Where Are Spotify Downloads Stored? Can You Export Them as MP3?

Downloaded a playlist but cannot find it in your Downloads folder? That is expected: Spotify saves offline listening data for its own app, not a folder of songs you can open in any music player. Start in Your Library to find the music; use Settings to manage the space it occupies.

There is no official option to export downloaded Spotify catalog songs as MP3. Changing the storage drive, copying a cache folder or renaming a file does not turn an offline copy into a transferable audio file. Here is how to find the right place without confusing downloads, cache and your own local files.

First, identify which kind of file you need

What you have	Where to look	What it is for
A downloaded Spotify album or playlist	Spotify → Your Library	Offline listening inside Spotify
Cached listening data	Spotify → Settings → Storage	Smoother playback and storage management
An MP3 you obtained separately	Its original folder; optionally Spotify Local Files	Playing your own audio files

How to find downloaded music in Spotify

To find songs, open the app rather than a file manager. Premium supports music downloads; the free plan supports podcast downloads. Spotify currently lists a limit of 10,000 tracks per device on up to five devices, with an internet connection required at least once every 30 days to keep downloads.

On iPhone or Android, open Your Library and select the Downloaded filter. Open the album or playlist you saved and look for the completed download indicator. On the desktop app, open the saved playlist in Your Library and check its download indicator. Saving a playlist to your library alone does not download its audio.

If it is not downloaded, connect to the internet and use the download arrow on the album or playlist. For a single song, add it to a playlist first. Before a flight, let the download finish and briefly test playback with the device offline.

Official Spotify instructions

Where downloads live on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

Windows / Mac

Windows and Mac: open the desktop app, click your profile picture and choose Settings, then scroll to Storage. Use the location shown by your installation when you need to inspect where Spotify keeps its app data. Spotify’s current help describes Change location as moving the cache. It is not an export feature, and a path copied from a different installation may not match yours.

iPhone

iPhone: Spotify stores downloads in encrypted form within device storage. Look in the app for listening, and in its storage settings to manage space. The Files app’s Spotify folder can be used for audio you import yourself; it is not a collection of your Premium downloads.

Android

Android: use profile picture → Settings and privacy → Data-saving and offline → Storage. If an accessible SD card is present, Spotify can offer it as the download location; choose the location and Continue. That option may be absent on phones without suitable external storage. Moving the data to a card does not make it playable by an ordinary MP3 player.

For a full device-space overview, check the operating system’s storage settings as well. App size, temporary data and offline media are different components, so the total may be larger than your downloaded playlist alone.

Official Spotify instructions

Can Spotify downloads become MP3 files?

No official MP3 export is provided for catalog downloads. A community answer by a Spotify Star (not a Spotify employee) explains that downloaded content stays usable in Spotify rather than becoming regular files you can move to another player. A download arrow means availability offline in the app—not ownership of a separate audio file.

This also explains why dragging the storage folder onto a USB stick does not create a car stereo music library. A playlist export, where available through another service, may only contain track names or links; check what is actually exported before paying for anything.

If your goal is listening in the car, use a supported Spotify playback connection instead of searching for MP3s in the cache. If your player only accepts audio files on USB, obtain those files separately from a source that offers downloads.

Spotify Community

Downloads missing or taking too much space?

Start with the least disruptive action: confirm that you are signed into the account that downloaded the music, that Premium is active for music downloads, and that the download completed on this particular device. A playlist can appear across devices without its offline audio being downloaded everywhere.

For unwanted offline music, open the downloaded album or playlist and use its download control to remove the download. For temporary data, use Clear cache in Storage instead. Read the confirmation so you do not confuse clearing cache with removing all downloads.

If downloads disappeared, check whether you were offline for over 30 days, reinstalled the app or exceeded the five-device limit. Spotify also lists outdated apps and faulty SD cards among possible causes. Leave at least 1 GB free as a starting point; large libraries need more.

Restart and update before reinstalling. Reinstallation requires downloading your offline music again, so it is a poor first step immediately before travelling.

Official Spotify instructions

If you need a real audio file instead

For a transferable MP3, choose a store or artist page that explicitly supplies audio downloads, or music released for download under suitable terms. Check the offered format: a download may be WAV or FLAC rather than MP3. A paid streaming subscription and a purchased downloadable track are different products.

Once you have your own audio file, Spotify’s Local Files feature can play it. On desktop, open Settings, enable Show Local Files under Library and select a folder using Add a source. On mobile, enable Local audio files under Settings and privacy → Apps and devices, then open Local Files in Your Library and allow the necessary device access.

Keep a separate copy of your original files. Importing them into Spotify does not turn the Spotify catalog into a downloadable collection. Our guide to free music download websites is a better starting point if a real file—not offline streaming—is what you need.

Official Spotify instructions

Find sites that offer actual music downloads

Frequently asked questions

Can Spotify Free download songs?

Not catalog music for offline listening. Spotify’s current support says Free users can download podcasts; music downloads require Premium.

Does a downloaded song stay forever after I cancel Premium?

Do not treat downloads as permanent purchases. Offline music depends on Premium access; keeping a folder does not preserve that entitlement when the plan becomes Free.

Why can I see a Spotify folder in iPhone Files?

It can hold local audio you add yourself. The local-file import workflow is separate from encrypted Spotify catalog downloads.

Should I rename a cache file to .mp3?

No. Changing the filename extension does not convert the stored data into a normal MP3.

Which setting should I use to recover space?

Remove downloads when you no longer need offline albums or playlists. Clear cache when you want to manage temporary playback data. Start with Spotify’s controls rather than deleting unfamiliar system folders.

For listening offline, use Your Library. For freeing space, use Storage. For a file you can move to another player, obtain a separate downloadable recording; a Spotify offline copy is not that file.