Spotify error code 4: what it means and how to fix it
Error code 4 is the desktop Spotify app reporting that it cannot detect an internet connection. The strange part, and the reason people search for it, is that the internet is usually working fine for everything else. Spotify's connection check is failing specifically: a DNS problem, a proxy or offline setting, or security software is preventing the app from completing its check, so the app concludes there is no connection and refuses to stream, sometimes while your downloaded songs still play.
What causes it
- A DNS problem preventing the app from resolving or reaching Spotify's servers.
- Proxy settings inside Spotify's preferences pointing somewhere dead, often left over from a work network.
- The app's offline mode or a corrupted local configuration.
- Firewall or antivirus rules blocking the Spotify app while allowing browsers through.
- A router or network that filters the app's traffic.
Fix it, in order
- Restart the Spotify app completely. Close it fully, including from the system tray or menu bar, then reopen. The connection check reruns at launch and often passes the second time.
- Check Spotify's own settings. In the desktop app's Settings, look for a proxy section and set it to no proxy (unless your network genuinely requires one), and make sure offline mode is off.
- Flush the DNS and test again. Restarting your router accomplishes this for most people and also refreshes the router's own DNS handling. A stubborn case can be tested by switching the computer's DNS to a public resolver temporarily.
- Allow Spotify through the firewall. Check that the app is permitted in your firewall and antivirus. Security software that updated recently is a common silent cause.
- Test on a different network, such as a phone hotspot. If Spotify connects there, your home or office network configuration is the blocker.
- Reinstall Spotify if the error survives all of the above. A clean install discards a corrupted configuration that settings screens sometimes cannot reach.
Your downloads are the clue. If downloaded songs play while streaming refuses with code 4, your account and library are fine and the failure is precisely the app's live connection check. That narrows the hunt to DNS, proxy, and firewall settings.
Common questions
Why does Spotify say no internet when my browser works? Because Spotify checks connectivity its own way, through its own servers and settings. A DNS hiccup, a stale proxy entry in Spotify's preferences, or a firewall rule targeting the app breaks Spotify's check while leaving browsers untouched.
Does error code 4 affect my downloads or account? No. It is a connection detection failure in the desktop app. Your account, playlists, and downloaded music are unaffected, and downloads typically keep playing while the error shows.
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