Top 6 Ways to Fix ‘A Firewall May Be Blocking Spotify’ Error on Windows

While Spotify offers an impressive app for Windows computers, reliability is not its strongest aspect. While logging into the Spotify app on Windows, you may encounter an error that reads, ‘A firewall may be blocking Spotify.’ This error message is commonly accompanied by codes such as auth:3, auth:16, auth:22, and auth:74.

If you are lucky, restarting the Spotify app or your PC might get things moving again. However, if that doesn’t help, check out the following troubleshooting tips to get Spotify working again on your Windows PC.

1. Allow Spotify Through Windows Defender Firewall

Your first step is to check the Windows Defender Firewall settings and make sure it isn’t blocking Spotify on your PC. You’ll need to check this after installing a major Windows Update or reinstalling the Spotify app. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type firewall.cpl in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: When the Windows Defender Firewall window opens, click the ‘Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall’ in the left pane.

Step 3: Click the Change settings button.

Step 4: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 5: Scroll down to locate Spotify Music on the list and tick the Public and Private checkboxes next to it. Then, click OK.

After you update the firewall settings to allow Spotify, restart the app and check if the error still occurs.

2. Disable Proxy Settings on Spotify

Improper or incorrectly configured proxy settings within the Spotify app can also result in error codes such as auth:3, auth:16, and auth:74. If you have made any changes to the proxy settings in the Spotify app, use these steps to disable them.

Step 1: Open the Spotify app on your PC. Click the profile icon at the top-right corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Proxy Settings section, and click the drop-down menu to select No Proxy.

Try using the Spotify app without any proxy details to check it functions properly.

3. Select the Correct Region for Your Spotify Account

Another reason why Spotify may display ‘A firewall may be blocking Spotify’ error is if you have selected the wrong country or region. Here’s what you can do to fix it.

Step 1: Open Spotify website in a browser, sign into your account.

Visit Spotify

Step 2: Click your profile icon in the top-right corner, select Account from the context menu, and click Edit profile button.

Step 3: Use the drop-down menu under Country or region to select the appropriate region and click the Save profile button.

Open the Spotify app on your PC to inspect if it works without errors.

4. Temporarily Disable VPN

Problems with your VPN could prevent the Spotify app from communicating with its servers and trigger the ‘A firewall may be blocking Spotify’ error on Windows. To check for this possibility, you can turn off your VPN connection momentarily and try using Spotify again.

5. Clear Spotify Cache

As you continue to stream your favorite songs and podcasts, the Spotify app accumulates cache files to reduce loading times and enhance your overall experience. After a while, this data becomes old, it can disrupt app processes and cause problems. To fix this, you can try purging the existing Spotify app cache on Windows.

Step 1: Open the Spotify app, click the profile icon at the top-right corner, and select Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Storage section and click the Clear cache button.

If you are unable to access Spotify’s settings menu due to the error, use these steps to clear Spotify’s cache on Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Paste the following path in the address bar and click OK.

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Packages\SpotifyAB.SpotifyMusic_zpdnekdrzrea0\LocalCache\Spotify\Data

Replace UserName in the above command with the actual Username of your Windows account on your computer.

Step 2: Select all the files in the Data folder and click the trash icon at the top to delete them.

6. Repair or Reset the Spotify App

Windows includes an app repair feature automatically finds and fixes issues with all the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, including Spotify. If the above solutions don’t work, you can use the following steps to repair the Spotify app.

Step 1: Press the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to access the search menu and type Spotify in the search box. Right-click on the first result that appears and select App settings.

Step 2: Click the Repair button and wait for Windows to fix any issues with the app.

If the ‘A firewall may be blocking Spotify’ error appears even after this, try to reset the app from the same menu. This will delete all the app data and give it a fresh start.

Unlock the World of Music

Even the most popular music streaming app can sometimes disappoint you with such errors. Fortunately, fixing the ‘A firewall may be blocking Spotify’ error on Windows isn’t too difficult if you apply the above tips. However, if nothing works, you can always switch to Spotify’s Web Player for some time.