Spotify has finally launched Miniplayer for desktop users

Spotify has added a long-requested Miniplayer to its desktop app, giving you quick access to playback while freeing you up to focus on other things. The resizable floating window lets you control the sound, including changing tracks, selecting playlists, and adjusting the volume. The company says the feature has already started rolling out to Premium subscribers.

Once it’s available in your app, you can launch Spotify Desktop Miniplayer (its exact name) by clicking a square in the bottom right of the app, to the right of the standard playback controls. After clicking this, a floating window appears next to the full application.

The resizable miniplayer can function in a square aspect ratio, perfect for videos; as a slimmer bar, it’s minimally intrusive and offers play/pause and track-skip controls alongside information about the current track and album art.

The feature potentially removes the need for third-party apps (such as Alfred Spotify Mini Player, Lofi Spotify Mini Player and SpotMenu) to fill what some users saw as a major omission from the streaming service. (Spotify Community Post request in 2019 it had over 3,000 upvotes.) Apple Music has had an equivalent MiniPlayer for macOS and Windows for ages. As sometimes happens, Spotify took its sweet time.

Spotify described Miniplayer as rolling out to Premium subscribers first, suggesting it could eventually reach users on the free plan. If you’re a Premium subscriber, look for the little square switch that appears in the bottom right corner of the desktop app before long.