How do I sync local files to Spotify on Android?

Syncing local music files to Spotify on Android allows you to listen to music stored on your device through the Spotify app. This enables you to consolidate all your music in one place for easy access, even if some songs are not available on Spotify’s catalog. By syncing local files, you can take your personal music collection with you on the go.

Prerequisites

Before you can sync local files to Spotify on your Android device, you need to make sure you have the following:

An Android phone or tablet. According to Statcounter, Android holds 70.48% of the worldwide mobile OS market share as of December 2022.

The latest version of the Spotify app installed. You can download the Spotify app for free from the Google Play Store.
A Spotify Free or Premium account. If you don’t already have Spotify, you can sign up for a free account or paid Premium subscription directly in the app.
Local music files stored on your Android device that you want to sync to Spotify. This can include MP3s, M4A files, WAV files, etc.

As long as you meet these prerequisites, you’ll be ready to start syncing your local music files to Spotify.

Download and Install Spotify

The first step is to download the Spotify app on your Android device through the Google Play Store. To do this:

Open the Play Store app on your Android device.

Search for “Spotify”. The app should show up as the first result.
Tap on the Spotify app result.
Tap “Install” to download and install Spotify.

The Spotify app is free to download and use. The download itself is usually quick, depending on your internet connection speed.

Once installed, you can open Spotify and log in or sign up for a new Spotify account if you don’t already have one. Make sure to enable syncing in the app settings which we’ll cover next.

According to SensorTower, Spotify generated over 15 million downloads on Android in June 2023, making it the most downloaded music and audio app that month. In total, Spotify has accumulated over 1 billion downloads on Android.

[1] https://app.sensortower.com/ios/publisher/_/324684583

Enable Local File Syncing in Spotify

Before you can sync local files to Spotify on your Android device, you need to enable local file syncing in the Spotify app settings. Here are the steps to enable this feature:

Open the Spotify app on your Android device.

Tap on the “Settings” icon in the top right corner (it looks like 3 horizontal lines).
Scroll down and tap on “Local Files”.
Turn on the “Show Local Files” toggle.

Enabling this setting allows Spotify to access media files stored locally on your device. Once enabled, you can add local music files to Spotify playlists and sync them across devices.

According to Spotify’s Local Files support article, local file syncing is available for Spotify Premium users. So you need a paid Spotify subscription to use this feature.

Add Local Music Files

There are a few different ways to add local music files to your Android device:

Transfer from a computer – Connect your Android device to your computer with a USB cable and transfer music files over. You can drag and drop files directly into the music folder.

Download from the internet – You can download mp3 files directly to your device using your browser or a download manager app.^[1]

Copy from external storage – If you have music files stored on an SD card or external hard drive, you can copy them to your device’s internal storage.

Use a cloud storage service – Services like Google Drive allow you to upload music files from your computer and then access them on your Android device.

Record audio – Use your device’s sound recorder or a third-party app to record audio files like songs, podcasts, etc. and save them locally.

The key is to get your audio files onto your device’s internal storage or SD card so that they are accessible to apps like Spotify.

^[1] https://www.androidauthority.com/local-music-smartphone-poll-results-3173035/

Locate Local Files

To sync your local music files to Spotify, you first need to locate where those files are stored on your Android device. Here are some tips for finding your local music files:

Check your device’s native music player app, like Google Play Music or Samsung Music. Open the app and browse for folders containing your songs, albums, artists etc. Make a note of the file paths where your music is stored.

Use your device’s Files app or file manager to browse all folders and storage locations. Music files may be saved in folders like Music, Audio, Playlists, Downloads etc. SD cards and external storage should also be checked.

Use the search function in your device’s Files app. Search for common music file types like .mp3, .m4a, .flac to quickly locate your audio files.

Check cloud storage apps like Google Drive if you have music uploads saved there. Download the files temporarily to your device for syncing.

Once you’ve found your local music files, make a note of the folder locations so you can select them later for syncing to Spotify.[1]

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/hm2h5p/local_files_what_audio_playlist_file_formats_are/

Select Files to Sync

Once you have added your local music files to Spotify, you can select which specific songs, albums, or artists you want to sync. This allows you to customize and control exactly what music gets synced from your device to your Spotify account. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Spotify app on your Android device and go to Your Library.

2. Tap on Local Files to view the local files you have added.

3. You will be able to browse by Artists, Albums, or Songs. Tap on the artist, album or song you want to sync.

4. Next to each track there is a switch for “Sync”. Flip the switch to “On” for any song you want synced to Spotify. Leave it “Off” for tracks you don’t want synced.

5. Repeat this process for all artists, albums and songs you want to sync. You can sync your entire local music library or just select songs.

6. Give it some time for the syncing to complete. The selected local files will now show up in Your Library under Artists, Albums or Playlists on any device where you are logged into your Spotify account.

You now have full control to select exactly which local files get synced to Spotify. Keep in mind local file limitations – you can sync up to 10,000 tracks and Spotify will only store 3,333 offline tracks per device.

Sync Files to Spotify

Once you have added local music files to your Spotify folder on your Android device, you can sync them to the Spotify app to access them alongside your other Spotify content. Here are the steps to sync your local files:

Open the Spotify app on your Android device.

Tap on the Home tab at the bottom.
Scroll down and tap on Local Files. This is where your synced content will appear.
Tap on the three dot menu in the top right corner.

Select Sync Device from the menu.
Spotify will now start syncing any local files found in the Spotify folder on your device. This may take a few minutes depending on how many files you added.
Once syncing is complete, all your local files will appear in the Local Files section within Spotify and you can listen to them just like any other content.

And that’s it! Those local music files or podcast episodes on your Android device are now available directly within the Spotify app. Just go to Local Files to access them.

Access Synced Music

Once you have synced your local files to your Spotify account, you can access and play them through the Spotify app on your Android device:

Open the Spotify app and tap on “Your Library” at the bottom of the screen. This will show you all of your playlists, albums, artists and podcasts.

Scroll down and tap on “Local Files” to view all of the music and audio files synced from your device. You may need to download the local files to your device for offline playback if you haven’t already.

Tap on a song, album or playlist to start streaming the local audio files. You can play local files just like any other content on Spotify.

The synced local files will also appear under the Artists, Albums or Playlists tabs in Your Library if you have added them to your Spotify collection.

One limitation is that local files can only be accessed on the device they were uploaded from. So you won’t be able to stream local files synced from your Android phone to a desktop computer, for example.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes there are issues getting your local files to sync properly to Spotify on your Android device. Here are some common sync problems and potential solutions:

One common issue is local files not transferring over from your computer to your Android device. This is often caused by an interruption in the internet connection. Check that both your computer and Android device are connected to the internet and try syncing again. You may need to go into the Spotify app settings and click “Sync Local Files” to trigger it. For some, toggling airplane mode on and off can help (Source 1).

Another problem is local files showing up on desktop but not mobile. This could be because the local files folder on desktop contains over 10,000 songs, which is the sync limit. Try removing files to get under the limit. Also make sure syncing local files is enabled in the app settings on both desktop and mobile. Completely logging out and back in to Spotify can resync everything (Source 2).

If you recently added new local files, they may take some time to sync across devices. Let the app run for a while and check back later before troubleshooting further. Overall, ensure all devices are connected to the internet, sync settings are enabled, and libraries aren’t over the size limit.