Remember when Apple dumped a U2 album on everyone’s iPhone? Well, it seems that Microsoft is automatically installing Spotify on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Several users report that Spotify magically appeared on their desktop after a recent update.

Reports of this problem bubbled up Reddit and Microsoft’s support forum last week. More recent reports, including one from Daryl Baxter of TechRadar, show that this is a relatively common problem.

The automatically-installed version of Spotify is set to launch at startup. It also takes up a spot on the Windows Taskbar, which is quite frustrating for inexperienced Windows users.

Now, this isn’t the “normal” Spotify app. It’s the version of Spotify that’s distributed by the Microsoft Store, which may explain why users aren’t asked to verify the installation. Microsoft can bypass installation wizards and other security hurdles when it forces an app onto your PC.

We hope that this is a mistake of some kind. Forcing bloatware on a computer is one thing, but Spotify opens at startup to hog system resources and beg for a subscription. For inexperienced users, especially those who don’t use Spotify, this is a McAffe-grade annoyance.

Neither Microsoft nor Spotify have commented on this story. We don’t know if the companies are intentionally forcing Spotify onto PCs. If you want to remove Spotify from your PC, check out How-To Geek‘s guide on uninstalling Windows applications.

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