To make a Spotify URL open in the Spotify app instead of in a web browser, you need to ensure that the URL is formatted correctly for the Spotify protocol (spotify:). This will tell the operating system to open the Spotify app directly. Here’s how to do that:
1. Use the spotify: Protocol
Spotify uses a special URL format that triggers the Spotify app. For example, the Spotify link for a track would look like this:
spotify:track:<track_id>spotify:album:<album_id>spotify:playlist:<playlist_id>
If you have a standard web URL from Spotify, like:
https://open.spotify.com/track/<track_id>https://open.spotify.com/album/<album_id>
You can convert it to the spotify: URL format:
spotify:track:<track_id>spotify:album:<album_id>
This type of URL will automatically open the Spotify app if it’s installed on your system.
2. Open URL in Spotify App Programmatically
If you’re working with a website, desktop app, or a custom script and want to force the link to open in the Spotify app, use the spotify: protocol in a hyperlink:
<a href="spotify:track:<track_id>">Listen in Spotify</a>
For example, for a track URL like https://open.spotify.com/track/5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV, you would convert it to:
<a href="spotify:track:5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV">Open Track in Spotify App</a>
This will attempt to open the Spotify app when clicked, if it’s installed.
3. On Mobile Devices (iOS/Android)
On mobile devices, if you use the spotify: link (and the Spotify app is installed), it will automatically prompt the user to open the Spotify app instead of a browser. This works for:
- Tracks
- Albums
- Playlists
- Artists
Example:
<a href="spotify:track:5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV">Listen in Spotify</a>
When the user clicks on this link, the Spotify app should open directly.
4. Opening a Spotify App from a Web Link on Desktop
On a desktop, if the user has the Spotify app installed and they click on a spotify: link, it should open the app by default. If it doesn’t, you may need to set Spotify as the default handler for the spotify: protocol in your operating system’s settings.
- Windows: Ensure Spotify is set as the default app for
spotify:links. - Mac: This should automatically work, but make sure Spotify is set to handle these links in your default apps settings.
5. Using JavaScript to Trigger Spotify App on Web
If you’re creating a web page and want to ensure that clicking a Spotify URL opens the app instead of the browser, you can use JavaScript to manipulate the behavior. For instance, you can force the use of spotify: protocol by handling click events:
document.getElementById('spotify-link').addEventListener('click', function(event) {
event.preventDefault();
window.location.href = 'spotify:track:5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV'; // replace with your link
});
This script ensures that the link opens directly in the Spotify app.
6. Spotify App Not Installed?
If the Spotify app is not installed, the spotify: link will not work. In this case, it’s a good idea to provide a fallback URL using the normal web link (https://open.spotify.com/...). For example:
<a href="spotify:track:5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV" onerror="window.location='https://open.spotify.com/track/5K4sR9mOL2vEXc5kMEIWmV';">
Open in Spotify
</a>
This attempts to open the Spotify app, and if it fails (because Spotify is not installed), it falls back to the web version of the track.