Block Spotify’s p2p network with Windows Firewall

If you’re like me and like to enjoy music without lagging, this article is for you.

Spotify uses p2p networks to distribute its music via the desktop client.  Mobile and web clients do not do this.

Regardless, ISPs are becoming more like nazis and are throttling people who use p2p networks, you can avoid this issue by setting up next generation firewalls, this can also help with cybersecurity.  Another issue is upload rate.  I have a very low upload, and if it is utilized my ping goes to hell.  I would rather not upload to listen to music.

I am a Spotify premium subscriber.  I would hope that a paying customer would be an incentive to make p2p optional, but Spotify does not see it that way.

This article is for Windows.  There are other open source Spotify clients such as despotify for unix-based systems.

To block Spotify p2p –

  1. Open up Windows Firewall in control panel
  2. Advanced Settings
  3. Inbound Rules
  4. Find the Spotify with UDP in its protocol column
  5. Double click it and say “block connection”
  6. Find the Spotify with TCP in its protocol column
  7. Double click it
  8. In Protocols and Ports, set Remote port to “Specific Ports”
    Enter 4070, 443, 80
  9. In Scope, set “These IP addresses
  10. Add 78.32.8.0/22
  11. Outbound Rules
  12. Create New Rule
  13. Program … (usually C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\spotify.exe)
  14. Repeat step 8-10

And you’re done.

Have fun listening to music without lagging.

6 thoughts on “Block Spotify’s p2p network with Windows Firewall

  1. Jakub

    Hi, thank you for your instructions, but I think it does not work on my computer 🙁 It is probably because I’m doing something wrong (and instructions are little unclear at some points), so here are few questions. Also I use Windows 8.1.

    1.When I am in inbound rules and editing TCP spotify rule. If I change remote port to specific, put port numbers there and hit apply, system warning pop up and tells me that I cannot use “defer to user” option in Edge Traversal. Dunno what is it but I changed it to “defer to application” and it works, but dont know if correctly. so what about it?

    2. When I set up scope, should I put that 78.32.8.0/22 address to both local and remote IP address or just to remote or just local?

    3. After I set up this outbound rule, should I block it or leave it allowed?

    I think that if I did everything correctly I would not be able to upload for other people, but I still do upload. When I checked open ports via currports program, I got plenty of them open as you can see on screenshot below.

    http://oi44.tinypic.com/2n8x936.jpg

    I hope you can help me, because Spotify is eating my internet like hell. Thank you 🙂

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  4. Fatih Uğur

    Hello,
    Thanks for the information but I am using a Mac. So is there any solution for Mac’s too?

  5. Blackhat

    Spotify connects directly to modem/router. Keep getting bombarbed by the friggin P2P network on a high speed 100/100mbits stable fibre optics line.

    Only firewall who REALLY blocks spotifys P2P are in my knowledge, OA and COMODO FW. But still spotify manages to connect directly, through all the friggin spotifyhelper.exe’s

    Can you please update this guide, as adresses and ports are updated by spotify. You dont need to allow neither 80 or 443, 4070 does the trick all the way :mrgreen:

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