How-To

How to Fix Spotify Shuffle Not Working

By Brian Burgess

Updated March 25, 2024

Want to randomize the songs you’re listening to on Spotify? You’ll need to use shuffle for that, but only if it’s working. If it isn’t, try these steps.

Want to mix up your Spotify playlists? You can use the shuffle option to do it.

Shuffling mixes up the order of your playlist queue. You won’t hear the songs in the same order, randomizing them to create a unique listening experience every time. That is, of course, if the Spotify shuffle feature is working.

If you need to fix things when the Spotify shuffle isn’t working properly, you’ll need to follow our steps below.

How to Enable Spotify Shuffle Mode

If you’re new to Spotify and haven’t used the Spotify shuffle functionality before, we’ll look at how to enable it on desktop and mobile.

Note: To get the whole Spotify shuffle experience, you need to pay for a Premium subscription. You can only shuffle music on specific playlists if you have a free account, like those made for you. If you’ve canceled your subscription, you may need to reenable it.

Enable Spotify Shuffle on PC or Mac

You can access the Spotify shuffle using the playlist tools at the bottom.

1. Launch the Spotify desktop app on your PC or Mac.
2. Navigate to a playlist you want to hear and start playing it.
3. Click the Enable shuffle button at the bottom.
4. When the Shuffle option is on, the icon will appear green with a dot above it.

Enable Spotify Shuffle on Mobile

If you’ve got the Spotify app on Android, iPhone, or iPad, you can quickly enable the shuffle mode using the steps below.

1. Launch the Spotify mobile app and start playing a song from a playlist.
2. As the song is playing, tap the Shuffle button to the left of the Play button.
3. To enable shuffle mode, tap the Shuffle feature. Alternatively, tap Smart Shuffle.
   
4. If you choose Smart Shuffle, Spotify will add a number of recommended songs to your song queue, based on what you like to listen to.
   

How to Fix Spotify Shuffle Not Working

The steps above should help you to quickly enable and use Spotify’s two main features for shuffling songs. If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to look into why and try to troubleshoot it.

For example, it may play the same song multiple times in a row or not shuffle at all and play one song repeatedly. If this happens, here are some basic things you can try to fix it.

Disable and Reenable Spotify Shuffle

The first thing you should try to do if Spotify shuffle isn’t working is to turn it off and on again.

1. Click the Shuffle button to disable the feature and click it again to reenable it.
2. If that doesn’t work, there’s another way to turn Shuffle off and back on. Click the three-dot menu at the top-left corner and navigate to Playback > Shuffle.

Reenable Spotify Shuffle on Mobile

1. Tap the Shuffle button next to the Play button in the mobile app.
2. Tap it again and select the Smart Shuffle option to shuffle through more songs.

Log Out and Log Back into Spotify

Your account might be causing some issues with Spotify, especially if you’ve recently downgraded to a standard (free) account. If this happens, you might want to log out of Spotify and sign back in again.

1. On PC or Mac, click the menu with your account name in the upper-right corner and select Log out.
2. After logging out, the log in screen will come up. Enter the correct email address and password and click the Log in button.

Sign Out and Back Into Spotify on Mobile

1. Open the Spotify app on your mobile device.
2. Open Settings.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and tap the Log out button.
4. When the verification message appears, tap the Log out button.
5. The app will log you out and bring you back to the main page. Tap the Log in button at the bottom and enter your account credentials.

How to Repair or Reset Spotify App

If you’re still having issues with Spotify shuffle not working, you can repair or reset the Spotify app.

1. Open the Start menu and click Settings.
2. When Settings opens, select Apps > Installed apps > Installed apps.
3. Type spotify in the Search apps field at the top.
4. Click the three-dot button next to the Spotify option and select Advanced options.
5. Scroll down to the Reset section and click the Repair button.
6. The repair takes a moment, and when complete, it’ll show a check next to the Repair button.
7. After the repair, exit Settings and see if Spotify shuffling is working.
8. If the app repair process doesn’t fix the issue, click the Reset button under the Repair option.
9. Click the Reset button when the confirmation appears.
10. After the reset completes, a check will appear next to it, letting you know it’s complete.

How to Reset Spotify on Windows 10

If you’re not on Windows 11 yet, you can reset apps on Windows 10.

To do this, open Settings > Apps and click on Spotify Advanced Options. Scroll down and click the Reset button.

How to Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify

If the shuffle feature still isn’t working, you may need to reinstall the app.

How to Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on Windows 11

You can quickly remove Spotify on Windows 11 and reinstall it using the Settings menu.

1. To do this, open Start > Settings.
2. In Settings, press Apps > Apps & features.
3. Type spotify in the Search apps field.
4. Click the three-dot button next to the Spotify entry and choose Uninstall.
5. Click Uninstall a second time to verify.
6. Once you’ve removed it, download and install the latest version of Spotify.

How to Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on Windows 10

1. Open Start > Settings.
2. In Settings, click Apps.
3. Search for Spotify in the search field at the top.
4. Expand Spotify and click the Uninstall button next to the app.
5. Click Uninstall a second time to verify.
6. Once Spotify is removed, download and install the latest version of it to restore your access.

How to Uninstall Spotify on Android or iPhone

Uninstalling Spotify from Android or iPhone is straightforward. To do this:

1. Long-press the Spotify icon and select Uninstall or Remove app from the menu that appears and verify.
2. Once you’ve removed it from your device, download and install it again via the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Fixing Spotify

Generally, Spotify does an excellent job of keeping your playlists organized and regularly including new features. If you’re having a problem with Spotify shuffle not working, however, using the steps above should get it working again. Just keep in mind that reinstalling the app should be a last resort.