How to Download Spotify Songs to Computer without Premium [Updated]

By Charles Davis Updated on 2026-10-16 / Update for Spotify Tips

Quick Answer: "Can I download music from Spotify to my computer?" Yes. If you are a Spotify Premium user and want to listen offline within Spotify, you can download from Spotify to your computer for offline playback. If you want to save Spotify music to computer as local audio files for playback with other media players, you can use AudFree Spotify Music Converter or online Spotify downloaders to do that.

Want to download Spotify songs to computer for playback offline? Spotify Premium users can directly make it. But you can only get the Spotify cache files (OGG Vorbis), not local files, and the files can be played within the Spotify app. If you want actual Spotify files on your computer, you need other workarounds.

In this article, we will show you how to download music from Spotify to computer, including the official method, professional high-quality downloader in Part 2, and free online websites in Part 3. Check them out and select the method that you want.

download music from spotify to computer

Part 1. How to Download Spotify Songs to Computer with Premium Officially

If you just want to download Spotify music for offline playback when on a plane or train, you can use the official method. This is the easiest method. To do that, you need a Spotify Premium subscription ($12.99/month). With Spotify Premium, you can download songs on Spotify to computer directly and officially via the Spotify desktop app. But you can't download a Spotify song individually in the desktop app. You must create a Spotify playlist and add favorite songs to the playlist first. Let's move on to learning how to do that!

Tips:

Before downloading, you can adjust the sound quality in Spotify Settings to optimize your computer's storage: Low (24kbps), Normal (96kbps), High (160kbps), Very High (320kbps) or Lossless (up to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC).

View also: Spotify Lossless Review

Audio Quality Bitrate / Spec Sound Experience Best For File Size (3.5 min song) Songs per 10GB
Low 24kbps (OGG) Thin and "tinny"; noticeable loss in cymbals and bass. data saving ~0.6MB ~16,000+
Normal 96kbps (OGG) Flat; lacks depth. Fine for background noise. casual PC speakers ~2.5MB ~4000
High 160kbps (OGG) Standard "CD-like" clarity. Good for daily listening. standard headphones ~4.2MB ~2380
Very High 320kbps (OGG) Rich & Punchy. Excellent stereo imaging and bass. high-fidelity setups ~8.4MB ~1190
Lossless (HiFi) 1411kbps (FLAC) Studio-grade. Crystal-clear reverb tails and tonal texture. audiophiles / studio ~35.0MB ~285

How to Download Spotify Playlist to PC and Mac

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your computer. Double-click the shortcut of the Spotify app to launch it from your computer desktop. Please log in to your paid account details, including your email address and password.

log in to spotify premium account on computer

Step 2. Select the target Spotify playlist to download. Navigate to the 'PLAYLISTS' option on the left side of the main interface. Find the name of the playlist you'd like to download. Once you open the playlist, you can see there is a 'Download' button, which is near the middle of the window.

download spotify playlist to computer with premium

Step 3. Download Spotify playlist to computer and listen offline. Switch the 'Download' toggle button to on. Your Spotify playlists will be downloaded automatically.

How to Download Spotify Album to PC and Mac

Step 1. Launch the Spotify app on your computer desktop and log in to your Spotify Premium account.

Step 2. Browse and find the album you want to download, and go to its page.

Step 3. Tap the 'Download' icon on the page to start to download Spotify album to computer.

download spotify albums to pc and mac with premium

How to Download Spotify Individual Songs onto Computer

Step 1. Launch the Spotify app from your computer or laptop and find the songs that you'd like to download. And then tap the item, you will go to the Now Playing screen. Click the three-dot icon to choose "Add to playlist" > " New Playlist" to add individual songs to a Spotify playlist.

add individual spotify songs to a playlist

Step 2. Go to the "Your Library" section from the left bar. Then find and tap the playlist covering your single songs. Now, you can hit the "Download" button to download all songs on PC from the playlist.

Note:

The downloaded Spotify music is cached files, which can be used to enjoy offline in the Spotify app only. Now, turn the 'Offline Mode' on, you can listen to Spotify music offline whenever you're not connected to the Internet.

If you don't want to add tracks one by one to a playlist to download or you want to play Spotify music outside the native app, you can try AudFree Spotify Music Converter in Part 2. It allows you to download single Spotify song directly. Also, it can download Spotify music in batches as local audio files.

Part 2. How to Download Music from Spotify to Computer without Premium (Back up & High Quality)

Using the Spotify Premium may not an ideal method for users who want the actual files forever, high-quality files and fast downloading. What's worse, Spotify Free users aren't allowed to download audio from Spotify except for podcasts.

So, we will introduce the best method to download Spotify songs to computer for Spotify users. It's to draw support from professional third-party Spotify music downloader for PC and Mac. Here we can meet AudFree Spotify Music Converter.

Both Spotify Free and Premium users can use it to download and listen to ad-free Spotify songs, playlists, podcasts, albums, etc. With it, you can keep Spotify music forever and put Spotify songs on MP3 players, mobile phone, USB drive, SD card, smart speakers, etc. for backup and offline playback.

Key Features of AudFree Spotify Music Downloader for PC and Mac

✅ Virus-free and safe for account privacy

AudFree is a digitally signed application that is free of malware. It employs direct SSL encryption and "passive interaction" technology to ensure that your login credentials are never stored.

Besides, it simulates normal streaming playback speeds to evade platform detection, thereby providing comprehensive security protection for your Spotify account while you create personal backups.

✅ Download music from Spotify to computer free for offline listening anywhere

✅ Convert Spotify songs, playlists, etc. to 320kbps MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc.

✅ Support to edit music quality and parameters

✅ Work at 13X faster speed and batch conversion

✅ Keep and edit ID3 tags

✅ Compatible with the latest Windows/Mac versions

AudFree program can work well with Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows 11, and the latest macOS Tahoe.

How to Download Spotify Music to Computer (Windows PC and Mac) Locally via AudFree Spotify Music Converter

With the help of this smart Spotify song downloader for PC and Mac, you can truly possess downloaded Spotify music files locally. In this case, you can use them in your wanted way without limits. Now, let's see how to download music from Spotify on PC and Mac locally with 3 steps only.

Note:

Before start downloading Spotify music, you are advised to back up your Spotify music library of your current account via AudFree's BackUp feature. This will avoid Spotify suspends your account and lose your library while downloading music.

Step 1. Import Spotify music to AudFree Spotify Converter
add spotify music to audfree spotify music converter for downloading
First, download and install AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Windows or Mac version on your device. Then log in to your Spotify account to proceed. To start with, you can directly drag and drop Spotify files from the built-in Spotify web player to the '+ ♫' section of AudFree program and tap 'Add to list' to import them. It supports adding an individual song to download. Or, you can tap the Spotify playlist or other audio content and press the '+ ♫' button > 'Add to list' to upload Spotify tracks.
Step 2. Choose Spotify output format and other settings for download
set spotify output settings for download
On Windows version, tap the menu icon (On Mac, tap AudFree Spotify Music Converter at the top-left corner), then choose the 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' option. In the settings window, you can define the output format of Spotify music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, or M4B according to your needs. Besides, you can customize the output quality of Spotify music, including bit rate (up to 320kbps), sample rate (up to 192kHz), etc. If you are a free Spotify user, you're suggested to set the bit rate as 320kbps to enhance the output quality.
Step 3. Download music from Spotify to computer locally without Premium
download songs from spotify to computer without premium via audfree spotify music converter
Click the 'Output Directory' section to set the output folder to store and save Spotify music downloads on your computer's folder. Or you can skip this step to keep it by default. Then please touch the 'Convert' button at the bottom-right corner of the Converting interface to save and download music on Spotify without Premium to your computers with original quality and full ID3 tags, like the title, album cover, track number, year, etc. You can also customize the ID3 tags as needed.
After that, you can transfer Spotify to a USB drive for your car or other devices like Android/iOS from your computer. Also, you can add local files to Spotify for playback. Besides, you can upload local Spotify files to Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. for backup.

Video Tutorial: How to Download Spotify Music to Computer

Also, you can check the YouTube video here to learn how to download songs from Spotify to computer via AudFree Spotify Music Converter vividly.

Tips:

If you want to download music from Spotify to computer or from other music services, AudFree Streaming Audio Recorder is such a tool that we want to introduce to you. This program supports multiple music services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, etc. and helps you download music to computer with ease. In addition, it supports to download any online podcasts and online radio for free.

Part 3. How to Download Music from Spotify to Computer Free Online

The above third-party AudFree Spotify Music Downloader for PC and Mac has a file length limitation if you use its free trial version. To break this, you need to pay for it. Besides, if you don't want to subscribe to Spotify Premium and pay for any tool or just want an easy way to download a few songs, here, we will introduce 2 online tools to you to download music from Spotify online and for free to computer.

1. Via SpotMate

SpotMate Spotify Downloader supports downloading songs, playlists, albums and tracks from Spotify to computer and save them in MP3 audio format. It is easy to use.

download spotify music to computer free online via spotmate spotify downloader

Step 1. Copy the link to the Spotify audio content that you want to download on your computer.

Step 2. Visit SpotMate online website via the web browser.

Step 3. Insert the copied URL address into the text box on the screen. Then hit the Start button.

Step 4. Later, tap Convert > Download to download music from Spotify to computer.

2. Via SpotSaver

SpotSaver Spotify Downloader is also a professional and free open-source Spotify playlist downloader online. Without any restriction, it works well to download songs from Spotify for free on PC and Mac from any web browsers.

Step 1. Open the Spotify Web Player on your browser also and find favorite Spotify tunes that you'd like to download. Tap the item and click the 'three-dots' icon to choose 'Share' > 'Copy Track URL' button to copy the Spotify link.

copy spotify track link

Step 2. Navigate to SpotSaver Spotify Downloader website and paste it into the address text bar. Next, hit on the green 'Download' button, SpotSaver will automatically load Spotify songs.

access spotsaver spotify downloader

Step 3. Later, hit 'Convert' > 'Download' to download music from Spotify to computer as MP3 audio format.

download music from spotify to computer free online via spotsaver

Tips:

Besides, you can try other online tools to download music from Spotify to computer, such as Spotisaver, SpotDown, Spotdownloader, SpotifyMate, Spotidownloader, SpotiDown, Spowlo, etc.

Note:

These tools are often unstable and the audio quality is lossy.

Part 4. Compare Methods to Download Spotify Music to Computer

Which is the best way to download songs from Spotify to computer? You can check the comparison table below.

Features Via AudFree Spotify Music Converter Via Official Way Via Online Websites
Compatible OS Mac/Windows Mac/Windows/Linux Online
Supported
Input Content
All Spotify audio content Spotify playlist and album Spotify song and playlist
Supported
Output Format
MP3, AIFF, WAV,
FLAC, M4A, M4B
DRM-ed OGG Vorbis MP3
Audio Quality Lossless / 320 kbps High Low
Spotify App Required ❌ ✅ ❌
Spotify Premium Required ❌ ✅ ❌
Remove Ads ✅ ✅ ❌
Conversion Speed 13X 1X 1X
Customize Output Quality ✅ ❌ ❌
Batch Conversion ✅ ❌ ❌
Keep ID3 Tags ✅ ✅ ✅
Success Rate High High Medium
Ease of Use Easy Easy Very Easy
Ad-Free Interface ✅ ✅ ❌
Safety High (Virus Free) High Low
Price $19.95/month; $89.95/lifetime Start from $12.99/month Free

Part 5. FAQs about Downloading Spotify Music to Computer

Why Can't I Download Spotify Songs on Computer?

First, to download audio from Spotify, you need to have a valid Spotify Premium account. Otherwise, you need to upgrade to Spotify Premium or renew your subscription if it expires. Second, there is a download limit on Spotify for devices. If you reach the max device download limit, you need to remove it first. Besides, you need to have enough storage space to download and store Spotify music files to your device. At last, try to clear Spotify cache as there is cached data that causes the issue.

Can I Download Spotify Music to Computer via Spotify Web Player?

No. There is no Download option in the Spotify web player. You can only download music via the Spotify desktop or mobile app.

View also: How to Download Music from Spotify Web Player

Can I Use an Audio Recording Tool to Download Spotify Music to Computer?

Yes, you can use tools like Audacity to record and save music from Spotify to computer.

Can I Use a Telegram Bot to Download Spotify Songs to Computer?

Yes, there are many Telegram Spotify downloader bots, you can find one you like to download music from Spotify to computer.

Where Can I Find the Downloaded Spotify Music on the Computer Storage?

If you use the official Spotify for Windows and Mac app to download music, you can locate the downloaded files by the following path.

For Windows, check C:\Users\AppData\Local\Spotify\Storage.

For Mac, check /Users/yourusername/Library/Caches/com.Spotify.Client/storage.

If you use AudFree Spotify Music Converter to download songs, you can open the program and check the Converted section. Then you can locate all the local Spotify music files on your computer.

View also: Where Does Spotify Download Music To on All Devices

Is It Legal to Download Music from Spotify to Computer?

In general, it is not legal to download Spotify music to computer via third-party downloaders. But if you use the music files for personal use, it is ok usually.

Can I Download Spotify Video Podcasts to My Computer?

No, you can't do that in the Spotify app. You can only download the audio from a podcast on Spotify desktop app. If you want to download the video podcast, you need to use a dedicated video downloader to download it as an MP4 file.

Is There Any Chrome Extension to Download Songs from Spotify to Computer?

Yes, there are extensions like Chrome Audio Capture, etc., that can help download Spotify songs to computer.

View also: Best Spotify Downloader Chrome Extension

Part 6. Conclusion and Suggestion

With a Spotify Premium subscription, using the official Spotify app to download Spotify songs to computer is a great and easy way. But you can enjoy Spotify music offline on compatible devices and you need to pay for months and months. When you cancel it, the Spotify files will disappear from your Spotify app automatically.

For a free Spotify user, you can use the online ways to download music from Spotify to computer. But there are limited functions for them, such as low output quality, not safe, not stable, fewer output settings and so on.

For users who want to truly own the Spotify music files and get high-fidelity quality, the best way could be using the AudFree Spotify Music Converter. It can save Spotify songs to computer's local folder with best quality preserved. And it allows you to transfer and play converted Spotify files to all devices without a problem.

Charles Davis

Chief Editor

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Charles Davis is the chief-editor of AudFree Company, who writes a variety of tech articles and music reviews, such as hot software releases and Spotify music tips.
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All-in-One Music Downloader to download streaming music from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc. to MP3, FLAC, and more for offline listening.