An Ultimate Guide to Spotify for Beginners

A thorough guide for navigating Spotify on iPhone, Android, and desktop

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: January 15, 2024 Fact Checked

Signing Up

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Is Spotify free?

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Spotify’s Different Features

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How to Make a Playlist

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Q&A

Spotify has made a name for itself as one of the most popular streaming services out there—and with its availability on Apple, Android, and desktop devices alike, it’s easy to see why. If you’re new to Spotify or just want a refresher on how the platform works, you’ve come to the right article. We’ll teach you how to set up a free account, use all of Spotify’s handy features, and craft your own playlists so you can take your jam sessions to the next level.

Things You Should Know

Spotify is a free streaming service, but your content is often filled with ad breaks. Spotify Premium removes these ads and offers extra features for $10.99 a month.
Use the search bar to find a wide variety of music, audiobooks, and podcasts across Spotify’s content catalog.
Make your own playlists to enjoy your tunes on the go. Adjust your playlist’s settings if you’d like it to be private.

Section 1 of 4:

Signing Up

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Mobile Download the Spotify app (iOS/Google Play) and hit Sign up free. Enter your email, followed by a new password (8 characters minimum), along with your date of birth, gender identity, and name to be used with the account. Agree to Spotify’s terms and conditions to finish signing up.^{[1]
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- Hit Continue with Google or Continue with Facebook to create an account linked with one of these profiles. If you’re using an Apple device, you can hit Continue with Apple to make a Spotify account with your Apple ID.
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Desktop Visit Spotify’s sign-up page and enter your email. Then, create a secure password for your account that’s 8+ characters. Enter a little more info about yourself, including your name, date of birth, and gender identity. To finish up, agree to Spotify’s terms and conditions.^{[2]
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- You can also choose the Sign up with Google or Sign up with Facebook options to make a Spotify account that’s linked to an existing Google account or Facebook profile.

Section 2 of 4:

Is Spotify free?

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Yes, but you need a paid membership to access certain features. Spotify’s free plan provides free access to music, podcasts, and other content with ad breaks. For $10.99 a month (or $5.99 for students), Spotify Premium allows listeners to enjoy all of their content ad-free, with other benefits like:
- Offline listening
- Listening to songs in any order
- Improved audio quality
- Collaborative listening with other Spotify users
- Queue organization
- Note: Spotify Premium offers discounted plans for couples and families. Currently, a Premium Duo plan (Premium for 2 accounts) is $14.99 per month, and a Premium Family plan (Premium for 6 accounts) is $16.99 a month.^{[3]
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Section 3 of 4:

Spotify’s Different Features

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Home page Spotify’s home page includes logs of the content you’ve recently listened to as well as recommendations of content you might enjoy in the future. The format for this page ultimately is a little different on desktop vs. mobile, but you can expect to see content like:
- Your top mixes: Spotify-curated, genre-specific playlists based on the music you’ve listened to
- Jump back in: A short list of the albums and playlists you recently listened to
- Fresh finds: Playlists curated by Spotify editors (irrelevant to your listening history)
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Search bar Enter song titles, artist names, album names, and else under the sun using Spotify’s search bar. Spotify will generate a list of results that best match your search query, so you can get listening right away.
- Mobile: Hit the bottom center button to access the search bar.
- Desktop: Click in the top-left corner to access the search bar.
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“Like” button If you really enjoy a particular song, “like” it in the mobile or desktop app. This moves it to a special “Liked Songs” playlist for easy access later on.
- Mobile: Hit the triple-dot icon next to a song and select Add to playlist, followed by Liked Songs.
- Desktop: Hover over a song and click on the heart icon.
“Your Library” includes all of your liked songs, liked playlists (created by other Spotify users), personal playlists, and saved or downloaded podcast episodes. Think of it as your home base for all of your Spotify content.
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RadioSpotify Radio generates a music playlist similar to a specific song. On desktop, simply right-click a song and select “Go to song radio.” If you’re on mobile, hit the triple-dot button next to a song and tap “Go to radio.”
- On desktop, scroll down on the home page to view the “Popular radio” and “Recommended radio” sections. These are artist-specific radio stations curated by Spotify.
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Offline listening If you have Spotify Premium, you’re able to download episodes, albums, and playlists for offline listening. This is handy if you want to listen to Spotify without burning through your cellular data (or if you’re someplace without internet, like an airplane).
- Mobile & desktop: At the top of an album or playlist, select the downward-facing arrow icon to download all the content. For podcasts, tap on the same downward-pointing arrow icon beneath the specific episode you’d like to download.
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Sound quality If you have Spotify Premium, it’s possible to upgrade the streaming quality of your content (as well as downloaded content). Keep in mind that higher streaming quality will use up more data on your mobile device, so adjust accordingly.
- Mobile: Tap your user profile icon in the top-left corner of the screen, followed by the “Settings and privacy” option. Select the “Audio Quality” button and then choose your desired quality for both WiFi and cellular streaming.
- Desktop: Click on your user profile icon in the top-right corner, followed by the “Settings” option. Under the “Audio quality” section, use the drop-down menus to adjust the streaming and download quality.
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Privacy settings Spotify makes your listening history public by default but gives you the option to start a “private session” that hides this info from others. Private sessions last a total of 6 hours, so you’ll need to reset the session if you’re listening for long periods.
- Mobile: Tap your user icon in the left-hand corner of the screen and hit “Settings and privacy,” followed by “Privacy & Social.” Switch on the “Private session” toggle to start listening privately.
- Desktop: Click on your user icon in the top-right corner of the Spotify client and select the “Private session” option.

Section 4 of 4:

How to Make a Playlist

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Tap the + icon in Your Library. Type in your desired name and then hit enter to create your new playlist.^{[4]
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- Desktop: Make sure to select the “Create a new playlist” option rather than “Create a playlist folder.”
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Select “Add to this Playlist” to start adding songs. Use the pop-up window and search bar to find the songs you’d like on your playlist and hit the + icon to add them. Spotify will generate a list of songs you already like in case you’d like to add those to your account.
- Desktop: Use the search bar beneath “Let’s find something for your playlist” to start adding music.
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Add songs later on with the + icon. Hit the triple-dot icon next to any given song and select the “Add to playlist” option.
- Desktop: Right-click on the song of your choose “Add to playlist.”
Select the “Edit playlist” button from the triple-dot menu, and then hit the - button for any songs you’d like to remove. If you have Spotify Premium, hold and drag the triple-dot icon next to songs to adjust the playlist song order.^{[5]
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Tap the triple-dot icon at the top of your playlist and select the “Make private” option. Private playlists can’t be searched and listened to by other users.

Community Q&A

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Question

What do I do to listen to similar artists if my phone is connected to Bluetooth in my car?

Community Answer

Press on the three small dots on the side of the song of the artist you want to find similar music to. Then press "go to radio," and there you will have similar artists and songs to listen to via Bluetooth.

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Question

How do I change the order of the tracks in my playlist?

Community Answer

Just left click and hold the track you want to move and drag it wherever you want it. If you want to move tracks on the app, you will need a premium account.

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Do I have to have a laptop to get Spotify on my phone?

Community Answer

No. You can download the Spotify app from Apple's App Store or Google Play and create your account directly on your phone.

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