What Lyrics Plus does and why you need Spicetify first
Lyrics Plus is an extension that displays song lyrics directly in Spotify while you listen. It shows the words in real time, synced to the music, so you can follow along or learn the lyrics as the song plays. The catch: Spotify doesn't officially allow this feature, so you need Spicetify — a tool that modifies Spotify's desktop app to accept custom extensions like Lyrics Plus.
Spicetify acts as a middleman between you and Spotify's code. It lets you add features Spotify hasn't built in, including themes, custom colors, and extensions. Lyrics Plus is one of the most popular extensions because it solves something many people want: lyrics you can actually read while listening.
This process works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You'll need the Spotify desktop app (not the web player), and you'll need to download two separate tools. The whole setup takes about 10 to 15 minutes if you follow the steps in order.
Key Takeaways
- Lyrics Plus requires Spicetify to work, so you must install Spicetify on your computer before you can add Lyrics Plus.
- You need the Spotify desktop app installed — the web player will not work with Spicetify or Lyrics Plus.
- Download Spicetify from the official GitHub repository, run the installer, and let it modify your Spotify installation.
- After Spicetify is running, add Lyrics Plus through Spicetify's extension menu, then restart Spotify to see the lyrics display.
- If lyrics don't appear, check that both Spicetify and Spotify are fully updated, and that you restarted Spotify after enabling the extension.
Step 1: Download and install Spicetify
Go to github.com/spicetify/spicetify-cli in your web browser. This is the official Spicetify repository where the tool is hosted and updated. On the right side of the page, look for a section labeled "Releases" — click on it to see the available downloads.
Find the version that matches your operating system. If you use Windows, download the file ending in -windows-x86.zip. Mac users should download the file ending in -darwin.zip (for Intel Macs) or -darwin-arm64.zip (for Apple Silicon Macs). Linux users download the file ending in -linux-x86.tar.gz. Download the file to your computer — it will go to your Downloads folder by default.
Extract (unzip) the file. On Windows, right-click the .zip file and select "Extract All," then choose where to save it — your Documents folder or Desktop works fine. On Mac, double-click the .zip file and it will extract automatically. On Linux, open a terminal in your Downloads folder and run tar -xzf spicetify-*-linux-x86.tar.gz (replace the * with the actual version number).
Step 2: Run the Spicetify installer
On Windows, open the folder you extracted and double-click install.bat. A command window will open and run through several steps — this is normal. Let it finish completely; do not close the window until you see a message saying the installation is complete. This process adds Spicetify to your computer so you can run it from anywhere.
On Mac, open the extracted folder, right-click install.sh, and select "Open." A security dialog may appear asking if you trust this file — click "Open" to proceed. A terminal window will open and run the installer. On Linux, open a terminal in the extracted folder and run ./install.sh.
After installation finishes, close the terminal or command window. Spicetify is now installed on your computer, but it hasn't modified Spotify yet — that happens in the next step.
Step 3: Close Spotify completely and run Spicetify
Before you proceed, make sure Spotify is completely closed. Check your system tray (bottom right on Windows, top right on Mac) and close Spotify if it's running there. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, search for "Spotify," and close any Spotify processes you find. On Mac, open Activity Monitor, search for Spotify, select it, and click the X button to force quit.
Now open a command prompt or terminal. On Windows, press the Windows key, type cmd, and press Enter. On Mac, press Command+Space, type terminal, and press Enter. On Linux, open your terminal application. Type spicetify backup apply and press Enter. This command tells Spicetify to back up your Spotify installation and then apply its modifications. The process takes a minute or two.
When it finishes, you'll see a message confirming the backup and modification are complete. Do not open Spotify yet — you need to add Lyrics Plus first.
Step 4: Add Lyrics Plus through Spicetify
In the same terminal or command prompt, type spicetify config extensions lyrics-plus and press Enter. This tells Spicetify to enable the Lyrics Plus extension. If you want to add other extensions at the same time, you can list them separated by spaces — for example, spicetify config extensions lyrics-plus adblock — but Lyrics Plus is the one you need right now.
After you press Enter, type spicetify apply and press Enter. This command applies the extension to Spotify. You'll see a message confirming the changes. Now you can close the terminal or command prompt.
Step 5: Open Spotify and verify Lyrics Plus is working
Open Spotify normally. Play any song. Look for a lyrics icon or button — on most Spotify layouts, this appears on the right side of the player or in the now-playing bar. Click it, and the lyrics should appear in a panel showing the words synced to the music. The current line is usually highlighted so you can follow along.
If you don't see lyrics appearing, the most common reason is that the song doesn't have lyrics available in Spotify's database. Try a popular song like "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd or "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran — these almost always have lyrics. If those songs still don't show lyrics, close Spotify completely and open it again. Sometimes Spotify needs a full restart to load the extension properly.
If lyrics still don't appear after a restart, open your terminal again and type spicetify status to check whether Spicetify is running correctly. The output should show that Spicetify is applied and Lyrics Plus is enabled. If something looks wrong, try running spicetify apply again.
Troubleshooting common problems
If Spotify won't open after running Spicetify, the modification may have gone wrong. Open your terminal and type spicetify restore to undo the changes and return Spotify to normal. Then try the process again, making sure Spotify was completely closed before you ran the installer.
If Lyrics Plus is enabled but lyrics never appear, check that your Spotify app is up to date. Open Spotify, go to Settings (the gear icon), scroll down, and look for an option to check for updates or restart the app. Spicetify sometimes needs to be reapplied after Spotify updates. Close Spotify, open your terminal, and run spicetify apply again.
If you see an error message about permissions when running the installer, you may need to run the terminal as administrator. On Windows, right-click cmd.exe and select "Run as administrator." On Mac, you may need to enter your password when prompted. On Linux, you may need to use sudo ./install.sh instead of ./install.sh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will using Spicetify get my Spotify account banned?
Spotify's terms of service technically prohibit modifications, but Spicetify has been used by hundreds of thousands of people for years without widespread account bans. Spicetify modifies only your local copy of the app, not Spotify's servers, which makes detection unlikely. That said, there is always some risk when modifying software — use it at your own discretion.
Do I need to reinstall Lyrics Plus every time I update Spotify?
Sometimes. When Spotify updates, it may overwrite Spicetify's modifications. If Lyrics Plus stops working after a Spotify update, close Spotify, open your terminal, and run spicetify apply again. This reapplies the extension without needing to reinstall anything.
Can I use Lyrics Plus on the Spotify web player or mobile app?
No. Lyrics Plus only works with the Spotify desktop app on Windows, Mac, or Linux. The web player and mobile apps cannot be modified with Spicetify. Spotify's official lyrics feature is available on mobile and web, but it works differently and doesn't sync as smoothly.
What if a song has no lyrics available?
Lyrics Plus can only display lyrics that Spotify has in its database. If a song is very new, very obscure, or not yet added to Spotify's lyrics library, Lyrics Plus won't show anything. Try a different song to confirm the extension is working, then come back to that song later — Spotify adds lyrics over time.
Can I remove Lyrics Plus without uninstalling Spicetify?
Yes. Open your terminal and type spicetify config extensions (with no extension names after it) and press Enter. Then type spicetify apply. This removes all extensions while keeping Spicetify installed. You can add extensions back anytime by repeating the process.