How to delete your Spotify account, step by step

To delete your Spotify account, go to Spotify's close account page at spotify.com/account/close, sign in, and follow the steps to close your account and delete your data. Spotify then emails you a link that can reopen the account for 7 days, and after that the account is gone and Spotify starts deleting your data.

If you only want to stop paying, you do not need to delete anything. Below are the steps, the two things to do first, and what to do if you cannot log in.

How to delete your Spotify account

These steps come from Spotify's own closing your account and deleting your data page.

1. Cancel any paid plan first (see the next section).
2. Download your data if you want a copy (see further down).
3. Open the Close your account and delete your data link on Spotify's help page, or go straight to spotify.com/account/close.
4. Sign in to the account you want to close.
5. Follow the steps on screen to confirm.
6. Watch your inbox for Spotify's email. It contains the link you would use to reactivate the account.

Spotify describes this as closing your account and deleting your data "permanently from all Spotify apps and services." There is no separate deactivate option on the help page. The 7-day reactivation link is the only way back.

On a phone (iPhone or Android)

Spotify's help center sends you to that web page for this, not to a setting in the app. On an iPhone or Android phone, open your browser, go to spotify.com/account/close, sign in and follow the same steps. Deleting the app from your phone does not close the account.

On a computer (PC, Mac or laptop)

Use any web browser and the same address. It works the same on Windows and Mac.

Cancel Premium first, or just cancel Premium

Spotify's close account page starts with this: if you are looking to cancel your Premium subscription, you can change to the free plan to stop paying, and still listen in shuffle mode with ads.

To cancel, Spotify's cancel Premium page gives these steps:

1. Go to Manage your plan on your account page.
2. Select Cancel subscription.

Premium stays until your next billing date, then the account switches to free. If you cancel during a free trial that cost nothing, the switch happens right away.

A few cases work differently:

• Family or Duo plan member. Following the cancel steps removes you from the plan but does not cancel it. The plan manager cancels it, and every member loses Premium from the next payment date.
• Plan through a partner. If there is no option to change your plan, your Premium comes through a partner company, such as your mobile or internet provider. Spotify says to find their contact link under Manage your plan, then Payment.
• Paid through Google Play. Spotify's Google Play billing page says Google manages those payments, so payment questions go to Google.

Sort the billing out before you close the account. Once it is closed, you no longer have an account page to cancel from.

What gets deleted, and what you lose

Closing the account deletes your account data, which Spotify's privacy policy describes as your User Data, Usage Data and the other personal data it lists. Your playlists and library go with the account.

Spotify warns about two things on the close page:

• You lose access to any audiobooks you bought.
• You lose any live tickets for future events.

Spotify's privacy policy also lists situations where it cannot delete some data, for example when it has a legal obligation to keep it, when it needs data to protect the service from fraud, or when there is an unresolved issue on your account.

Download your data before you delete

Spotify offers a copy of your data as a ZIP file. Its data rights page says to use the automated Download your data tool on your Account Privacy page, or to contact Spotify.

According to Spotify's understanding your data page, there are three packages you can request separately or all at once:

• Account data: your playlists, about a year of streaming history, Your Library, searches, payment details and profile data.
• Extended streaming history: everything you listened to or watched over the lifetime of the account.
• Technical log information: technical data Spotify collected about your account.

The files come in JSON format. They are readable, but they are not a playlist you can play. If you want your music somewhere else, move the playlists while the account still exists.

Request the download first and wait for it to arrive before you close the account.

Changed your mind? The 7-day window

After you close the account, Spotify emails you a link to reactivate it within 7 days. Click it and the account comes back.

After those 7 days, Spotify says the account cannot be reactivated and the process to delete your data begins. You can always create a new account, but it starts empty.

So keep that email until the week is up, and do not delete it by reflex.

Reusing your email address

Spotify says you can use the same email address to create a new account 14 days after the date you closed the old one. Before that, the address is still tied to the closed account.

If what you actually want is a different email on the same account, you do not need to delete anything. Our guide to changing your email on Spotify has the steps, including when you have lost the password.

If you cannot log in

You have to sign in to close the account, so get back in first. Spotify's can't log in and password reset pages give this route:

1. Go to Spotify's password reset page.
2. Enter the email address linked to your account. If you are not sure which one, try each address you own. Spotify only sends the reset email to a registered address.
3. Open the reset email and follow the steps. If the link does not work, try again and open it in a private or incognito browser window.

If you signed up with a phone number, Apple or Google, try logging in that way instead.

Spotify is direct about one case: you need access to the email address on the account to open the reset link. If you have lost that inbox, its options are to regain access to the old address or to create a new Spotify account and start fresh.

Frequently asked questions

How do I delete my Spotify account permanently?

Close it at spotify.com/account/close and do not click the reactivation link Spotify emails you. After 7 days the account cannot be reactivated and Spotify starts deleting your data.

Can I delete my Spotify account in the app?

Spotify's help center sends you to the close account web page, not to an app setting. Open spotify.com/account/close in your phone's browser and sign in.

Does deleting Spotify cancel my Premium?

Cancel Premium first under Manage your plan, then close the account. If you pay through Google Play or a partner like your mobile provider, the cancellation or payment questions go through them.

Can I delete my Spotify account without logging in?

No. The close page asks you to sign in. Reset your password first. If you no longer have access to the account's email address, Spotify's options are to regain access to that address or to create a new account.

Can I use the same email for a new Spotify account?

Yes, 14 days after you closed the old account.

Do I lose my playlists if I delete Spotify?

Yes. Your playlists go with the account once the 7 days pass. Download your data first, and move any playlists you want to keep while the account is still open.

Next time, sign up with an address you control

If you are cleaning up your accounts, a separate address for sign-ups helps next time. Secria Mail sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, no phone number and no card. The free plan includes 2 aliases, so each service can get its own, and if one leaks you can trace it and stop it by deleting the alias. Sign up here or read more about Secria Mail.

Moving other accounts to a new address too? Our checklist for changing your email address everywhere covers the ones people forget, and what happens when you delete your email account explains the email side.