Beats.

Help & manual

Everything you need to install Beats, manage playlists, and control the floating player on Windows.

Windows 10 / 11 64-bit No account Local playback

Getting started

Install once, create a playlist, add music, and press play.

  1. 1
    Install Beats Download Beats-Setup-x64.exe from the home page or GitHub Releases.
  2. 2
    Open the dashboard Press Ctrl + \, or click the gear on the widget.
  3. 3
    Create a playlist Click New Playlist in the sidebar, type a name, then click OK. Each playlist is a real folder on disk.
  4. 4
    Add music Open a playlist, click +, then choose Add files, Add folder, or Paste audio link.
  5. 5
    Press play Double-click a song or use the play button on the widget.
First download? Beats installs yt-dlp, ffmpeg, and spotDL automatically on first use (~130 MB, one time).

Widget

A floating pill that stays on top of every app.

Shows album art, track info, and playback controls — without taskbar clutter.

Move

Drag the album art to reposition anywhere on screen.

Hide & show

Press Alt + \ to slide off the nearest edge, or click the chevron tab at the top of your screen.

Expanded controls

Hover to reveal loop and settings .

Dashboard

Your control center for playlists, downloads, and playback.

Open with Ctrl + \ or the gear button .

  • Playlists sidebar - create, rename, delete, and pin playlists
  • Track list - browse, play, drag to reorder, remove songs
  • Now playing footer - seek, volume, like, save, shuffle, loop
  • Header - extended widget, layout reset, help, minimize, exit

Resize & zoom

Drag edges to resize. Ctrl + Shift + \ resets layout. Hold Ctrl and scroll to zoom the track list.

Playlists & downloading music

Create playlists (folders), add local files, or download from links.

Default library location: %USERPROFILE%\\Music\\Beats

Create a playlist

  1. 1
    Open the dashboard Press Ctrl + \ or click the gear on the widget.
  2. 2
    Create Click New Playlist in the left sidebar.
  3. 3
    Name your playlist Type any name you want, then click OK. Beats will create a matching folder on disk.

Add local music

Open a playlist, then click the + button.

  • Add files - browse your PC and multi-select songs to add them to the playlist
  • Add folder - pick a folder and add everything inside (it works the same way as adding files)
  • Paste audio link - paste a link and download it straight into the playlist

Supported formats include MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC, OGG, Opus, WMA, AIFF, and ALAC.

Download music from a link

  1. 1
    Open the add menu Open a playlist, click +, then select Paste audio link.
  2. 2
    Paste a URL Paste a link (YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, SoundCloud, and more) then click Download. Playlist links work too.
  3. 3
    Done Beats downloads the audio and saves it into the playlist folder automatically. That’s it.
Add or remove files in File Explorer. Beats updates the list automatically.

Playback

Control music from the widget or dashboard footer.

  • Seek bar - jump within the current track
  • Volume - saved between sessions
  • Shuffle & loop - on widget or in footer
  • Like & save - add to Liked Songs or Saves

Double-click a song to play. Drag to reorder within a playlist.

Shortcuts

Keyboard controls for Beats.

Alt + \ Hide or show the widget
Ctrl + \ Open or close the dashboard
Ctrl + Shift + \ Reset widget position and dashboard size
Ctrl + scroll Zoom the track list
Drag album art Move the widget
Hotkeys use the backslash key on US layouts. If another app uses the same combo, use the chevron tab or on-screen buttons.

YouTube cookies

Optional fix for YouTube bot-checks and Instagram login prompts.

Export a Netscape-format cookies.txt while logged into YouTube or Instagram, then point Beats at it.

Step 1 - Export

  • Install a cookie export extension (yt-dlp wiki)
  • Export cookies for youtube.com and/or instagram.com while logged in
  • Save as cookies.txt in Documents or similar

Step 2 - Import in Beats

  • Open + on a playlist, then Paste audio link
  • Click Set up cookies in Beats
  • Browse to your cookies.txt file
Only needed when downloads fail. Clear the path anytime with the Clear button.

Files & folders

Where Beats stores settings and music.

App data

%APPDATA%\Beats\
├── settings.json
├── liked-songs.json
├── artwork\
└── tools\
    ├── yt-dlp.exe
    ├── ffmpeg.exe
    └── spotdl.exe

Music library

%USERPROFILE%\Music\Beats\
├── My Playlist\
│   └── song.mp3
└── Another Playlist\

Edit PlaylistsRoot in settings.json to change the music folder. Restart Beats after editing.

Troubleshooting

Common fixes.

YouTube or Instagram blocked

Set up download cookies. Beats also retries with multiple yt-dlp clients for YouTube.

Hotkeys don't work

Another app may use the same combo. Use the chevron tab or on-screen buttons.

Widget off-screen

Press Ctrl + Shift + \ to reset position.

"Already running"

If Beats says it’s already running, open Task Manager and end the Beats process.

More help

Visit GitHub Issues for support, or delexo.store for updates.

FAQ

Quick answers.

Is Beats free?

Yes. Free on Windows 10 and 11. No account required.

Does Beats stream music?

No. It plays local files and saves downloads to your disk.

Can I skip the download feature?

Yes. Use Add files or Add folder for existing music.

Where do downloads go?

Into the playlist folder you chose. Default root: My Music\Beats.

Why extra tools on first download?

Web downloads need yt-dlp, ffmpeg, and spotDL. Beats installs them to %APPDATA%\Beats\tools.

Does Beats collect data?

No. Everything stays on your PC. No account, no telemetry.