Spotify is rolling out Exclusive Mode for Windows users, giving Premium subscribers complete control over audio processing to achieve bit-perfect playback. The feature disables system sounds and prevents your computer from altering audio before it reaches your DAC, ensuring songs play exactly as mastered.

Without this mode enabled, Spotify explains that Windows may resample audio, mix in other system sounds, or adjust volume, potentially degrading quality. To maximize fidelity, users should pair Exclusive Mode with wired headphones connected to a DAC and Spotify's lossless streaming option. The feature is currently Windows-only, though Spotify plans to bring it to macOS in a future update.

Enabling Exclusive Mode is straightforward for Premium subscribers: open Spotify, go to Settings, scroll to Playback, and toggle the feature on under Output. This launch comes after years of development, with Spotify first teasing HiFi audio in 2021 and rumors dating back to 2017. Now both lossless audio and bit-perfect playback come standard with the $13 per month Premium subscription, eliminating the need for any additional paid tier.