Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • Cameras
  • More
    • Home
    • News
    • Best
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max review
  • iPhone 15 review
  • TechRadar Choice Awards
  • Apple Watch 9 hands on
  • iPhone 15 Pro hands on
  • Wordle hints
  • Best VPN

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Audio
  2. Audio Streaming
  3. Spotify

How to listen to non-streaming artists on Spotify

How-to
By Harry Domanski
published 20 March 2017

Complete and collate your collection

Listen to non-streaming artists on Spotify

Listen to non-streaming artists on Spotify

For many users, one of the biggest letdowns of any audio streaming service is the notable absence of one of your favourite musicians. Sure, it might still cover 99-percent of your listening needs, but there will always be the desire to revisit that one ‘obscure’ band that you listened to in your teens or even just an artist whose philosophy doesn’t align with the streaming revolution.

The good news is that Spotify lets you import local files to both your desktop and phone applications, allowing you to use a single program to cover your entire music library (a real boon considering how popular this particular service is). While this has been a feature of Spotify since day 1, the complaint still floats heavily on the air so we thought we’d fill you in on the process.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
1. Organize music folder

1. Organize music folder

Before any transferring begins, you'll need to get all of your audio files into one neat folder on your desktop or laptop. If you have the spare storage, we recommend copying the files into a fresh folder so it is still manageable down the line.

Spotify only accepts mp3, mp4 or m4p files, and you'll need to ensure the mp4 files don't contain any video. If you're after a tool to convert your files, check out this Free Audio Converter.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
2. Add local files to Spotify

2. Add local files to Spotify

With your pretty folder full o' files, you're ready to add them to the desktop application. In the top right-hand corner of Spotify, click the little down-arrow and go to 'Settings'.

Scroll down to the 'Local Files' section of the settings menu, hit 'Add Source' and navigate to your folder. Now any compatible files within the folder will be added to the 'Local Files' menu item on the left side of the app. You can just as easily remove a folder as a source by repeating the process.

This will allow you to play local files via the desktop Spotify app, and the next steps will deal with adding these to your mobile device.

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
3. Add playlist to mobile device

3. Add playlist to mobile device

On your desktop device, create a playlist with any local music that you want to be able to carry around in your pocket. Connect your smartphone to the same WiFi connection as your desktop, ensuring that Spotify is 'allowed' through your firewall, and navigate to the same playlist on your phone.

From here, you can simply hit 'download' and wait until the little grey symbol turns green (which could take a while depending on the size of the playlist), then you're good to go. This procedure should be near identical across devices, whether it's for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phones.

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
4. Troubleshooting

4. Troubleshooting

This process isn’t without its quirks however, with some users reporting that Spotify will ‘intelligently’ replace any of your song files with tracks that share the same title as songs already appearing on the service’s streaming library.

This could leave you with live versions, extended cuts, or even covers of the song you’re really after. A quick work-around is renaming your song files during step 1 (just try appending a letter or symbol) to dodge this intelligent feature.

  • Check out our list of 21 useful Spotify tips and tricks
Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Harry Domanski
Harry Domanski
Social Links Navigation
Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.
More about spotify
Two iPhones on a bluer background showing the Spotify app

Spotify officially hikes its Premium prices – here's how it compares now

Spotify browser window

One of the best Spotify features on phones is finally coming to desktop PCs

Latest
Woman listening to music on smartphone

Apple Podcasts has gotten a big overhaul – here are the big changes

See more latest ►
Most Popular
How to edit a YouTube video on iPhone

By Steve ParisSeptember 22, 2023

How to edit a YouTube video

By Steve ParisSeptember 22, 2023

How to watch The Continental: stream the John Wick prequel series

By Daniel PatemanSeptember 22, 2023

Japan Grand Prix live stream: how to watch F1 online from anywhere – Race Day

By Mo Harber-LamondSeptember 22, 2023

This new iPhone feature will make your battery last longer - here's how to use it

By Alex Walker-ToddSeptember 21, 2023

How to watch Taskmaster season 16 online from anywhere

By Adam MarshallSeptember 21, 2023

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 map size and open-world changes

By Jake GreenSeptember 20, 2023

How to watch Champions League live streams — catch every game in 2023-24

By Adam MarshallSeptember 19, 2023

How to download iOS 17 on your iPhone – and what to do when it won't install

By Mark WilsonSeptember 19, 2023

How to watch the Microsoft Surface Event 2023

By Allisa JamesSeptember 18, 2023

How to post a YouTube video

By Steve ParisSeptember 18, 2023

  1. An imagined RTX 4090 against a black background
    1
    The Nvidia RTX 5090 is rumored to be nearly twice as fast as RTX 4090, so we should just call it the Titan RTX at this point
  2. 2
    Nvidia 5000 series GPUs might use multi-chiplet design—and it could help get Nvidia back on the performance track
  3. 3
    We tried out Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's chocobos, they're everything we wanted, but director Naoki Hamaguchi confirms that there won't be chocobo breeding
  4. 4
    The world's most famous magician invests in data storage startup that wants to send 100GB disks to the Moon for future humanoids
  5. 5
    Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's creative director and producer are in disagreement over the use of the term "JRPG"
  1. Sophia Vergara as Griselda on Netflix
    1
    Loved Netflix’s Narcos? Check out the trailer for a new crime thriller from the team behind it
  2. 2
    9 great movies that inspired John Wick spin-off The Continental, according to its directors
  3. 3
    Microsoft Teams is solving one of its most annoying issues - but only if you pay
  4. 4
    The iPhone 15 Pro can temporarily change color without a case, Apple admits
  5. 5
    Buying an iPhone 15? Look out for these 3 widely-reported issues

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.