No Sound From Spotify? How to Get Audio Back

Spotify shows the track’s progress bar moving but no sound comes out of your speakers or headphones.

Why: Almost always the audio is being routed somewhere else — a paired Bluetooth device or a Spotify Connect speaker — or your device’s own sound output/volume is wrong. The actual streaming is usually working fine. Work through these fastest-first.

Fix 1: Check the volume and audio output on your device

The most common cause is the wrong output device or a muted media channel.

1. Check your device’s sound or volume settings and make sure the correct audio output is selected (for example your speakers, not a disconnected headset).
2. On a phone or tablet, press the volume-up button while a song is playing — media volume is a separate control from ringer/notification volume, so raising it any other time won’t help.
3. On a computer, click the system volume icon and confirm Spotify isn’t muted in the per-app volume mixer (Windows: Volume Mixer; Mac: System Settings > Sound).

Fix 2: Rule out Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and other wireless output

If audio is being sent to another device, your phone or computer stays silent.

1. In Spotify, tap the Connect to a device icon (the little speaker/screen icon near the play bar). If a TV, speaker, or another phone is listed as active, tap This phone / This computer to bring playback back.
2. Turn off Bluetooth on the device and try again — a previously paired speaker or car can silently grab the audio.
3. Check no other wireless casting (AirPlay, Chromecast) is active.

Fix 3: Test whether your device’s sound works at all

This tells you if the problem is Spotify or the device itself.

1. Play audio from somewhere other than Spotify — a YouTube video, a system sound, or another music app.
2. If you hear nothing there either, the issue is your device, not Spotify. Restart the device, and on a computer check your sound card driver software. Contact your device manufacturer if sound is dead everywhere.
3. If other apps play fine, restart Spotify (swipe it closed on a phone) and reopen it.

Fix 4: Reinstall Spotify

If output and hardware are fine but only Spotify is silent, a clean reinstall replaces any corrupted app files. Note you’ll need to re-download offline music afterward.

1. Uninstall Spotify (Windows: Settings > Apps; Mac: drag to Trash; phone: press-and-hold > remove/uninstall).
2. Restart the device.
3. Reinstall from your official app store or spotify.com/download and sign back in.

FAQ

The song timer moves but there’s still no sound — what does that mean? Playback is working; the audio is just going to the wrong place. That’s the classic sign of a Spotify Connect or Bluetooth device grabbing the output (Fix 2).

Why is media volume separate on my phone? Phones split volume into ringer, alarm, and media channels. You must raise volume while a song is actually playing to change the media level.

Could a sound card driver cause this on a PC? Yes. If no app produces sound, updating or reinstalling your sound card driver is worth trying, per Spotify’s guidance.

Sources:

• Can’t hear any sound on Spotify — Spotify Support
• Spotify not playing — Spotify Support
• Reinstalling your Spotify app — Spotify Support