How to Download Spotify Songs/Playlist on Mac for Free/Online

By Charles Davis Updated on 2024-03-29 / Update for Spotify Tips

As one of the largest streaming music services, Spotify, founded in 2006, offers over 100 million songs for free access. Equipped with the Spotify app and web player, users can explore and listen to all types of Spotify music on Windows PC, Mac, PC, iOS, Android, smart speakers, and other devices with ease.

Today, we will concentrate on Spotify for Mac. This article will show you how to download Spotify app for Mac and how to download Spotify songs on Mac for free, online and with Spotify Premium. Needless to say, visit the main text below and learn more.

spotify download mac

Part 1. Why Do You Need to Get a Spotify for Mac App

When it comes to using Spotify on Mac, Spotify officially provides two ways to do so. One is through the Spotify web player, and the other is by downloading Spotify Mac app. But here, we should learn why we choose to get a Spotify download for Mac to enjoy music. The reasons are as follows.

1. Music Quality. Spotify Web Player and Spotify for Mac app offer different music quality according to your plan. With a free account, you can get 128kbps in the web player, while getting 160kbps in the desktop app. If you upgrade to the Premium plan, it's able to approach 256kbps bitrate through the browser, but 320kbps in the Spotify Mac app. Obviously, the Spotify Macbook download version offers much higher quality.

2. Offline Listening. There is a common perception that all Spotify users can only get online listening through the Spotify web player. That's because there is no Download option for music in the web player. So, to listen to Spotify offline, downloading the Spotify app for Mac is an essential part of the process.

View also: Spotify Web Player vs Desktop App

Part 2. How to Get Spotify Mac Download Version

If you search for Spotify in the App Store on Mac, you will find that it's not available. You must download the Spotify app from the official Spotify website. Besides, the Spotify app is available for macOS X 10.10, 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. If you own an earlier version of mac OS like OS X 10.9, then you can't download Spotify app from its official website. Now, let's see how to achieve Spotify Macbook Download.

Download and Install Spotify on Mac

Step 1. Navigate to spotify.com/us/download/mac/ via a web browser on your Mac computer and click the 'Download' button.

download button on spotify website

Step 2. Click 'Allow' to start the Spotify download in the pop-up window. Double-click the installation file to unzip the Spotify installer in the 'Downloads' folder.

allow to download spotify app on mac

Step 3. Click 'Open' on the unzipped Install Spotify app and wait for the installer to download and install Spotify on the Mac computer.

open spotify app installation file on mac

With these simple steps, you can make Spotify for Mac download. Then you can open the Spotify app and log in to your account or sign up for a new account to access Spotify music library to enjoy music.

open and play music on spotify for mac app

Part 3. How to Download Spotify Songs on Mac for Free by AudFree Spotify Converter

With the Spotify app installed on your Mac computer, you can go for it to listen to music online. With a Spotify Premium account, you can even download playlists/albums from Spotify for offline listening. But it is noted that you can't download a single track in the app and the downloaded Spotify files are temporary cached tracks only. Once the Spootify Premium subscription gets cancelled or expires, those Spotify downloads will disappear from your Mac. Besides, due to copyright protection, you can't transfer them to other devices for offline playback. So, is there any way to download Spotify to MacBook as local files forever without Premium?

Fortunately, the answer is yes. With the help of a third-party Spotify downloader, you can make it. Here, we can meet AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Mac. It is a professional and powerful solution for Spotify music downloading and conversion. It is well designed to locally download all Spotify content on Mac without a subscription at up to 5X faster speed. Meanwhile, it can convert Spotify to MP3, FLAC, etc. that are available to Mac for FREE and preserve the downloaded Spotify content for Mac permanently.

AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Mac

audfree spotify converter
  • Support downloading Spotify songs, playlists, albums, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. on Mac
  • Download Spotify music on Mac offline for both Free and Premium Spotify users
  • Convert Spotify music to MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, and M4B on Mac
  • Work at a 5X faster speed, edit music quality and parameters

Steps to Download Spotify Songs to Mac for Free

Tools You'll Need:

  • AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Mac
  • Spotify Free or Premium account
  • The latest Spotify for Mac app version
  • A Mac computer running Mac OSX 10.8 to macOS 14 Sonoma including Mac 10.12.5 or 10.12.6
Step 1Import Spotify Music to AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Mac
add spotify music to audfree spotify converter for mac
Double-click to launch AudFree Spotify Music Converter on your Mac after installing and the Spotify for Mac app will be opened automatically. There are two ways to load Spotify files. One is to drag and drop the target Spotify tracks to the conversion window. The other is to click the "three dots" button and select the "Copy Spotify URL" option. Then, please paste the link into the search box on AudFree program and click the '+' button to confirm.
Step 2Set Spotify Output Audio Parameters for Spotify music on Mac
define spotify music output settings on mac
Navigate to the top menu bar of your Macbook on the left side. Please select the 'AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Mac' > 'Preferences' > 'Convert' option in the settings window. At this point, you can adjust the output audio parameters in the way you want, such as defining the output format as MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, or others. You can also customize the bit rate, sample rate, and audio channel.
Step 3Download Spotify Music on Mac
download music from spotify mac free
When everything is ready, please simply press the big 'Convert' button at the bottom-right corner. After that, all Spotify tracks will be downloaded offline to a local folder on your Mac. To find the Spotify music downloads on Mac, please click on the 'Converted' > 'File' icon on AudFree program. This way, you can get Spotify Premium free forever and enjoy Spotify music offline on your Mac whenever you want.
🏷Disclaimers: After you download Spotify music to Mac via AudFree Spotify Music Converter, please do not share them with others. In general, it is considered legal to do so for personal use only. We just aim to let Spotify users get better music playback and listen to Spotify songs on multiple devices.

Part 4. How to Download Spotify Playlist on Mac with Premium

Apart from the best way above to download Spotify music on computer, running macOS operating system, we will also introduce the official way to you. That's to use the Spotify Premium account, which is for $10.99 per month.

Before downloading, please make sure your Macbook is with internet connection. Then, you can refer to the following steps. By the way, Spotify doesn't allow you to download individual songs alone, so please create a playlist for your favorite songs.

How to Download Spotify Music on Mac

download music from spotify mac with spotify premium

Step 1. Launch the Spotify app for Macbook and log in to your Spotify account details. It must be a Premium account and not expired.

Step 2. Click on the playlist or album you want to download. There is a 'Download' button in the upper-right corner of the Spotify playlist, you need to toggle the download switch.

Step 3. After that, the Spotify songs in the playlist will be downloaded offline on Mac automatically. The download speed is mainly dependent on the network speed.

Finally, you can listen to Spotify music offline on your Mac by clicking on 'Spotify' in your Apple menu > 'Offline Mode'.

View also: Where Does Spotify Download Music to

Part 5. How to Download Music from Spotify to Mac for Free/Online

Besides the two above-described methods, there are also free and online ways to get Spotify music download on Mac. Please read the following content and learn more.

1. Soundloaders Spotify Music Downloader

Soundloaders Spotify Downloader is an online tool that can help you download Spotify music to Mac, Windows, and other devices. This downloader helps you to download Spotify songs to MP3 format for free online without needing to install a Spotify app and extra apps. With it, you can simply get local MP3 files from Spotify for Mac.

How to Get Spotify Download Songs for Mac with Soundloaders Spotify Downloader Online

Step 1. Go to the Spotify web player, and log in to your Spotify account.

Step 2. At the same time, head to Soundloaders website and select 'Spotify' for Track or Playlist from the left 'Downloaders' panel of the web page.

pick up spotify downloader on soundloaders

Step 3. Copy the playlist or single song's URL link from the Spotify web player. Then paste it into the search box of Soundloaders Spotify Downloader and hit the 'Find Track' button.

find spotify track or playlist

Step 4. Click the 'Download' button once the art cover of the Spotify song appears.

download spotify songs on mac online via soundloaders spotify downloader

After that, you can make Spotify download songs on Mac for free online.

2. Audacity

As a free audio recording and editing tool, Audacity is your nice choice to download music from Spotify and other platforms. With it, you can record and save audio files as MP3, OGG, FLAC and more. Now, let's see how to use it to download Spotify music on Mac for free.

Step 1. Download, install and open Audacity from your Mac computer.

Step 2. Find and tap 'Edit' > 'Preferences' from the list.

audacity preferences option

Step 3. Then pick up 'Device' > 'Host' > 'Windows WASAPI' > go to 'Recording' > check the box 'Software playthrough of input'.

reset audacity recording preferences

Step 4. Start the Spotify for Mac app and play a song you want.

Step 5. Touch the 'Record' button on Audacity to start recording.

start recording spotify music on mac via audacity

Step 6. Hit the 'Stop' button to finish the process.

Step 7. Tap 'File' > 'Export' > 'Export Audio...' > choose an output format > 'Save'.

download spotify music to mac for free via audacity

Part 6. More FAQs about Spotify Download Mac

Q1: Why Can't I Download Spotify on My Mac?

A: In general, you can't find and install the Spotify app through the App Store on your Mac device. Instead, you need to go to the Spotify website to download Spotify Mac version. Besides, if you use the lower version of macOS, then you can't get Spotify download on your Mac. Please check if your Mac version is available for installing Spotify app first.

Q2: Is It Safe to Download Spotify on Mac?

A: Yes, it is safe to download Spotify for Mac app since there is no malware software on Spotify. But the promise is to make sure you get Spotify for Mac from spotify.com/us/download/mac/ only.

Q3: How to Uninstall Spotify on Mac?

A: To completely uninstall the Spotify app on your Mac, open the Finder > Applications folder. Then select Spotify, right-click on it, and select 'Move to Trash'. Or, you can directly drag and drop the Spotify app to the 'Trash' application. Next, go to the Trash app to empty the trash to completely delete Spotify app from your Mac.

Q4: Can I Transfer Spotify Music Downloads from Mac to Other Devices?

A: If you download music via the Spotify app on Mac, you can't move those downloaded files to other devices as they are protected. But with the other methods above, you can get local Spotify music files on your Mac computer. Then you can transfer them to mobile devices, etc. for playing.

View also:

How to Transfer Spotify Music to iPhone

How to Transfer Spotify Music to iPad

How to Transfer Spotify Music to iPod

How to Transfer Spotify Music to Android

Q5: Which Is the Best Way to Download Music from Spotify on Mac?

A: Providing that you are not sure to select which way to download Spotify songs or playlists on Mac, please refer to the following chart and check it out.

AudFree Spotify Music Converter Spotify Premium Soundloaders Spotify Downloader Audacity
Supported Input Format Songs, playlists, albums, artists, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. from Spotify Songs, playlists, albums, artists, podcasts, audiobooks Spotify songs and playlist Any audio from the computer
Supported Output Format MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, M4B, AAC OGG Vorbis MP3 AIFF, OGG, MP3, etc.
Without Spotify Premium
Lossless Sound Quality
Batch Download
Keep ID3 Tags
Preserve Downloads Forever

From the chart, AudFee Spotify Music Converter edges over the other three methods and can satisfy all of your needs. Whether you subscribe to the Spotify Premium plan or not, you can download your favorite Spotify songs for offline listening with it.

Part 7. In Conclusion

Now that you know effective workarounds to get Spotify for Mac app and download Spotify music on Mac with or without Premium, then you can enjoy Spotify music offline anywhere and anytime. With a comprehensive analysis, we recommend you use AudFree Spotify Music Converter to make your Spotify environment free and wonderful on account of its robust features. With it, you can make it to download Spotify music on iPhones, Androids, and other devices or players at will.

Charles Davis

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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