How to shuffle on Spotify

Learning how to shuffle your songs and playlists on the platform is incredibly useful when you don’t want to listen to music in the same order over and over again. It allows you to decontextualize your listening experience in a way that allows you to listen to something, even if you don’t know what you want to listen to. Let’s go over how to shuffle on Spotify.

How to shuffle songs on the Spotify mobile app

To shuffle on the mobile Spotify application, you must be a Spotify Premium subscriber. If you’re curious about the cost, check out our article on how much Spotify Premium costs, but pricing starts at $11 monthly.

1. Start playing music on the Spotify app.
2. Tap on the Now Playing bar. It will show up as a section at the bottom of the screen.
3. In the media controls, press the shuffle button. It’s represented by two interwoven arrows. The shuffle button is typically located on the opposite side of the Spotify repeat button.

Shuffle options on the Spotify mobile app

• To activate the shuffle function, press the shuffle button once. Subsequent songs will begin playing randomly.
• To activate the smart shuffle function, press the shuffle button again. This option will play recommendations, that match your current mood, randomly.
• To deactivate the shuffle function, press the shuffle button one more time.

How to shuffle songs on Spotify on desktop

Now, if you’re using the Spotify website or desktop app, any user can shuffle songs, even ones without a Spotify Premium subscription. Here’s how.

1. Go to the Spotify website or launch the desktop app. Sign in if needed.
2. Play a song.
3. Look for the shuffle button in the media controls at the bottom. The shuffle button typically looks like two interwoven arrows.
4. Click on the shuffle button. You can click on it multiple times to cycle between shuffle, smart shuffle, or turn off shuffle.

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