The fastest way to clear your queue
Open Spotify and look at the bottom right of the screen (on desktop) or tap the now-playing bar at the bottom (on phone). You will see a small icon that looks like a list or lines — this opens your queue. At the top of the queue window, you should see a "Clear queue" button or option. Tap or click it, and every song waiting to play after the current track will disappear.
The exact location of this button varies slightly by device and whether you are using the free or premium version, but the principle is the same across all platforms. The queue clears when ready — there is no confirmation dialog, so the songs are gone as soon as you tap the button.
If you cannot find a clear button, you may be looking at your saved songs or a playlist instead of your active queue. The queue is only the songs that are lined up to play next, not your library or playlists.
Key Takeaways
- The queue is the list of songs waiting to play after the current track, separate from your playlists or library.
- On desktop, open the queue from the bottom right corner and look for a "Clear queue" button at the top.
- On mobile, tap the now-playing bar and swipe up to see the queue, then find the clear option in the menu.
- Clearing the queue does not delete songs from your playlists or library — it only removes them from the waiting list.
- You can also remove individual songs from the queue by swiping left on them (mobile) or right-clicking and selecting remove (desktop).
Clearing the queue on desktop
Start Spotify on your computer and play any song. Look at the bottom right corner of the window — you will see a small icon that resembles a list with horizontal lines. Click it. A panel will slide open on the right side showing all the songs in your queue, listed in the order they will play.
At the very top of this queue panel, you should see text that says "Clear queue" or a trash icon. Click it. All songs in the queue will vanish when ready. The song currently playing will continue, but nothing will play after it ends unless you start something new or add more songs to the queue.
If you want to remove only some songs instead of clearing everything, you can right-click any song in the queue and select "Remove from queue." This leaves the rest of your queue intact.
Clearing the queue on iPhone and Android
Open Spotify and start playing a song. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a bar showing the current track and artist. Tap anywhere on this bar to open the full now-playing screen. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen or look for a small icon (usually three horizontal lines or a list icon) to open your queue.
Once the queue is visible, look at the top of the list. You should see a menu icon (three dots) or a "Clear" button. Tap it. Your queue will clear when ready, and only the current song will continue playing.
On some versions of the Spotify app, you may need to tap a menu icon first and then select "Clear queue" from a dropdown. If you cannot find the option, swipe left on individual songs to remove them one at a time instead.
Why you might want to clear your queue
Your queue fills up when you add songs, tap "Go to Song" on an album, or let Spotify's autoplay feature add recommendations. Over time, it can become a long list of songs you no longer want to hear. Clearing it gives you a fresh start and prevents songs you added hours ago from playing unexpectedly.
Some people clear their queue before sharing their speaker or device with someone else, so the next person does not hear a random song from your queue. Others clear it to reset Spotify's recommendations or to make sure a specific playlist or album plays all the way through without interruption.
The difference between clearing the queue and deleting a playlist
Clearing the queue removes only the songs waiting to play next — it does not touch your playlists, liked songs, or library. If you added a song to your queue from a playlist, clearing the queue leaves the song in the playlist. The queue is temporary; playlists are permanent until you delete them.
If you want to delete an entire playlist instead, you need to go to that playlist, tap the menu icon (three dots), and select "Delete playlist." That is a separate action from clearing the queue and cannot be undone as easily.
What happens after you clear the queue
After you clear the queue, the current song will finish playing. When it ends, Spotify will either stop playing or, if you have autoplay turned on, start playing recommendations based on the song that just finished. You can turn autoplay on or off in your settings.
If you want to play something specific next, you can add it to the queue manually by finding the song and tapping "Add to queue," or you can start a new playlist or album when ready. The cleared queue does not come back — you would have to add songs again to rebuild it.
Removing individual songs from the queue without clearing everything
You do not have to clear the entire queue if you only dislike a few songs. On mobile, open your queue, swipe left on the song you want to remove, and tap the trash icon. On desktop, right-click the song and select "Remove from queue." The song disappears, but the rest of your queue stays intact.
This is useful when you have added many songs you want to keep but one or two that you want to skip. You can remove them one at a time without losing the rest of your lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing the queue delete songs from my playlists?
No. The queue is separate from your playlists and library. Clearing the queue only removes songs from the waiting list. Any song you added to the queue from a playlist stays in that playlist.
Can I undo clearing the queue?
No. Once you clear the queue, the songs are gone and cannot be recovered. If you remember which songs were in it, you can add them back manually, but Spotify does not have an undo feature for queue clearing.
What is the difference between the queue and autoplay?
The queue is songs you or someone else added manually. Autoplay is Spotify's feature that adds recommendations automatically when your queue runs out. You can turn autoplay on or off in settings, but clearing the queue does not affect this setting.
Why does my queue keep filling up on its own?
Autoplay is likely turned on. When you reach the end of your queue, Spotify automatically adds similar songs. Go to settings and toggle autoplay off if you want to prevent this, or clear your queue regularly if you prefer to keep autoplay on.
Can I clear the queue on the Spotify web player?
Yes. Open Spotify in your web browser, play a song, and look for the queue icon in the bottom right corner. Click it and select "Clear queue" from the panel that appears. The process is the same as on desktop.