How to Watch a Music Video on Spotify

An easy-to-follow guide on watching music videos on Spotify

Last Updated: June 2, 2022

Although Spotify once planned to incorporate TV-type shows and music videos into their app, the service has since switched back to its focus on audio.^{[1]
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Research source} Despite the change, you'll still find some exclusive videos hiding in Spotify's most popular curated playlists, such as RapCaviar, Today's Pop Hits, and Viva Latino. You can also enable the Canvas feature (which is typically on by default) on your phone or tablet, which loops artist-designed video clips while certain songs play. This wikiHow teaches you how to track down exclusive videos on Spotify playlists, and how to make sure Canvas is enabled.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Spotify Curated Playlists

1
Open Spotify on your computer, phone, or tablet. It's the round green icon containing three curved black lines. If you're using a computer, you'll find it in the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
2
Select Search (Mobile) or Browse (PC/Mac). Search is at the bottom-center part of the screen on your phone or tablet, and Browse is near the top-left corner.

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3
Select a genre. Playlists that include videos are typically found in Spotify's more popular genres, including Pop, Hip-Hop, Country, and Latin. You may find playlists with videos in other genres.
- If you're looking for a particular video from an artist you've heard has an exclusive Spotify release, select that artist's genre. If you're not sure where to look, Pop is usually a good starting point.^{[2]
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4
Select a playlist. You'll usually find a few videos in Spotify's more popular playlists, including:^{[3]
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- Pop: Today's Top Hits
- Latin: Viva Latino
- Hip-Hop: RapCaviar
- Country: Hot Country and New Boots
5
Click or tap a video. If you're using the mobile app, videos in playlists automatically play short preview animations of their content. Tap one of those animations to start watching. If you're on a computer, look at each track's corresponding icon on its left side—if you see a music note, it's an audio track. If you see a square with a sideways triangle inside, it's a video.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Enabling Canvas Video Clips

1
Open Spotify on your phone or tablet. If you're using the Spotify mobile app, you can choose to see short looping video clips that play during certain songs. You'll find Spotify's green icon with three curved black lines on the home screen or in the app drawer.
- Canvas videos are enabled by default. If you play a song that has a Canvas video, the video will play automatically unless you've turned off this feature or enabled Spotify's Data Saver.
- Not all songs have Canvas videos, and there's no way to search for Canvas videos in the app. To test out Canvas, try playing Beyonce's "Hold Up" from her album Lemonade. Tap the song once it starts playing to expand it full-screen. If you see an angry Beyonce walking down the street, Canvas videos are already enabled.
2
Tap the Home icon. It's the house at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3
Tap the gear icon. It's at the top-right corner of the screen.
4
Tap Data Saver. It's near the top of the menu.
5
Slide the Data Saver switch to Off
. If Data Saver is on, Canvas videos will not play. If the switch is set to the On (green) position, tap it to turn it off. If the switch is already off, there's no need to make any changes.
- Tap the back button to return to the Settings screen when you are finished.
6
Tap Playback. It's near the top of the Settings menu.
7
Slide the Canvas switch to On
. As long as this switch is green, Canvas videos will play automatically whenever available.