Hello, I got this Spotify error recently and it's so annoying. I tried to reinstall Spotify from my computer because it had a problem, however, when I try to reinstall it says: "The installer is unable to install Spotify because the files to be written are in use by another process.
There are times when you are having issues with Spotify and cannot resolve them, you will need to reinstall the app to see if it helps resolve the issues. But some Spotify users report that they are suffering from the error code 18 issue and cannot install the Spotify app on their computer. What exactly does Spotify error code 18 mean? This is an issue: When you try to reinstall the Spotify app, the system detects that another Spotify task is running in the background and the installer cannot rewrite the app without closing it.
In the next parts, we will fix Spotify error code 18 problem with several possible solutions and a bonus tip to help you avoid any problems with Spotify in the future.
Solutions to Spotify Error Code 18 Problem
In this part, I will show you some of the best solutions that can help you fix Spotify error code 18.
Complete Spotify task
One of the causes of error code 18 is that the Spotify client is still running on your computer when you try to reinstall it. The easiest way is to kill all Spotify-related clients in Windows Task Manager.
Step 1 : Open Task Manager on your computer, you can find it by right-clicking on the bottom taskbar. Next, go to the Processes tab.
2nd step : Scroll down to check all Spotify related tasks. Right-click it and click End Task.
Step 3: Close the Task Manager and launch the Spotify installer.
Clear Spotify app data
Deleting Spotify app data can sometimes fix the error code 18 issue. Here's how to delete app data on your computer.
Step 1 : Press Windows+R to open the RUN dialog box on your computer.
2nd step : In the opening bar, type %appdata%, then click OK.
Step 3: Find the Spotify folder and delete it.
Step 4: Run the Spotify installer.
Clean temporary files
You can use System Cleanup on your computer to remove temporary files left behind by the uninstalled application. Removing the leftovers from Spotify can help fix the error code 18 issue.
Step 1. Go to Settings, you can find it on Start. Then click on System.
2nd step. Under System, click Storage. Then click on Temporary Files.
Step 3. Your computer will start scanning temporary files. When finished, check the files you want to delete and click Delete Files.
Step 4. Launch the Spotify installer.
Close the Steam client
Both Spotify and Steam use the same method to prevent hackers from accessing their platforms. When you have your Steam open, the Spotify installer may confuse the Steam client with Spotify, and that's where the error is coming from. To ensure the Steam client is closed:
1. Go to the notification area and check if the Steam icon is there. If so, shut up.
2. Open Task Manager and end all Steam-related tasks.
3. Run the Spotify installer.
Tip to Avoid Spotify Installer Error Code 18
The above methods can be helpful in resolving Spotify error code 18, but there will always be other problems in the future and you will have to resort to other solutions to resolve them. Is there a way to avoid Spotify issues and get an uninterrupted listening experience when listening to Spotify?
Yes with Spotify Music Converter , you can directly download any content from Spotify and then play it with any media player on your computer. All songs can be accessed without the Spotify app, so you won't have any more problems with Spotify.
Spotify Music Converter is designed to convert Spotify audio files to 6 different formats such as MP3, AAC, M4A, M4B, WAV, and FLAC. Almost 100% of the original song quality will be retained after the conversion process. With 5x faster speed, it only takes seconds to download each song from Spotify.
Main Features of Spotify Music Converter
- Convert and download Spotify songs to MP3 and other formats.
- Download any Spotify content at 5X faster speed
- Listen to Spotify songs offline sans Premium
- Fix Spotify Error Code 18 Permanently
- Backup Spotify with original audio quality and ID3 tags
1. Launch Spotify Music Converter and import songs from Spotify.
Open Spotify Music Converter and Spotify will be launched simultaneously. Then drag and drop tracks from Spotify into Spotify Music Converter interface.
2. Configure output settings
After adding music tracks from Spotify to Spotify Music Converter, you can choose the output audio format. There are six options: MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV and FLAC. You can then adjust the audio quality by selecting the output channel, bit rate and sample rate.
3. Start the conversion
After all settings are completed, click "Convert" button to start loading Spotify music tracks. After conversion, all files will be saved in the folder you specified. You can browse all converted songs by clicking “Converted” and navigating to the output folder.
Conclusion
Now you can listen to downloaded Spotify songs on your computer without the app, and thus you will no longer face the Spotify error code 18 problem. Now you can listen to songs and do everything else on your computer without being bothered by Spotify.