Fix For Spotify Error Code 18: Unable To Install

Spotify is a great app (application) to listen to all your favorite music, which is really easy to install and use. However, installing it is not always as straightforward as it is because of error code 18, which sometimes can prevent users from downloading the app.

In this article, we will go through everything there is to know about this error including, of course, different ways to fix it.

What Happens When You Are Affected by Error 18?

Before we go through the different ways in which you could go about fixing this error, it is really important that we go through the different symptoms that would indicate that you are being affected by this error.

The reason why know this is so important is because, as we will see, this information will help you when deciding how to fix it.

 

There is an obvious way in which to recognize that you have been affected by this particular error is one the following message is displayed on your computer screen:

“Spotify Error Code 18”

However, there are other ways of knowing (or symptoms) that you have been affected by this error. You may just get the following message displaying on your screen:

“Error 18”

Whichever error message you get, your PC will crash or the app that you are attempting to use (in this case, Spotify) crashes soon after the message is displayed. More often than not this error will affect you when attempting to use or install the Spotify app.

There are other symptoms that are easy to identify as long as you know what they are. One such symptom could be that the Windows becomes way slow to respond to any input from your keyboard or your mouse. This is what some users would refer to as the computer “being slow”. But notice whether it is the computer being generally slow or if it is specifically that it has become slow or sluggish when you are trying to use your keyboard or your mouse.

Another important telltale sign that you are affected by error 18 is when your PC seems to freeze every so often but only for a few seconds each time.

So, when can error code 18 appear? Mostly, error 18 will arise when you are trying to install the Spotify app but this is not the only time. Sometimes the error could crop up when you are in the middle of using the Spotify app. Other times, it could even happen when you are starting up or shutting down the Spotify. There is also a chance that you would get this error when you are doing something that has nothing to do with the Spotify app. Some users have reported they get this error when installing the Windows Operating System.

You should try to notice where and when you are getting this error, as this is essential to figure out how to best fix the problem. So, if you can try to gather this information.

 

What Causes Spotify Error Code 18? 

The last thing that we want to cover before we go ahead and discuss the possible fixes for this error is what causes it.

Knowing what causes this error will not make it go away automatically but it will certainly help you to understand how you could fix it and it will also assist you in preventing for reoccurring in the future.

There are several possible reasons for this error. For example, this error could be caused by a corrupt download of the Spotify app or when the installation is not complete.

Also, quite often this error is caused by malware or a virus infecting some Windows system files or any program files that relate to Spotify.

It is also possible that the reason behind the error could be that installing or uninstalling Spotify has somehow corrupted Windows registry.

The final possible reason is less likely but it does happen. Believe it or not, a different program (even one that is not malicious) could have deleted some files that relate to Spotify.

Knowing this can help you narrow down the reason so you can troubleshoot the error more effectively.

How Do You Fix Spotify Error Code 18?

Depending on what the actual reason behind the error is you should try different ways of fixing this error. What follows is a tutorial on the most effective ways of fixing this error.

The first method would be repairing the registry entries following these steps:

1. Grab your Windows computer.
2. Click on the start button. This action will cause the search box to display.
3. Type the following text into the search box: command.
4. Press and hold down the CTRL and Shift keys simultaneously and press the enter key. This action will cause a dialog box to display.
5. Click on the yes option. This action will prompt a new dialog box to display.
6. Type the following text into the dialog box: regedit.
7. Press the enter key. This action will cause the registry editor to display.
8. Choose the Spotify key so you can back it up.
9. Select Export from the File menu.
10. Then, scroll through the save in list until you find the folder where you would like to save the Spotify key file.
11. Type in a name for the Spotify key. Of course, it is up to you what name you choose but we would suggest that you include the word back up in the name.
12. Once you have added the file name, you should choose the selected branch option in the export range box.
13. Click on the save button. This action will make the back up file be saved as a file extension (.reg).

A different possible solution would be to perform a full scan for malware and viruses because, as we saw in the previous section, very often this error is caused by malware.

If neither of those two methods works, you could try to clean your temporary files and folders. In order to do so, you should try the following steps:

1. Grab your computer.
2. Click on the start button.
3. This action will cause the search box to display.
4. Type the following text into the search box: command.
5. Press and hold down the CTRL and Shift keys simultaneously and press the enter key. This action will cause a dialog box to display.
6. Click on the yes option. This action will prompt a new dialog box to display.
7. Type the following text into the dialog box: cleanmgr.
8. Press the enter key. This action will prompt disk cleanup to start calculating the amount of space that you will be able to take back. You will need to be patient, as this process will take some time.
9. Once the available space has been calculated, you will see a disk cleanup dialog box on your screen, listing all the files you could clean up. You will probably notice that the temporary files are the ones occupying the most space. You can select the files you would like to clean up
10. Select the files to clean up.
11. Finally, click on the OK button.

Another option, if the ones we have presented so far, do not work for you, you could try to perform a system restore as long as you have access to the administrator password. Just go to the search box and enter: system restore, enter the password when prompted and follow the onscreen instructions.

If you still have not found something that would fix the error there are yet some things that could be attempted. One of them would be to uninstall the Spotify software and then install it again. You will need to do this by accessing the control panel.

If you have a Windows 7 or a Windows Vista computer, you will then need to access programs, then programs and features, where you will be able to locate the Spotify files and uninstall them following the onscreen instructions.

If you have a Windows XP, you will need to access add or remove programs from the control panel. Then, you will have to locate the Spotify files under currently installed programs and clicking on the remove button.

Finally, if you have a Windows 8 computer, you will need to go to the start menu and then right click in order to get to the start context menu. Next, you will need to click on programs and features where you will be able to find Spotify if you look in the name column. Finally, you will need to click on it and then click on the uninstall/change option from the menu located on the top of the screen and follow the onscreen instructions.

The final tip we have for you is to perform an update for all the Windows updates available. This is something you should do regularly, anyway. In fact, we would strongly suggest that you do this as soon as any updates become available. But if you have not done this in a while this would be a good time.

We hope we have helped you fix Spotify error code 18 – Unable to Install. If you have any feedback or would like to share any of your own tips for solving this problem, please leave us a message in the comments section below.