Fix Spotify Not Opening on Windows PC

You click the Spotify icon and absolutely nothing happens, or the window appears for a split second before vanishing. Spotify has likely left behind a hung background process that is preventing a fresh instance from launching.

Why this happens

Spotify often fails to close properly, leaving zombie processes running in the background. Additionally, a corrupted cache file can prevent the application from initializing its interface.

Steps

1. 01
   Right-click the Windows Start icon on your taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. 02
   Click the search box within Task Manager, type Spotify, and identify every process currently running with that name.
3. 03
   Right-click each Spotify process and select End task to ensure no background instances are still holding onto your system resources.
4. 04
   Open File Explorer and paste C:/Users/%USERNAME%/AppData/Roaming/Spotify/Users into the address bar to locate your user folder.
5. 05
   Find the file named local-files.bnk inside your user-specific subfolder and delete it; Spotify will automatically regenerate this cache file when it launches again.
6. 06
   Launch Spotify from your Start menu or desktop shortcut to verify that the application now opens normally.

Still not working?

If Spotify still fails to launch, your local application data may be severely corrupted. Try performing a clean reinstall by uninstalling Spotify via Windows Settings, then manually deleting the Spotify folders located in both your AppData/Roaming and AppData/Local directories before downloading a fresh installer.

Frequently asked questions

Will deleting local-files.bnk delete my downloaded songs?

No, this file is strictly a cache for local metadata and interface elements. Your downloaded music and playlists are stored on Spotify's servers and will remain unaffected.

Does this fix work for the Microsoft Store version of Spotify?

This method targets the desktop client installed via the Spotify website. If you are using the Microsoft Store version, you may need to reset the app through Windows Settings under 'Installed Apps' instead.