Netflix allows subscribers to download their favorite TV shows and movies to their devices to watch offline.
The download feature allows subscribers to watch TV shows and movies during periods that they don’t have access to Wi-Fi, such as during a long road trip or flight.
If you’re wondering how to watch your favorite Netflix shows and movies offline, when you don’t have access to Wi-Fi service, here is how.
Download requirements
To download TV shows and movies from Netflix, you need to have an internet connection, an active Netflix account, and an updated version of the Netflix app on any of the following devices:
- “iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 9.0 or later
- Android phone or tablet running Android 4.4.2 or later
- Amazon Fire tablet running Fire OS 4.0 or later
- Windows 10 tablet or computer running Version 1607 (Anniversary Update) or later”
- You can also download Netflix content on some Chromebook and Chromebook models.
To ensure that your Netflix app is up to date at any time, set it to auto-update. Alternatively, you can manually update it from the Apple Store, Google Play, or Microsoft Store for Windows 10.
How to download TV shows and movies from Netflix
To download TV shows and movies from Netflix:
Select your preferred download quality option
Netflix offers two video quality download options: Standard and High (HD).
To choose your preferred download quality, select Menu, and scroll down to select Settings. Then under Downloads, tap Video Quality and select your preference.
Select Standard or High. Standard saves storage space on your device. Selecting Standard also allows you to download faster, thus saving time.
If you plan to watch TV shows and movies offline on a mobile device, you may find that the Standard option is the best for you, while HD will deliver superior video quality on a laptop screen.
Select the TV show or movie you wish to download
To select the TV show or movie you want to watch offline, tap or click Menu. Then select Available for Download.
Titles available for download are listed in this section. Keep in mind that while many Netflix titles are available for download, some are not. The titles available for download have the download icon affixed.
While some of the content licensed to Netflix by third parties is not available for download, most Netflix Originals can be downloaded for offline viewing.
Netflix has lots of original downloadable content, and you may download popular Netflix shows such as Stranger Things.
Non-Netflix Original shows for download include Breaking Bad, The Good Place, Grey’s Anatomy, and Criminal Minds. Movies you may download include Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Hateful Eight, and The Incredibles 2.
Some titles are also available for download with restrictions, depending on the licensing agreement the owner has with Netflix.
For instance, you are allowed to download some titles, only a limited number of times during a billing cycle. You also have a limited time to watch some titles after downloading.
Downloading Netflix content to your device
On the description page for each show or movie available for download, tap or click the affixed download icon.
You may want to save data usage by downloading over Wi-Fi.
All downloaded TV shows and movies are automatically saved to the downloads section of the app. They are available for streaming offline only on the device on which you downloaded them.
Android users are allowed to select alternative download locations on their devices instead of automatically downloading content to a default location.
So if you have a microSD card installed on your mobile device, you can choose to download content to it.
Viewing downloaded Netflix content offline
Tap or click Menu and then select Downloads to go to the section where your downloaded content is listed.
There you will see the thumbnails for your downloads, and information about running time and how much space the content is using on your device.
To watch a downloaded movie or TV show, click or tap the thumbnail for the video.
You can only view downloaded content using the settings — video quality, audio quality, and subtitle settings — that you chose at the time you downloaded the content.
While you are allowed to view your downloads from any of the profiles in your Netflix account, remember that you may be unable to view some downloaded shows and movies from a Kid’s profile due to restrictions based on the maturity rating of the show.
How to delete downloaded content
Netflix allows users up to 100 downloads on their devices at a time, but you can download from as many devices as your Netflix membership plan allows.
On Windows 10, you many delete downloaded content to make room for new content by simply going to My Downloads and then to the title you want to delete. Select Download and then click Delete Download.
You can also delete multiple titles by selecting the edit icon (pencil) and then selecting all the tiles you want to delete.
If you want to delete all downloaded content, click Settings and then Delete All Downloads.
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