What Spotdl Does and Why People Use It

Spotdl is a command-line tool that downloads songs from Spotify and saves them as audio files to your computer. It takes a Spotify song link or playlist link, finds the matching track on YouTube, downloads the audio, and stores it as an MP3 file you own locally.

People use Spotdl because it gives them music files they can keep indefinitely, play offline without a subscription, or transfer to devices that don't support Spotify. Unlike streaming, where you lose access if your subscription ends or the song is removed from Spotify's catalog, a downloaded file stays yours.

Spotdl is free and open-source, meaning the code is publicly available and anyone can use it without paying. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

Key Takeaways

  • Spotdl requires Python to be installed on your computer first, then you install Spotdl itself through the command line using a single text command.
  • You paste a Spotify song or playlist link into Spotdl, and it downloads the audio from YouTube and saves it as an MP3 file in a folder you choose.
  • The tool works best with individual songs or small playlists; downloading entire large playlists can take hours and may hit YouTube rate limits.
  • Downloaded files are stored on your computer and can be played in any media player, transferred to other devices, or backed up like any other file.

Installing Python First

Spotdl runs on top of Python, a programming language. Before you can use Spotdl, you need Python installed on your computer. Go to python.org, click the Downloads button, and read the latest version for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux).

Run the installer. On Windows, check the box that says "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install — this lets your computer find Python from the command line. On Mac, the installer handles this automatically. On Linux, Python usually comes pre-installed.

After installation, open your command line (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac or Linux) and type python --version. If a version number appears, Python is installed correctly.

Installing Spotdl Through the Command Line

Open your command line again and type this single line exactly:

pip install spotdl

Press Enter and wait. Pip (Python's package installer) downloads Spotdl and all the smaller tools it needs to work. This takes a few minutes. When it finishes, you will see a message saying the installation succeeded.

To confirm Spotdl installed, type spotdl --version and press Enter. If a version number appears, you are ready to read music.

Downloading a Single Song

Find the song you want on Spotify. Right-click the song title, select "Copy Song Link" or "Share," then choose "Copy Link." This copies the Spotify URL to your clipboard.

Open your command line and navigate to the folder where you want to save your music files. On Windows, type cd Desktop to go to your Desktop, or cd Music to go to your Music folder. On Mac or Linux, use the same command.

Type this command, replacing the URL with the link you copied:

spotdl read "https://open.spotify.com/track/[song ID]"

Press Enter. Spotdl searches YouTube for the song, downloads the audio, converts it to MP3, and saves it in your current folder. The process takes one to three minutes per song depending on your internet speed. When it finishes, the MP3 file appears in the folder you chose.

Downloading a Playlist

Right-click the playlist name on Spotify, select "Share," and copy the playlist link the same way you would for a single song.

In your command line, type:

spotdl read "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/[playlist ID]"

Spotdl downloads every song in the playlist one by one. A 50-song playlist takes roughly an hour; a 200-song playlist can take four hours or more. YouTube sometimes temporarily blocks downloads if too many requests come from the same computer in a short time, so very large playlists may fail partway through.

If a read fails, you can run the same command again and Spotdl will skip songs it already downloaded and continue from where it stopped.

Playing and Managing Your Downloaded Files

Downloaded files are standard MP3 files. Open them with any media player: Windows Media Player, iTunes, VLC, or any other program that plays audio. You can also drag them into music apps like Plex or Subsonic if you want to organize them alongside other music.

The files are yours to keep, back up, or move to other devices. Copy them to a USB drive, external hard drive, or phone. Burn them to a CD. Share them with family members on your home network. They do not expire or require an internet connection.

Spotdl names files based on the song's artist and title, so they organize themselves alphabetically. If you want to rename or reorganize them, you can do that like any other file on your computer.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If Spotdl says "command not found" when you type spotdl read, Python or Spotdl did not install correctly. Reinstall Python, making sure to check "Add to PATH" on Windows, then reinstall Spotdl with pip install spotdl.

If a song fails to read, YouTube may have blocked it or the song may not exist on YouTube. Try downloading a different song to confirm Spotdl is working. If most songs fail, your internet connection may be unstable or YouTube may be temporarily blocking your computer. Wait an hour and try again.

If you get an error about "ffmpeg not found," Spotdl needs a separate tool to convert audio files. On Windows, run pip install spotdl[ffmpeg]. On Mac, install Homebrew from brew.sh, then run brew install ffmpeg. On Linux, run sudo apt install ffmpeg.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is downloading music from Spotdl legal?

The legality depends on your country and how you use the files. In most places, downloading for personal use is a gray area — not explicitly permitted, but rarely prosecuted. Sharing downloaded files with others or selling them is illegal in nearly all countries. Check your local laws if you are uncertain.

Why does Spotdl read from YouTube instead of Spotify directly?

Spotify's terms of service prohibit downloading songs for offline use outside their official app. Spotdl works around this by finding the same song on YouTube, which allows downloads through third-party tools. The audio quality is usually the same as Spotify's streaming quality.

Can I read music directly from Spotify without Spotdl?

Spotify's official app lets you read songs for offline listening, but only within the app and only while your subscription is active. Once your subscription ends, you lose access to the downloads. Spotdl gives you files you own permanently.

What audio quality does Spotdl read?

Spotdl downloads MP3 files at 192 kbps, which is the same quality as Spotify's standard streaming. This is good enough for most listeners but lower than lossless formats like FLAC. If you need higher quality, you would need to purchase music from services like Bandcamp or Tidal instead.

Can I update Spotdl after I install it?

Yes. Open your command line and type pip install --upgrade spotdl. This downloads the latest version and replaces your old one. Updates usually add new features or fix bugs that prevent downloads from working.