Spotify does not have a built-in block feature, but you can limit who sees your activity and who can contact you
Spotify has no button that says "block this person." What it does have are privacy controls that let you hide your listening history, prevent specific people from seeing what you play, and stop them from sending you messages or playlist invitations. The controls are scattered across different settings, and what you can do depends on whether you use the free or paid version.
If someone is bothering you on Spotify — sending unwanted messages, following you without permission, or you straightforward do not want them to see your music taste — you have options. None of them are as complete as a true block feature on other platforms, but together they can make your account much less visible to that person.
Key Takeaways
- You can make your profile private so that specific people cannot see your listening history, playlists, or followers list.
- Spotify's messaging feature lets you decline messages from people you do not follow, which stops notifications without blocking them entirely.
- You can remove followers one at a time from your profile, but they can follow you again unless your profile is private.
- If someone is harassing you, report them through Spotify's support system rather than relying on privacy settings alone.
- Free and paid accounts have the same privacy controls, but paid accounts get a few extra options for managing social features.
Making your profile private so people cannot see your activity
The most effective way to limit what someone sees is to make your profile private. When your profile is private, only people you approve can see your playlists, your followers, and what you have been listening to. Anyone trying to view your profile will see a message that says the profile is private and cannot access your listening history.
On the Spotify app or web player, go to your profile by clicking your username in the top right corner. Select "Profile" and then look for "Private account" or "Make profile private." Toggle this on. Once your profile is private, anyone who tries to view your activity — including the person you want to avoid — will not be able to see it. They can still search for you and see that you exist on Spotify, but they cannot see what you listen to or follow.
The downside is that making your profile private affects everyone, not just one person. If you want to keep your profile public for friends but private for one specific person, you cannot do that with Spotify's current settings. You would have to choose between public for all or private for all.
Removing followers and managing who can follow you
You can remove individual followers from your profile without blocking them. Go to your profile, find the "Followers" section, and look for a menu icon (usually three dots) next to each follower's name. Select "Remove" and that person will no longer follow you. They will not be notified that you removed them, but they can follow you again at any time unless your profile is private.
Spotify does not have a setting that prevents specific people from following you. If you remove someone and they follow you again, your only option is to remove them again or make your entire profile private. Some users handle this by making their profile private temporarily, removing the person, and then making it public again — though this is not a permanent solution if the person is determined.
If the same person keeps following you after you remove them, that is a sign of harassment. In that case, report them to Spotify support instead of continuing to remove them manually.
Declining messages from people you do not follow
Spotify has a messaging feature that lets users send each other songs, playlists, and direct messages. If someone is messaging you and you do not want to hear from them, you can decline their messages. Go to your profile settings, find "Social features" or "Messages," and look for an option that says something like "Allow messages from" or "Who can message me."
You can set this to "Friends only" or "No one," depending on your preference. If you set it to "Friends only," only people you follow will be able to send you messages. If you set it to "No one," nobody can message you at all. This does not block the person, but it stops them from reaching you through Spotify's messaging system.
If someone has already sent you messages and you want to remove the conversation, open the message thread and look for a delete or remove option. The exact location varies depending on whether you are using the app or web player, but it is usually a menu icon within the conversation.
What happens when you report someone to Spotify
If someone is harassing you, sending threatening messages, or repeatedly following you after you remove them, report them to Spotify support. Go to the person's profile, look for a menu icon (three dots), and select "Report user." Spotify will ask you to describe what happened. Be specific: include dates if you remember them, describe the behavior, and explain why it bothers you.
Spotify takes harassment reports seriously, but the company does not always share what action it takes. You will not necessarily be told whether the person was warned, had their account restricted, or faced other consequences. What matters is that Spotify now has a record of the behavior, which can help if the harassment continues or if other people report the same person.
Reporting is not the same as blocking — the person can still see your public profile and send you messages unless you have also changed your privacy settings. But it is the step to take when privacy controls are not enough.
The difference between free and paid accounts
Spotify Free and Spotify Premium have the same core privacy controls: you can make your profile private, remove followers, and decline messages. The main difference is that Premium users get a slightly cleaner experience with fewer ads and better audio quality, but neither version has exclusive blocking or privacy features.
Both versions let you see who follows you, both let you remove followers, and both let you control who can message you. If you are on the free version and someone is bothering you, you have the same tools available as a Premium user. The privacy settings are not locked behind a paywall.
Why Spotify does not have a true block feature
Many social platforms — Twitter, Instagram, Facebook — have a dedicated block button that prevents someone from seeing your profile, messaging you, or following you. Spotify does not, probably because Spotify is primarily a music service, not a social network. The social features (following, messaging, sharing playlists) are secondary to listening to music.
This means Spotify's approach to unwanted contact is more limited than what you might expect from a social app. You can hide your activity and stop messages, but you cannot create a complete wall between yourself and another user. If you need stronger privacy controls, your best option is to make your profile private, which is the closest thing Spotify offers to a block.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I removed them as a follower?
No. Spotify does not notify users when they are removed as followers. The person will only know if they try to view your profile and see that they are no longer following you. If your profile is private, they will not even be able to tell the difference between being removed and straightforward not having access.
If I block someone's messages, can they still see my public playlists?
Yes. Declining messages only stops them from contacting you through Spotify's messaging system. It does not hide your playlists or listening history. If you want to hide those things, you need to make your profile private or remove them as a follower. The two settings work independently.
What if someone creates a new account to follow me after I remove them?
If you suspect someone is using multiple accounts to follow you or harass you, report each account to Spotify support. Include details about why you think the accounts belong to the same person. Spotify can investigate patterns of behavior across accounts, though the company does not always share what it finds.
Does making my profile private stop people from seeing my shared playlists?
No. If you share a playlist with someone directly — by sending them a link or inviting them — they can see and listen to that playlist even if your profile is private. Making your profile private only hides your activity and your followers list. It does not retroactively hide playlists you have already shared.
Can I block someone on Spotify but still listen to their music?
Since Spotify does not have a true block feature, this is not a choice you have to make. You can listen to anyone's music regardless of your privacy settings or whether you follow them. Your listening history is separate from who you follow or who follows you.