{"id":"mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac","category":{"id":"mac-storage-basics","title":"Mac storage basics"},"subcategory":{"id":"caches-temp-logs","title":"Caches, logs and temporary files"},"question":"How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space?","alt_questions":["spotify cache mac huge","spotify offline storage mac","clear spotify cache macbook","music streaming app taking space mac","spotify storage location mac"],"short_answer":"Use the app's own Storage settings: clear its cache, and turn off downloads you no longer need offline. Some apps let you choose another location for offline files.","answer_markdown":"Streaming apps keep two kinds of data: a **cache** of recently played content and **downloads** you saved for offline listening. In Spotify, the **Storage** section of its settings shows both and has a button to clear the cache; removing downloads is done by turning off download on the playlists or albums.\n\nSome apps let you move their offline storage to another location from the same settings screen, which is the cleanest way to put it on an external drive.\n\nChat, music and meeting apps are among the usual suspects Storage Studio's What's Using Space checks by name.","answer_html":"<p>Streaming apps keep two kinds of data: a <strong>cache</strong> of recently played content and <strong>downloads</strong> you saved for offline listening. In Spotify, the <strong>Storage</strong> section of its settings shows both and has a button to clear the cache; removing downloads is done by turning off download on the playlists or albums.</p>\n<p>Some apps let you move their offline storage to another location from the same settings screen, which is the cleanest way to put it on an external drive.</p>\n<p>Chat, music and meeting apps are among the usual suspects Storage Studio&#39;s What&#39;s Using Space checks by name.</p>","answer_text":"Streaming apps keep two kinds of data: a cache of recently played content and downloads you saved for offline listening. In Spotify, the Storage section of its settings shows both and has a button to clear the cache; removing downloads is done by turning off download on the playlists or albums.\n\nSome apps let you move their offline storage to another location from the same settings screen, which is the cleanest way to put it on an external drive.\n\nChat, music and meeting apps are among the usual suspects Storage Studio's What's Using Space checks by name.","tags":["spotify","caches","streaming"],"related":[{"id":"mac-storage-basics.is-it-safe-to-delete-caches-on-a-mac","question":"Is it safe to delete cache files on a Mac?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/is-it-safe-to-delete-caches-on-a-mac"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Use the app's own Storage settings: clear its cache, and turn off downloads you no longer need offline. Some apps let you choose another location for offline files.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Mac storage basics","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/"},{"name":"How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space?","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space?","alternateName":["spotify cache mac huge","spotify offline storage mac","clear spotify cache macbook","music streaming app taking space mac","spotify storage location mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Streaming apps keep two kinds of data: a cache of recently played content and downloads you saved for offline listening. In Spotify, the Storage section of its settings shows both and has a button to clear the cache; removing downloads is done by turning off download on the playlists or albums.\n\nSome apps let you move their offline storage to another location from the same settings screen, which is the cleanest way to put it on an external drive.\n\nChat, music and meeting apps are among the usual suspects Storage Studio's What's Using Space checks by name.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac"}}]},"fragment":"<div class=\"wrap fl-wrap\"><div class=\"fl-layout\"><aside class=\"fl-side\" aria-label=\"FAQ topics\"><details open><summary>All topics</summary><ul class=\"fl-tree\"><li><a href=\"/faq/getting-started/\">Getting started</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/freeing-space/\">Freeing up space</a> <span>182</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\">Moving folders</a> <span>144</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/apps/\">Apps</a> <span>146</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/external-drives/\">External drives</a> <span>169</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/finder-location/\">Finding things in Finder</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/cloud-accounts/\">Cloud accounts</a> <span>158</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/icloud/\">iCloud &amp; iCloud Photos</a> <span>168</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/data-transfers/\">Data Transfers</a> <span>119</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/backups/\">Backups &amp; restore points</a> <span>126</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/delta-drive/\">Delta Drive, Delta Trust &amp; My Drive</a> <span>125</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/bridge-devices/\">Bridge &amp; your devices</a> <span>111</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\">Duplicate files</a> <span>74</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/junk-yard/\">Junk Yard</a> <span>113</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/tuhi-assistant/\">Tuhi, your storage assistant</a> <span>105</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/settings/\">Settings &amp; keep-time</a> <span>88</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/performance-battery/\">Performance &amp; battery</a> <span>62</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/privacy-safety/\">Privacy &amp; safety</a> <span>85</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/licensing-payments/\">Licensing &amp; payments</a> <span>131</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a> <span>180</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/comparisons/\">Comparisons &amp; alternatives</a> <span>75</span></li><li class=\"fl-open\"><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\" aria-current=\"true\">Mac storage basics</a> <span>315</span><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#storage-overview\">Checking your storage</a> <span>18</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#system-data\">System Data and the storage categories</a> <span>11</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#purgeable-snapshots\">Purgeable space and local snapshots</a> <span>9</span></li><li class=\"fl-on\"><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#caches-temp-logs\">Caches, logs and temporary files</a> <span>19</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#finding-big-files\">Finding big files, Downloads and the Trash</a> <span>26</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#photos-music-video\">Photos, music and video</a> <span>27</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#mail-messages\">Mail, Messages and chat apps</a> <span>14</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#iphone-backups\">iPhone and iPad backups and updates</a> <span>12</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#developer-space\">Developer tools</a> <span>22</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#apps-macos\">Apps and macOS itself</a> <span>20</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#disks-formats\">Disks, APFS and formats</a> <span>24</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#external-storage\">External storage and adding space</a> <span>13</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#memory-performance\">Memory, swap and speed</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#full-disk\">When the disk is full</a> <span>8</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#erase-security\">Erasing, encryption and selling a Mac</a> <span>6</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#time-machine\">Time Machine basics</a> <span>18</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#finder-tools\">Finder tools for finding space</a> <span>10</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#library-folders\">Library folders explained</a> <span>6</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#browsers-everyday-apps\">Browsers and everyday apps</a> <span>10</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#creative-media\">Creative and media apps</a> <span>7</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#games-virtual-machines\">Games and virtual machines</a> <span>5</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#dev-languages\">Programming languages and toolchains</a> <span>12</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#updates-installers\">macOS updates and installers</a> <span>5</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#accounts-system-extras\">User accounts, voices and system extras</a> <span>4</span></li></ul></li></ul></details></aside><div class=\"fl-main\"><nav class=\"fl-crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><ol><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/\">FAQ</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\">Mac storage basics</a></li><li aria-current=\"page\">How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space?</li></ol></nav>\n<form class=\"fl-search\" action=\"/faq/search\" method=\"get\" role=\"search\" data-fl-search>\n<label class=\"fl-visually-hidden\" for=\"fl-q\">Search the FAQ</label>\n<input id=\"fl-q\" type=\"search\" name=\"q\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Search 2,816 questions…\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<button type=\"submit\">Search</button>\n<div class=\"fl-suggest\" role=\"listbox\" hidden></div>\n</form>\n<article class=\"fl-entry\">\n<p class=\"eyebrow fl-eyebrow\"><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\">Mac storage basics</a> · <a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/#caches-temp-logs\">Caches, logs and temporary files</a></p>\n<h1>How do I stop Spotify or other streaming apps using so much space?</h1>\n<p class=\"fl-short\"><strong>Short answer:</strong> Use the app&#39;s own Storage settings: clear its cache, and turn off downloads you no longer need offline. Some apps let you choose another location for offline files.</p>\n<div class=\"fl-answer\"><p>Streaming apps keep two kinds of data: a <strong>cache</strong> of recently played content and <strong>downloads</strong> you saved for offline listening. In Spotify, the <strong>Storage</strong> section of its settings shows both and has a button to clear the cache; removing downloads is done by turning off download on the playlists or albums.</p>\n<p>Some apps let you move their offline storage to another location from the same settings screen, which is the cleanest way to put it on an external drive.</p>\n<p>Chat, music and meeting apps are among the usual suspects Storage Studio&#39;s What&#39;s Using Space checks by name.</p></div>\n\n<p class=\"fl-meta\">Last reviewed <time datetime=\"2026-10-01\">October 1, 2026</time></p>\n\n<section class=\"fl-related\"><h2>Related questions</h2><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/is-it-safe-to-delete-caches-on-a-mac\">Is it safe to delete cache files on a Mac?</a></li></ul></section>\n<p class=\"fl-formats\">Also available as <a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac.md\">Markdown</a> and <a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clear-spotify-cache-on-a-mac.json\">JSON</a>.</p>\n</article></div></div></div>"}