Fix Spotify Error 30: Firewall May Be Blocking Spotify (2025)

Updated: 11/29/2025

You hit play on Spotify desktop, your playlists load, but nothing actually streams and a message appears saying the firewall may be blocking Spotify or showing Error Code 30. The same account might work perfectly on your phone on the same WiFi which makes the desktop error even more frustrating. Error 30 almost always means something on your computer, usually a firewall, VPN, or network filter, is interfering with Spotify’s connection to its servers.

The fix is rarely reinstalling Windows or changing accounts. By checking Spotify’s offline mode, repairing the host and proxy settings, and creating clean firewall rules you can usually get music flowing again in a few minutes on both Windows and macOS.

Table of Contents

Method 1: Disable Offline Mode And Incorrect Proxy Settings

In the Spotify app click your profile picture in the top right, choose Settings, scroll down to Proxy Settings. Set the option to No proxy or Auto detect proxy settings unless your workplace has given you a specific proxy address. Click Apply or restart the app so Spotify uses the new connection settings.

Step 3: Test With A Different Network

If possible connect your laptop to a different WiFi or create a hotspot from your phone and try to play a track, if Error 30 disappears on the new network then your home router or ISP filtering is the likely cause and you should combine these steps with the firewall configuration below.

Method 2: Allow Spotify Through Windows And Mac Firewalls

If you do not see Spotify in the list click Allow another app, then Browse, navigate to the Spotify installation folder, usually inside your user AppData or Program Files folder, and select Spotify.exe. Add it, ensure both network types are checked, then click OK and restart Spotify.

Warning: If you use a third party security suite like Norton, Kaspersky, or Bitdefender you must also open its firewall settings and add Spotify as an allowed program there, otherwise the built in Windows firewall changes alone will not be enough.

Step 3: Allow Spotify On macOS Firewall

On a Mac open System Settings or System Preferences, go to Security and Privacy > Firewall then click Firewall Options. If the firewall is on make sure Spotify is listed and set to Allow incoming connections, if it is not listed click the plus icon, add Spotify from the Applications folder, and confirm.

Method 3: Fix Hosts File And DNS When Error 30 Persists

Press Win + X and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin), then enter the following command to flush old DNS records and press Enter

ipconfig /flushdns

Wait for the confirmation message, then close the window and restart Spotify to test streaming again.

Step 2: Check Hosts File For Blocked Spotify Domains

Open Notepad as Administrator, then use File > Open and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, change the file filter to show all files and open hosts. Look for any lines that mention spotify or spotilocal, if you see them and you did not add them on purpose place a hash sign at the beginning of each of those lines to comment them out, save the file, and restart your computer.

Step 3: Change DNS To A Public Resolver

If you still cannot connect set your network adapter to use a reliable DNS such as Google DNS, on Windows open Network and Internet Settings, choose your active adapter, click Edit under DNS settings and switch to Manual, set IPv4 to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, save, then retest Spotify. On macOS open Network in System Settings, choose your connection, click Details, go to DNS, and add the same addresses before applying changes.