What linking Spotify to Instagram Notes does
When you link Spotify to Instagram Notes, you can display a song or artist directly in your Notes — the short messages that appear at the top of your Instagram profile, visible to anyone who visits. The song appears as a clickable preview card that shows the album art, song title, and artist name. Anyone who sees it can tap through to listen on Spotify if they have the app.
This is different from sharing a song to your Instagram Story or Feed. Notes are smaller, more casual, and stay visible longer — they sit at the top of your profile until you delete them or post a new one. Instagram does not store a history of old Notes, so each new one replaces the previous one.
The feature works only if you have a Spotify account (free or paid) and an Instagram account. You do not need to be a business account or have a certain number of followers.
Key Takeaways
- You must connect your Spotify account to Instagram through your Instagram settings before you can add a song to Notes.
- Once connected, you can add a song to a Note by opening Notes, tapping the music icon, and searching for the song you want.
- The song preview appears as a card in your Note and is visible to anyone who visits your profile.
- You can change or remove the song at any time by editing the Note or posting a new one.
- Spotify must be set to public on your Instagram account for the feature to work — if it is set to private, the song will not display.
Connect your Spotify account to Instagram first
Before you can add a song to Notes, you need to link your Spotify account to Instagram. Open Instagram and go to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom right. Tap the three horizontal lines (the menu) in the top right corner, then tap Settings and privacy.
Scroll down and tap Apps and websites. You will see a list of apps connected to your Instagram account. Tap Spotify. If Spotify does not appear in the list, tap Add apps and search for Spotify, then tap it and follow the prompts to authorize the connection. Instagram will ask you to log into Spotify to confirm — use the same Spotify account you want to link.
Once Spotify is connected, return to Settings and privacy and look for Connections or Connected apps. Make sure Spotify shows as connected. If you see a toggle next to it, make sure it is turned on (blue).
Add a song to your Instagram Note
Open Instagram and tap your profile picture in the bottom right. At the top of your profile, you will see a section labeled Notes with a text box that says "Add a Note." Tap that box to start writing.
Type whatever text you want in the Note — this is optional. You can write something like "Currently listening to" or just leave it blank. Once you have typed (or decided not to type), look for the music note icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap it.
A search box will appear. Type the name of the song, artist, or album you want to add. Spotify results will appear below. Tap the song you want. The song preview card will appear in your Note, showing the album art, song title, and artist name.
Tap Share or Post (the button name varies by phone). Your Note is now live on your profile. Anyone who visits your profile will see the song card at the top.
What happens when someone sees your Note with a song
When someone visits your Instagram profile, they will see your Note with the song card displayed. The card shows the album art on the left, the song title and artist name on the right, and a small Spotify logo. If they tap the card, they will be taken to that song on Spotify (if they have the app installed) or to Spotify's website.
They do not need to follow you or be your friend to see the Note. Notes are visible to anyone who visits your profile, unless you have a private account and they are not following you. If your account is private, only your followers can see your Notes.
The person viewing the Note does not see your Spotify listening history — only the song you chose to display in that specific Note. You control what appears.
Change or remove a song from your Note
To change the song in your Note, tap your profile picture, then tap the Note at the top of your profile. Tap the three dots in the corner of the Note card. You will see options to Edit or Delete.
If you tap Edit, you can change the text, change the song, or remove the song entirely. Tap the music note icon again to search for a different song, or tap the X next to the current song to remove it without adding a new one. Tap Share when you are done.
If you tap Delete, the entire Note disappears from your profile. You can post a new Note at any time.
Troubleshooting: Song will not appear in your Note
If you tap the music icon but no search results appear, or if the song card does not show after you post, check that Spotify is still connected. Go back to Settings and privacy, tap Apps and websites, and confirm Spotify is listed and the toggle is on. If it is off, turn it back on.
If Spotify is connected but the song still will not appear, check your privacy settings. Go to Settings and privacy, tap Privacy, and look for Spotify or Music. Make sure it is set to Public, not Private. If it is set to Private, Instagram will not display the song card even though you can add it.
If the song exists on Spotify but does not appear in the search results, try searching by artist name instead of song title, or try a slightly different spelling. Some very new or very obscure songs may not be indexed yet in Instagram's search.
Why Instagram shows your Spotify activity
Instagram and Spotify share data so that you can display music on your profile. This is part of how social media platforms use your activity to keep you engaged — the more you interact with music, the more reasons you have to stay on Instagram and share with others. When you link Spotify, you are telling Instagram that you want this feature to work.
You can disconnect Spotify from Instagram at any time by going to Settings and privacy, tapping Apps and websites, finding Spotify, and tapping Remove. If you do this, any Notes with songs will no longer display the song cards, though the text of the Note will remain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can people see my full Spotify listening history if I add a song to Notes?
No. Only the song you chose to display in that specific Note is visible. People cannot see what else you listen to, your playlists, or your listening history. You control exactly what song appears.
What if I do not have a Spotify account?
You cannot add a song to Notes without a Spotify account. You can create a free Spotify account at spotify.com — you do not need to pay for Premium. Once you have an account and link it to Instagram, the feature will work.
Can I add multiple songs to one Note?
No. Each Note can display only one song. If you want to share multiple songs, you can post a new Note for each one, but only the most recent Note will appear at the top of your profile.
Will the song in my Note change if the song is removed from Spotify?
If Spotify removes a song from its catalog, the song card in your Note will likely stop working or display an error. This is rare, but it can happen. You can edit the Note and choose a different song at any time.
Does the person who made the song know I added it to my Note?
No. Artists and Spotify do not receive notifications when you add a song to your Instagram Note. However, Spotify does track streams and engagement, so if someone clicks your Note and listens to the song, that counts as a stream for the artist.