How to Delete Your Spotify Account

Spotify is a digital music streaming platform that allows users to access a vast majority of songs, albums, and playlists from countless genres and artists. Despite its perks, some users could be looking to leave Spotify behind. Perhaps you wish to try something new or do not like the fact that Spotify collects and utilizes user data for targeted advertising. Some people may prefer to support artists directly by purchasing their music. Whatever your reason for wanting to leave the platform, this guide shows how to delete your Spotify account permanently.

Good to know: you can safely control Spotify from within Google Maps and Waze. We show you how.

Things to Know Before Deleting Your Spotify Account

Before proceeding, do realize that by deleting your Spotify account, the following things will happen:

• Spotify will not allow you to reuse your username.
• You will no longer have access to your playlists, saved or liked songs, downloaded content, followers, and followings.
• Your account will no longer be visible to others on the Spotify network.
• All access to any form of your Spotify account and data will be lost (unless you download it as shown below).

Cancel Spotify Premium

After reading the above, you may not be so sure that you really want to delete your Spotify account. However, if you don’t want to keep paying for a Spotify Premium subscription, you can continue using the service for free. Just cancel your Premium account and transform it into a free one. Follow these steps to cancel Spotify Premium:

1. On PC, open the Spotify client (or web player), click the person-shaped icon in the upper-right corner, and select “Account.” In this example, we’re using the Spotify desktop app for Windows.

2. Your “Account Overview” page will open in a browser. Scroll down a little bit to the “Your plan” section.

3. Click the “Cancel Premium” button. Alternatively, try browsing alternative options by pressing the “Change plan” button.
4. On the next screen, Spotify will explain what will happen if you downgrade your account from Premium to Free. For instance, you’ll hear ads about every 15 minutes while listening. If you’re still convinced you want to get rid of your Spotify paid account, click “Continue to cancel.”

5. That’s it. You now have a free account. Be forewarned that Spotify will ask you to fill out a survey that asks why you closed your Premium account.

Tip: Spotify is all about sharing your favorite music. Learn how to create a collaborative playlist on Spotify.

Save Your Spotify Data

Spotify allows you to download your account data, which may be useful for a number of reasons. For instance, you may wish to recreate a beloved playlist on another music streaming service. Your Spotify account data package includes things like playlists, streaming history for the past year, a list of items saved in your library, search queries, number of followers, accounts you follow, and more. Follow these steps to request a data download from Spotify.

1. Open Spotify on your PC, and go to the “Account Overview” page as shown above.
2. Click on “Privacy settings” in the menu on the left.

3. Scroll down until you find the “Download your data” section. You’ll notice three options. The first is “Account data,” which includes all things mentioned above. Check the box at the bottom to request a download of your account data. The process takes up to five days (depending on the size of the data package).

4. Alternatively, you can opt to get an “Extended streaming history” download, which covers your streaming history for the lifetime of your account, but that takes 30 days to compile. You can also get the “Technical log information” if you’re interested in accessing that information.
5. Once you’ve made your selection, press the “Request data” button at the bottom.
6. Spotify will send you an email asking you to confirm the request to download the data. Access your inbox, and press the green “Confirm” button to continue.

7. Now all you have to do is wait. In the “Privacy settings” section, you’ll notice a green banner at the top that says, “We are preparing your data file. You’ll receive an email when it is ready to download.”

Tip: another way to go about this is to transfer your playlists directly to the service you want to switch to. Learn how to transfer a Spotify playlist to Apple Music.

How to Delete Your Spotify Account

Whether you have Spotify Premium or Free, these instructions will show how to delete your account. Note that it’s possible to delete your Spotify account from your PC or mobile app.

Premium Users

1. On PC, access your “Account Overview” page in a browser as shown above.
2. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and press “Click here” under “Close account.”

3. On the next page, click on the “Close your account and delete your data” option underneath “Got Premium?”

4. Press the “Close my account and delete my data” button.

5. A pop-up chat box will appear on the right. Select the “Close my account” option to continue. There’s also an option to “Cancel Premium.”

6. The support chatbot will confirm your email while also offering you the option to switch to an alternative cheaper plan. If you’re really sure you want to go through with it, press “Close my account and delete my data.”
7. A confirmation message will be sent to your inbox. Access the message and click “Close my account.”
8. On mobile, kickstart this same process by clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner.

9. Select “Premium plan.”

10. Tap “Click here” at the bottom to open a browser window.

11. Doing so will take you to the “Closing your account and deleting your data” page in your mobile browser. Retrace steps #4 to #7 from above to delete your Premium account.

Tip: want a new Spotify username? Learn how to change it, as well as your email and password.

Free Users

1. Go to the “Closing your account and deleting your data” page.
2. Click the “Close your account and delete your data” option under “Don’t have Premium?”

3. On the “Sure you need to close?” page, press “Close account.”

4. Verify that this is the account you wish to delete and press “Continue.”

5. On the next page, tick “I understand” and click “Continue.”

6. Spotify will send you a confirmation email. Open it and click “Close my account.” That’s it!

7. On mobile, begin the same process by going to “Settings -> Account -> Click here.”

FYI: remove duplicates from your Spotify playlists by following our tutorial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reopen my account if I change my mind later?

Yes, but you only have a seven-day window to do so. Upon deleting your account, Spotify will send you an email with a link to reactivate your account. This will be valid for seven days. Once this period has elapsed, your account can no longer be reactivated.

Can I disable my Spotify account?

It’s not possible to disable or deactivate your Spotify account, unlike the option to deactivate Facebook.

However, if you get an email or error message that your account has been disabled, it’s likely that Spotify has taken steps to do so due to one of the following reasons:

• Suspect fraudulent activity – suspicious activity detected on your account or anything violating Spotify’s terms and conditions.
• Chargebacks – this happens when someone reverses a payment to Spotify through their bank, credit card company, or online payment service. This has the effect of disabling the account and switching it to the free version.

What are some worthy Spotify alternatives?

If you’re looking for an alternative music streaming service, there are quite a few options. Refer to our post on the best Spotify alternatives.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.