You cannot add lyrics to Spotify yourself — but you can see them if the song has them
Spotify does not let individual users upload or write lyrics for songs. Instead, Spotify licenses lyrics from rights holders and displays them on songs where those licenses exist. If a song shows lyrics on Spotify, you can read them while the track plays. If it does not, no user action will add them — the song straightforward does not have licensed lyrics available yet on the platform.
This matters because many people arrive at Spotify looking for a way to contribute lyrics the way they might on other music sites. Spotify's model is different: the company controls which songs display lyrics, and that decision depends on licensing agreements, not user input. Understanding this distinction saves you time looking for a feature that does not exist.
Key Takeaways
- Spotify displays lyrics only for songs where the platform has licensed them from rights holders — users cannot upload or add lyrics themselves.
- To read lyrics on Spotify, open a song that has them and tap or click the lyrics icon, which appears as a speech bubble or microphone symbol depending on your device.
- Not every song on Spotify has licensed lyrics available, and there is no way to request them or speed up the process of adding them.
- If you want to contribute lyrics to music databases, sites like Genius, AZLyrics, and Musixmatch accept user submissions, but those are separate from Spotify.
How to view lyrics on Spotify mobile
Open Spotify on your phone and play any song. While the track is playing, look at the bottom of the now-playing screen. You will see several icons — one of them looks like a speech bubble or a microphone. Tap that icon. If the song has licensed lyrics, they will appear on a new screen and scroll in sync with the music.
Not every song displays this icon. If you do not see it, that song does not have lyrics licensed on Spotify yet. Swiping or scrolling through the now-playing screen will not reveal a hidden lyrics option — if the icon is not there, the lyrics are not available. You can still read the song title, artist, and album information, but the lyrics themselves cannot be accessed.
How to view lyrics on Spotify desktop
Launch Spotify on your computer and play a song. The now-playing window will show the album art and track details. Look for a microphone icon or speech bubble icon on the right side of the player or within the now-playing panel. Click it to open the lyrics view. The lyrics will display in a panel alongside the player and update as the song progresses.
On desktop, the lyrics panel often stays open while you browse other parts of Spotify, so you can read along while browsing playlists or searching for other songs. Close the lyrics panel by clicking the icon again or by clicking elsewhere in the app. Like the mobile version, if the icon does not appear, that song has no licensed lyrics on Spotify.
Why some songs do not have lyrics
Spotify licenses lyrics from companies that hold the rights to display them. These rights are separate from the rights to play the music itself. A song can be available to stream on Spotify but still lack licensed lyrics if Spotify has not reached an agreement with the lyrics rights holder, or if the rights holder has not made lyrics available for licensing yet.
Older songs, very new releases, and songs from smaller independent artists are more likely to lack lyrics. International songs and songs in languages other than English are also less likely to have them. This is not a technical limitation — it is a licensing one. Spotify cannot display lyrics it does not have permission to show, regardless of whether the lyrics exist elsewhere online.
Where to find lyrics if Spotify does not have them
If a song on Spotify has no licensed lyrics, you can find them on other sites. Genius hosts lyrics for millions of songs and lets users add annotations explaining what lines mean. Musixmatch displays synchronized lyrics and also accepts user contributions. AZLyrics and Songlyrics are simpler databases where you can search by song title or artist.
Some of these sites let you contribute lyrics yourself if you know them. This is different from Spotify, where you have no way to add content. If you want to help build a lyrics database, Genius and Musixmatch are the most active communities for user submissions. Keep in mind that submitting lyrics to these sites does not add them to Spotify — the two systems are separate.
What happens if lyrics are incorrect or incomplete
If you notice that lyrics on Spotify appear to be wrong or are missing lines, you cannot edit them directly through Spotify. Spotify sources its lyrics from licensed providers, and corrections have to go through those providers, not through Spotify itself. The process is not transparent to users, and there is no public way to report errors.
Your best option is to report the issue to Spotify through the app's feedback or support channel. Go to Settings, select "About", and look for a "Send Feedback" or "Contact Us" option. Describe the song and the problem. Spotify may pass the report to its lyrics provider, but there is no may provide of a response or timeline for a fix. For faster corrections, you can also report errors directly to the lyrics provider if you can identify which one supplies that song's lyrics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upload lyrics to Spotify for songs that do not have them?
No. Spotify does not accept user-uploaded lyrics. Only Spotify and its licensed lyrics providers can add lyrics to the platform. If you want to contribute lyrics to a music database, try Genius or Musixmatch instead.
Why do some versions of the same song have lyrics and others do not?
Different versions of a song — such as live recordings, remixes, or covers — are treated as separate tracks on Spotify. Each one is licensed independently, so one version may have lyrics while another does not. The licensing depends on whether Spotify has an agreement to display lyrics for that specific version.
Do I need a paid Spotify account to see lyrics?
No. Both free and paid Spotify accounts can view lyrics on songs that have them. The feature is available to all users regardless of subscription level.
Can I read lyrics from Spotify to use offline?
Spotify does not offer a way to read or export lyrics. You can read them while the song plays, but you cannot save them as a file or view them without opening Spotify. If you need offline access to lyrics, copy them from Genius or another lyrics site instead.
What if the lyrics are out of sync with the music?
Occasionally, synchronized lyrics may drift slightly out of time with the audio. This is usually a temporary issue that Spotify or its lyrics provider fixes in an update. If it persists, try closing and reopening the app, or restart the song. If the problem continues, report it through Spotify's feedback option.