Here are 10 ways to make Spotify use less CPU

Hardware Acceleration is sometimes enabled by default, and this can put a load on the CPU. So, disable it and see if that changes anything.

• Launch Spotify on your PC or laptop.
• Click on your profile icon and then select Settings.

  

• Scroll down and click on the green toggle button next to Hardware Acceleration to disable it. The toggle button will then become grey.

  

Sometimes, there can be more than one Spotify processes, which ends up using more CPU resources. You need to get rid of the unnecessary ones to reduce the CPU usage.

• Press the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Task Manager.
• Go to the Processes tab.
• Go through the list and delete the duplicate Spotify processes.

  

If your Facebook account is linked to your Spotify account, it will make the application use more resources as Facebook will be tracking your activity, sharing new playlists on your profile and more. So, disconnect your Facebook account from the application to reduce the load from the CPU.

• Click on your Spotify profile icon and select Settings.
• Scroll down and go to Social.
• Now, click on ‘Disconnect from Facebook,’ after which it will change to ‘Connect with Facebook.’

  

Spotify stores temporary files in the form of cache. These files help Spotify deliver a faster experience on slow networks. However, over time, cache can take up a lot of storage space and also put a load on the CPU. Thankfully, there’s an option to clear it.

• Go to Spotify’s settings.
• Scroll down and find Storage.
• Click on ‘Clear Cache’ and wait for the process to finish.

  

Spotify also has an offline mode, which allows you to listen to music without the internet. To go offline, follow these steps.

• Click on the three horizontal dots in the top left corner of the app.
• Click on File and select Offline Mode.

  

Spotify lets you adjust the sound quality, and there are four options to choose from. Keeping the streaming quality set to Very High may consume more CPU resources, so you can try lowering it to see if that reduces the burden on the processor.

• Go to the Settings.
• Find Audio Quality.
• Click on the box next to Streaming quality.
• Select ‘Low.’

  

Once done, try playing music again and see if the CPU usage has been reduced. If it isn’t, feel free to take the audio quality back to whatever you prefer.

Some Spotify features also end up increasing the CPU usage, such as equalizer and crossfade. So, you need to disable them to check if they’re the reason behind the high CPU usage issue.

• Go to Settings.
• Scroll down to Playback.
• Disable both Crossfade and Equalizer from here.

  

In some cases, Spotify can start using a lot of CPU resources if its files have become corrupt or if there’s a temporary bug or glitch in the application. In most cases, the issue can be fixed by repairing the application.

• Type ‘Apps and features’ in the Windows Search Bar and click on the first option that appears.
• Find Spotify.
• Click on it, and then click on Advanced options.

  

• Scroll down and click on Repair.

  

If repairing the application has not done anything, the files may be beyond repair. In such a case, your only option is to delete the application and install it again.

Finally, if nothing seems to work, your last resort is to subscribe to Spotify premium. This is because, on the free version, you’ll see a lot of advertisements while listening to music. These advertisements can affect the performance, but you can become a premium member to make them go away.