How to customize Spotify with Spicetify (2024)

Spotify has been one of the most popular multiplatform music streaming apps for some time now. Launched way back in 2008, the app allows users to play their favorite music both offline and online, search for new music, listen to podcasts, and more. The app, which is available on almost all major platforms, has been continuously improved upon by the developers through new features, like AI-generated playlists, that add to the user experience.

What's more, you can even customize and alter the appearance of the Spotify desktop app by changing its themes, colors, and more. You can do so using Spicetify, an open-source tool that lets you customize the music streaming app to your heart's content, and here is how you can install and use it.

What is Spicetify?

Spicetify is a tool that lets you customize the Spotify desktop app using the Spicetify Marketplace in Spotify or through the command line interface. It is completely open-source and lets you install custom extensions and apps in Spotify, change the theme and colors, and even more.

Initially, Spicetify was a command line tool, but it is now built into the Spotify app and you only need to use the command line to install and update it. Any customizations can be done directly through the Marketplace.

Installing Spicetify and its Marketplace

Spicetify is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, but here we'll be explaining how you can install the tool on Windows. Before you begin, close the Spotify app if it is running, then follow these steps.

1. Open the Start menu, type powershell , and click on the 'Run As Administrator' option.

2. When the Powershell window appears, paste iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/spicetify/spicetify-cli/master/install.ps1 | iex and press the 'Enter' key.

3. A warning will appear stating that running the script as an administrator is not recommended. Press 'N' to continue the Spicetify installation.

4. Now, you will get a prompt asking whether you want to install the Spicetify Marketplace. Press 'Y' to proceed and the Spicetify Marketplace will be installed.

5. Once the process is completed, you can view the available commands by typing spicetify -h and pressing the 'Enter' key.

6. If you choose not to install the Spicetify Marketplace, you can use the spicetify backupapplyenable-devtools command to take a backup of the tool. Otherwise, a backup will automatically be created. Now, you can start customizing Spotify.

Customizing Spotify Using Spicetify

While you can customize Spotify by creating your own color scheme or using one created by someone else, an easier way is to use the Spicetify Marketplace, which offers themes, extensions, snippets, and more.

1. When you install the Spicetify Marketplace by following the above steps, it will automatically launch Spotify and you will see the Marketplace option in the top left. Click on it to open it.

2. The Marketplace lists all the extensions, themes, snippets, and apps you can install to customize the music streaming app as per your preferences. Click on the 'Extensions' tab to get started.

Extensions

Extensions let you expand Spotify's functionality by adding new features that help improve the user experience and make it more enjoyable. They can add functions like customizable shortcuts, bookmarks, and more to the app, making it easier to use.

1. For instance, the Beautiful Lyrics extension adds synced lyrics with a dynamic background to your music. You can click on it to learn more about it.

2. Or hover your mouse cursor over it and click on the 'Install' button that appears to install the extension.

Themes

Themes allow you to change the look and feel of the Spotify app, and the Spicetify Marketplace offers numerous options you can choose from.

1. Click on the 'Themes' tab at the top to view the available themes.

2. Again, click on the 'Install' button that appears after you hover the cursor over any theme you like. Similarly, you can click on the 'Delete' button that appears when you hover the cursor over installed themes to remove an installed theme.

3. Some themes even let you customize certain elements, like the colors while retaining their overall visual style. To view and change the colors, click on the drop-down menu on the top and click on a different option.

4. In certain cases, you may even be able to change things like the player view, sidebar, fonts, and more, depending on what the selected theme offers.

Snippets

Snippets are short feeds that provide information to users about an artist and their music, helping you decide whether the music is to your liking. You can also customize snippets using the Spicetify Marketplace.

1. Click on the 'Snippets' tab at the top and then hover your mouse cursor over the snippet you like.

2. Click on the 'Install' button that appears to install the snippet.

Apps

Finally, there are apps, which are similar to extensions in the sense that they also extend Spotify's functionality. However, unlike extensions and themes, you can only install apps through GitHub.

1. After switching to the 'Apps' tab at the top, hover the cursor over an app you want to install and click on the 'GitHub' icon that appears.

2. When you do so, it will open the GitHub page. Now, in the Powershell window, type spicetify config-dir and press the 'Enter' key.

3. Running the command will open the Spicetify folder. Navigate to the 'CustomApps' folder and open it.

4. Create a folder with the name of the app you want to install. For instance, to install the 'Better Local Files' app, create a folder named 'better-local-files'.

5. Download the custom app files from the GitHub page that opened earlier by clicking on the provided link.

6. Once the zipped folder is downloaded, extract it and copy the contents to the app folder you created earlier.

7. Go back to the Powershell window and type the following command: spicetify config custom_apps better-local-files before pressing the 'Enter' key. Follow this with a second command: spicetify apply and press Enter again.

8. Spotify will close and you will have to relaunch it. When you do, you can see that the app has been installed and will appear on the left.

Spicetify lets you customize the Spotify desktop app using extensions, themes, snippets, and apps easily. You can not only change the appearance of the app but also make it more useful by expanding the things it allows you to do. While we've explained how you can use the Spicetify tool and its Marketplace on Windows, you can also use the tool on macOS and Linux platforms.

Just make sure to create a backup as explained above before making any changes, so you can restore the default settings in case you run into any issues.