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EmilDeuOfficial edited this page Aug 22, 2026 · 2 revisions

FAQ


Is the app free?

Yes. The source code is public in the repository, there are no paid features and no ads.

Do I need Spotify Premium?

No. A free Spotify account is enough for the API credentials. The audio does not come from Spotify anyway, it comes from YouTube Music.

Why do I need my own API credentials at all?

Spotify requires a client for every API call. Hardcoding credentials into a public application would violate the terms of service and the rate limit would be exhausted quickly. With your own credentials every user has their own quota.

Are my credentials sent anywhere?

No. They are stored locally in %USERPROFILE%\.spotify_downloader\config.json and are only sent to Spotify itself. The app has no server of its own.

Why does the music come from YouTube instead of Spotify?

The Spotify Web API only serves metadata, never audio data. The protected audio stream is not accessible through the official API. The app therefore combines Spotify metadata with the best matching YouTube source.

Why is there no FLAC?

Because the source is lossy. Converting to FLAC would only make the file larger without improving quality. The full reasoning is in Formats and Quality.

Is the quality identical to Spotify's?

Not exactly. Spotify serves up to 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis, YouTube Music up to roughly 256 kbps AAC or Opus. For most tracks and on ordinary headphones the audible difference is small.

What happens on a duplicate download?

In the Spotify downloader the "Skip Existing Files" option applies, which is on by default. In YouTube and TikTok an already existing target file is always skipped.

Can I cancel a running download?

Not an individual entry. You can close the downloader though, which ends all threads since they run as daemon threads.

How many downloads run at the same time?

Two per downloader by default, configurable in the respective settings. Much higher values give little benefit because the platforms throttle beyond a certain rate.

Are downloads resumed after a crash?

No, the queue is not persistent. After a restart simply queue the same URL again, already finished tracks are skipped.

Can I use Spotify, YouTube and TikTok at the same time?

Not in one session, exactly one downloader window is open at a time. You can however start the app multiple times.

Does the app run on macOS or Linux?

The Python code is mostly platform independent, but several areas are Windows specific: the winget calls for FFmpeg, os.startfile() for opening the output folder, and the DWM and taskbar interventions through ctypes. Only Windows 10 and 11 are tested and supported.

Where do files end up by default?

In %USERPROFILE%\Music\Spotify Downloads. The folder can be changed per downloader through "Browse" and then applies to all three.

How do I change the language afterwards?

Set the content of %USERPROFILE%\.spotify_downloader\language to de or en and restart the app. See Settings.

Why does the installer ask for administrator rights?

Because it installs into C:\Program Files and sets up FFmpeg system-wide via winget.

Does uninstalling also remove FFmpeg?

Yes. The uninstaller calls winget uninstall yt-dlp.FFmpeg and additionally deletes the data folder %USERPROFILE%\.spotify_downloader. If you want to keep FFmpeg for other programs, install it again afterwards.

Can I define my own naming schemes?

The interface offers a fixed set of schemes. If you want a custom one, you can write the value directly into config.json, valid placeholders are {artist}, {title}, {album} and {year}. See Filename Templates.

Is this legal?

That depends on the content and on your country. The application is intended for personal use with content you have the right to download. Respect the terms of service of Spotify, YouTube and TikTok as well as applicable copyright law.

How do I report a bug?

Through the issues page. The useful details to include are listed at the end of Troubleshooting.

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