How to Add Your Own Music to Spotify: The Complete Guide

Have you ever found a rare mixtape, an unreleased demo, or a local band’s hidden gem that isn’t on Spotify, and wished you could stream it right alongside your favorite mainstream tracks?

You can. While Spotify’s massive library contains over 100 million songs, its Local Files feature allows you to bridge the gap by uploading your own audio files and streaming them across your devices.

Whether you’re an independent artist testing out a new track or a super-fan with a vault of hard-to-find MP3s, here is the complete, step-by-step guide to adding your own music to Spotify.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Before diving in, keep these prerequisites in mind:

• A Spotify Premium Subscription: Local file syncing requires a Premium account.
• A Desktop Computer: You must use the Spotify desktop app (Windows or Mac) to import and sync the files initially.
• Compatible Audio Formats: Spotify supports MP3, M4P, and MP4 files. (Note: Apple Lossless / ALAC files are not supported, and DRM-protected files purchased from certain old storefronts won’t play).

Step 1: Prepare and Organize Your Audio Files

Spotify relies heavily on metadata (artist name, album art, track title) to display your music correctly. Before importing, it’s best to clean up your files:

1. Tag your files: Make sure the ID3 tags (artist, album, track number) are filled out properly using a tag editor like Mp3tag or iTunes/Music app.
2. Create a dedicated folder: On your computer, create a new folder named something like Spotify Local Music and place all your audio files inside. Keeping them in one permanent spot prevents broken links later.

Step 2: Import Files into the Spotify Desktop App

Once your files are organized, tell Spotify where to find them:

1. Open the Spotify desktop app and click on your Profile picture in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Scroll down until you see the Local Files section.
4. Toggle Show audio files from this folder to ON.
5. Click Add a source and select the folder where you stored your music in Step 1.

Your music is now imported! To view it:

• Go to your Library (or search for “Local Files” in your search bar).
• You will see a playlist titled Local Files containing all your imported tracks.

Step 3: Add the Music to a Playlist

You can’t stream local files on your phone straight from the “Local Files” folder unless they are organized:

1. Inside your Local Files view, find the song(s) you want to listen to.
2. Click the three dots (…) next to the track.
3. Select Add to playlist and either create a New Playlist (