Are your Spotify lyrics not working? Well, the issue is more common than you’d expect, but it can be easily fixed in most cases.
For instance, if corrupted data causes the problem, you only have to relog, clear the cache folder or reinstall the app.
Below, you’ll learn how to show lyrics on Spotify again, regardless of the issue!
How Do Spotify Lyrics Work?
Spotify partnered with Musixmatch in 2021 to finally implement the much-anticipated lyrics feature that allows its listeners to sing along to their favorite songs.
However, despite adding numerous lyrics every day, thanks to the countless Musixmatch contributors worldwide, Spotify offers over 100 million songs in its library, some of which are yet to be enriched and/or synced with lyrics.
That said, most songs come with text accessible to both regular and premium users by clicking the microphone button in the PC app, scrolling below the song in the mobile app, or tapping on ‘Show lyrics’ at the bottom-right corner of the TV app.
Songs that do include lyrics have a dedicated lyrics section that is typically synced to the music and automatically scrolls as you listen to your song. Also, you can click on any verse in the text to jump to that specific time in the song.
| 📝 Note Listeners can share a portion of or the full lyrics across most social platforms by clicking the ‘Share lyrics’ button found at the right-hand side of the lyrics window. |
How to Fix Missing Spotify Lyrics?
If you are wondering: “Why can’t I see lyrics on Spotify?”, you’ll most likely find the cause and the corresponding solution in the following sections.
1. Log Out & Log Back In
In most circumstances, Spotify stops functioning properly if and when it starts glitching due to various reasons, from a lost connection to affected device performance.
The quick and dirty solution for such an issue is to simply log out of Spotify, restart your internet connection, and log back in! This action will prompt the app to sync your account data to your current device properly.
2. Clear the App Data and Cache
Another reason why Spotify might misbehave is corrupted data and cache storage, which typically occurs when too much data accumulates after months’ worth of updates and app usage. Thankfully, clearing this excess data is quite easy:
- Open the Spotify app;
- Tap on the ‘Settings’ gear icon (top-right corner);
- Scroll down to find the ‘Storage’ section;
- Click on ‘Clear cache’.
If you are using the desktop app, on the other hand, you’ll have to access the ‘Settings’ menu via the button with your username and profile picture found in the top-right corner. Once there, scroll down to the ‘Storage’ section and click on the ‘Clear cache’ button, which effectively deletes all temporary files that speed up your experience with the app.
3. Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify
If the previous solutions fail to work, you can always reinstall Spotify. That way, you’ll also update the app, as you’ll be offered to download the latest version.
Reinstalling apps is rather straightforward on both Android and iOS:
- Tap and hold on your app icon;
- Click on the ‘Remove App’ icon from the pop-up menu;
- Open Google Play or the App Store;
- Enter ‘Spotify’ in the search bar;
- Tap on ‘Install’ or the ‘Download’ button.
Reinstalling the desktop app is also a fairly quick process: uninstall the app via your Windows or macOS uninstall section and download and install the latest version via the corresponding OS app store.
| 📝 Note You can also get the installation file via the official website and install the app manually. |
4. Reduce the Number of Playlists
A less common reason why Spotify may not display your song lyrics is dealing with an excessive number of playlists. Under such circumstances, the app may lag and freeze on mobile and desktop, affecting how some features work.
Some users that experienced this issue reported that they fixed it by deleting several playlists, especially those containing the most songs.
Note: Before deleting your playlists, which you may regret later on, log into Spotify with a new account without any playlists to see whether or not the issue persists.
5. Check the Spotify Server Status
Sometimes, the problem may stem from Spotify’s servers instead of the app itself. If the platform’s server infrastructure is experiencing problems, users will constantly lose connection to the app and won’t be able to access and use its features.
Unfortunately, apart from checking the status of Spotify’s servers via their official Twitter account or a third-party site like Downdetector, there’s nothing much you can do about the issue, and you’ll have to wait for the platform to fix its network and come back online.
6. Try Turning Off or On Your VPN
Occasionally, virtual private networks may be the cause or the solution to your Spotify issues.
As the answer to your problems, VPNs help circumvent regional locks that prohibit you from using certain app features. Conversely, they may prevent you from using the app if and when you are detected that you are accessing the platform using a VPN.
For that reason, try running Spotify with and without a VPN service to see whether or not there’s any difference in how it behaves in either situation.
How to Contact Spotify Customer Support?
If your Spotify lyrics are still not showing after applying the above solutions, you can always reach out to their support team via one of these channels:
- Messaging a Spotify advisor—the quickest way to get in touch with the support staff is to send a message via the Spotify messaging system;
- Sending a Facebook message—the SpotifyCares Facebook page is there to listen to user praise, complaints, and problems;
- Tweeting at SpotifyCares—Spotify’s experts are also present on Twitter, where listeners can message them with their issues;
- Navigating the Spotify community—users can post their problems, find solutions, share their ideas, and make friends via the community portal.
| 📝 Note Before or after establishing contact with a Spotify representative, you will be asked to explain your issue in detail and furnish evidence, if necessary. |
Alternative Options for Spotify Lyrics
If the Spotify lyrics feature is not up to your liking, there are alternative websites you can use with huge selections of song lyrics. Some even include built-in music players so you can sing along while learning your favorite lyrics.
1. AZLyrics
AZLyrics is one of the oldest and most expansive public domains for song lyrics out there. Music lovers have been looking up the words of their favorite songs on AZLyrics since the turn of the century, and they are not bound to stop anytime soon.
To find the song text you want or need to check out, type in the name in the search bar at the top right-hand corner. Conversely, you can type in the author’s name (or click on their letter found at the top of the screen) to access their entire discography.
If you notice a mistake in the text, you can also submit the necessary corrections without creating an account. That said, AZLyrics does not provide outbound links to the song, and you’ll have to play it from another source if you want to sing along.
2. Lyrics.com
Next up, we have Lyrics.com—a massive database of lyrics similar in most respects to the one above, but with a few additional benefits to make it stand out from the rest.
For starters, it incorporates a built-in YouTube player that allows you to listen to the song while reading the lyrics. Also, it lets you create and edit your own playlist, offers additional information on artists, comes with a Chrome extension that immediately delivers lyrics for any music video you see online, and generates a quick citation of any song.
If you want to have fun while learning lyrics, you can also play the platform’s music quiz and create a parody of any song by replacing its words with your own.
3. Genius
Genius is much more than a database of song lyrics, as it also produces content about the music of specific authors, ranging from news articles to exclusive video series in which professional musicians talk about and explain their craft and creativity.
On top of that, you get access to the latest song charts, a built-in music player, details about the song in question, an FAQ section, and all kinds of other facts and insights.
If you are a musician, you can also use the platform to promote your own music, lyrics, and videos, but the Genius advertising and transcription services cost a pretty penny.
| 👍 You might be interested in: How to Cancel Spotify Premium? |
Bottom Line
Ever since Spotify added the lyrics feature in 2021, the platform’s music listeners have been able to learn their favorite songs by heart and show off their singing chops at parties. Unfortunately, some Spotify lyrics go missing now and then, which is an annoying but very fixable issue once you try out one or several of the solutions outlined above!
Timeline Of The Article
Muninder Adavelli is a core team member and Digital Growth Strategist at Techjury. With a strong background in marketing and a deep understanding of technology's role in digital marketing, he brings immense value to the TechJury team.