hotkeys as you wish.

How to Login to Spotify Web Player

Logging in to the Web Player is very simple. The steps below will guide you through the process.

• Open https://open.spotify.com and login with your Spotify username and password. This will open the Web Player home page.

How to Create Playlists on the Spotify Web Player

When you login to the web player, you can use pre-created play lists. Alternatively, if you need your own playlist, you can create it with the steps below:

• While logged on to Spotify Web Player, on the left pane of the player, click Your Library.

• Next, click NEW PLAYLIST. This will load the New Playlist window as shown below. Enter a name for your playlist then click CREATE. The new playlist will appear under Your Library – see the second image below.

How to Rename and Add Image to a Playlist (Not Available on Web Player)

Sometimes you may wish to change the name of a Playlist. Unfortunately, the playlist rename option is NOT available on Spotify Web Player.

To rename a playlist, login to your account from the Windows App and follow the steps below:

• Beneath PLAYLISTS, click the playlist you wish to change the name.

• Next, hover over the image of the playlist. A Pencil will display.

• Then click the pencil (see the image below). Enter a new name for the playlist (1), Choose an image (2). Finally, you could add a description for the playlist. To save your changes, click Save.

How to Make a Playlist Secret or Delete a Playlist

You can make a playlist secret or delete a playlist completely using the Spotify Web Player.

Here are the steps to make a playlist secret or delete it.

• Login to the Spotify Web Player using your preferred browser.
• Click Your Library. Then right-click the playlist you wish to make secret or delete.
• To make the playlist secret, click Make secret. On the other hand, if you wish to delete the playlist, click Delete.

How to Add Songs to Your Playlist

There are two ways you can add some music to your playlist via Spotify web player. Using the search option or adding via an existing playlist.

To add music to your playlist using search.

• Login to Spotify Web Player and click Search. In the search bar, enter the name of the music you want. The player will return suggested songs.
• To add a song to your playlist, hover over it. 3 dotted lines will show beside the song.

• Right-click the 3 dots beside the song you wish to add. Then select Add to Playlist.

• The page similar to the one below loads. Click the playlist you wish to add songs to.

• The playlist now has the song. You may wish to add other songs from the album. To do this, beneath Recommended Songs, click the Add button for each song you wish to add to the playlist.

As I said earlier, you may also add songs to a playlist from existing playlists. To add songs from an existing playlist, click the Home.

• Next, click the existing playlist you wish to add songs from. I will be using the first playlist shown above – “Easy 00s”. Then hover over the song you wish to add. On the 3 dots, right-click then select Add to Playlist.
• Finally, select the playlist (images not shown as it is similar to the previous procedure).

How to Enable Shuffle and Repeat Playlists

• Logon to Spotify Web Player.
• To enable Shuffle, click on the button labelled 1. Additionally, if you wish to enable Repeat, click the button labelled 2.

• When you enable Shuffle and Repeat, the colors will change to green as shown below.

How to Resolve Common Web Player Errors

Sometimes Spotify Web Player may not work as expected. Below are some common errors you may experience:

1. When you try adding a song to a list, the Spotify web player page goes blank.
2. You may receive the message “an error occurred”
3. Spotify Web Player may simply stop working!

Most error messages you receive while using Spotify Web Player may be resolved by taking the following actions (perform the tasks in order listed):

• Clear your browser cache.
• Try opening the web player in a private/incognito window. This will depend on your browser.
• Check that your web browser has the latest update. If not, update the browser to the latest stable release.

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Spotify Web Player an Error Occurred

“Spotify Web Player an Error Occurred” error message may show on Chrome or Firefox when you open play.spotify.com. The fix is to install and configure Firefox and Chrome User-Agent Switcher.

In the next section, I will demonstrate how to install and configure Chrome User-Agent Switcher.

Install Chrome User-Agent Switcher Add-on

• Open Chrome User-Agent Switcher (opens in a new browser/tab) link in Google Chrome browser.

• On the user-agent switcher add-on page, click Add to Chrome.

Configure Chrome User-Agent Switcher Add-on

Before the Chrome User-Agent Switcher Add-on can fix the Spotify Web Player an Error Occurred error, you have to configure it. Here is how:

• Still on Chrome browser, open Spotify Web Player page (opens in a new tab/browser).
• Open Spotify web player page – https://open.spotify.com on Chrome browser .
• Next, on the top right corner of the page, click User-Agent Switcher – Has Access to this site [1]. See the image below.

• Next, on the Select a Desktop Browser section click Microsoft Edge [3] (To confirm it is Microsoft Edge, hover over the icon). Then beneath the User-Agent: Microsoft Edge on Microsoft Windows [1], enter spotify.com [2]. Finally, reload Web Player on Chrome. The error should be resolved.

Install Firefox User-Agent Switcher

To install Firefox User-Agent Switcher, follow the steps below:

• Open Firefox browser. Then click User-Agent Switcher (opens in a new tab/browser). The add-on page will open.

• Next, click Add to Firefox. Then on the confirmation pop up, click Add. Finally, on the Add-on install confirmation pop up, click Okay, Got It.

Configure Firefox User-Agent Switcher

Before the Firefox User-Agent Switcher Add-on can fix the Spotify Web Player an Error Occurred error, you have to configure it. Here is how:

• Open Firefox browser. Then open Spotify Web Player page (opens in a new tab/browser page).
• On the top right corner of the page, click User-Agent Switcher – Disabled.

• On the User-Agent switcher, click the check box beside Override for Domain. Then select “https://*.spotify.com”. Finally, beneath Desktop, select Windows / Edge 17.

How to Use Spotify Web Player on a Mobile Device

While writing this guide I tried opening Spotify Web Player an Android phone. I also tried on an iPhone.

When I attempted to open Play.Spotify,com (Spotify Web Player page) on iPhone, I received the error message “Sorry, Couldn’t find that”.

I received this same error when I tried opening the Web Player on Safari, Chrome, or even Firefox using my iPhone.

Excitingly, I was able to open the web player on my Android phone. Therefore, I can conclude that as at the time of writing, the Web Player does not work on iPhone. I can also conclude that it works on Android phones.

Unfortunately, the player functionalities are limited when you open it on an Android mobile phone. The only task you can perform is to search for and play music. You can also manage your Spotify account.

All other tasks discussed in this guide cannot be performed when you open the player on an Android mobile phone.

Things You Can Do on the App, Not Available on the Web Player

In the last part of this guide, I will highlight some functionalities that are not available on the Spotify Web Player but available on the Apps.

The table below summaries the feature comparison.

S/N	Features Compared	Spotify Web Player	Spotify App
1	Rename a Playlist	Not Available	Available
2	Find Friends	Feature Not Available	Available
3	Made for You	Not Available	Available
4	Radio	Radio is available On the left pane	You have to right-click an album or song to play Radio

Note that this list is not exhaustive by any means. Also, this comparison was made using the Windows 10 App. Some other features may be available on the Mobile Apps.

Conclusion

This guide covered the main features of the Spotify Web Player.

Even though some features in the App are not available in the web player, there is a strong case for the player. One such case is that you do not need to install any app to stream your favorite songs. Besides, with Spotify Web Player, you can access Spotify from any supported device, from anywhere.

Finally, using the web player instead of the app saves your computer resources. For every app or software you install on your computer, you use additional resources. If you can avoid installing one more app, why not!

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