Now that Netflix has introduced the offline viewing feature, longer commutes—especially ones to places with questionable internet connectivity have become hassle-free. It’s because you can simply download movies from Netflix and enjoy them while being on the go.
If you’ve subscribed to a Netflix plan, you no longer have to wait for Wi-Fi connections or drain your money down for data. All you have to do is download a title on Netflix beforehand, and you’ll be able to access it even when you’re on airplane mode or traveling mode.
Here’s how to download movies on Netflix.
Step-By-Step Guide To Download Movies on Netflix
Step 1: Update the app
Before anything else, it’s crucial to update your Netflix app. You might have to manually update the app from App Store for iOS devices and Google Play Store for Android if your device isn’t on auto-update.
If you’re using Amazon Kindle Fire or Fire tablet, follow these steps to update Netflix. For Netflix on Windows 10, go to Store > tap or click your user profile > select Downloads or Updates > hit Check for Updates to start updating Netflix.
Step 2: Select a download quality
Next, you have to choose between the two download qualities offered by Netflix. You can either go for Standard or High. We’d advise you to go for Standard as it takes up lesser space and is quicker to download. The High quality might use more space which can be a concern later.
To choose your download quality on Netflix
- Go to App Settings. It will be named differently on different devices. You can find it in the drop-down menu of your profile icon.
- Click or tap Downloads.
- Next, go to Video Quality or Download Video Quality. You might simply find the video quality under Download in Settings on some devices.
Step 3: Pick your title
Here’s where you find the title to download and watch afterwards. You can easily browse the content and look for the downward-arrow button after clicking on a title. Click or tap on that option to begin.
Sometimes, you might stumble across a title that doesn’t have a download option. It may be because the title isn’t available for download.
To only access content that’s available for download, look for the Available for Download category under TV Shows or Movies. Another way to land on downloadable content is to go to Downloads and hit on Find More to Download.
Step 4: Start downloading
Once you have landed on a title worth watching and clicked on the downward-arrow button, you will see it transform into a progress wheel. This progress wheel is the status of your download. The downloads definitely take up space on your device which we’ve covered in detail below.
However, Android users are definitely in luck because they can instruct Netflix to a specific storage location. You can pop in an SD card, and download the content for later use without fretting over storage space.
Step 5: Watch your downloaded titles
If you downloaded title after title and now wondering where did all my downloads end up. Here’s a quick answer. Look for the Downloads section on your device. All the downloaded titles appear here, so you can check the status, begin watching, or even delete the titles.
Note: Despite of facing any error while streaming Netflix, check out our detailed guide on error m7111 1331 5059 so you can smoothly enjoy your movie.
How Much Space Do I Need?
How much space you need depends on the file size of individual titles. The title’s duration and its resolution quality add to the space used by a download.
We downloaded The Boy Who Harnessed Wind in the high-quality version to give you a rough sketch of the numbers. The movie used 1.1GB of space. We went ahead and downloaded the same movie in its Standard version, which only used 556MB and downloaded quickly.
As far as storage is concerned, it’s good to check available space before making a download. Another way around this is to ensure that your Netflix settings are set to Standard Quality. This doesn’t just take up less space but downloads way faster.
Pop open App Settings > Go to Download Video Quality > Select Standard
What is Available for Download on Netflix?
There are plenty of Netflix titles available for download. However, there are also a few that don’t show the down-arrow download button due to the licensing agreement between Netflix and the content owner. Aside from this, you can download all the Netflix originals and view them offline. Netflix makes them available for download because it owns the created content.
One thing’s for sure; all the content owners aren’t generous enough to make their content available for download. Even the ones that you can download come with a restriction rule book. For instance, you may stumble upon a movie or TV show that can only be downloaded once. Some titles may even disappear 48 hours after you hit play. You have to view them offline, or they may as well expire a week later.
How To Enable Downloads for You?
While we love hand-picking titles on Netflix to view offline, we’d love it more if our favorite content was automatically downloaded. It’s possible with the newly-introduced Downloads for You feature that ensures you always have something to watch. Considering your viewing history and interests, Netflix curates a personalized list of movies and TV shows for you by downloading it on a Wi-Fi connection only.
To turn on Downloads for You on Netflix:
- Open the Netflix app.
- Tap Downloads.
- Tap Set Up to get started.
- Next, go to Smart Downloads.
- Turn on using the toggle switch. You can disable this feature following the same steps.
Important: Just how much storage Netflix takes up on your device is in your hands. You can go to Allocate Storage and cap it between 1GB, 3GB, and 5GB.
How Do I Delete Titles?
When you’re a serial streamer regularly downloading titles from Netflix, full storage space is your most-seen nightmare and deleting titles becomes necessary. You have to delete titles because Netflix only allows 100 of them at a time. There are two ways to manually go about it depending on the number of titles you want to delete.
Note: The Smart Downloads feature automatically deletes the downloaded episode of a TV show when you’re done watching it.
Deleting a title
To delete a single title on Netflix:
- Go to My Downloads and look for the Pen icon that represents editing.
- Hit the Pen icon and select the title(s) you want to delete.
Deleting all titles
One way to go about deleting all titles on Netflix is by following the above instructions, selecting each title one by one, and remove.
This may seem a task to people with a lot of downloads, so you can choose to delete all titles at once.
- Go to App Settings.
- Hit Delete All Downloads.
Downloads for You: Automatically Download Recommended Movies and TV Shows
The newly launched Downloads for You feature on Netflix is a gateway to stream even when you’re not connected to the internet. This feature (when enabled) automatically downloads recommended TV shows and movies on your device seeing the patterns of your watch history on Netflix.
Of course—the downloading requires a stable internet connection but don’t think that this feature will go ahead and consume your cellular data. Despite the feature being activated, it will only download when your device is connected to Wi-Fi.
Netflix is always coming up with ways to win over its viewers, and this feature just changed the game. Now, viewers will get a personalized streaming experience on Netflix without going through the endless hassle of picking out a movie or TV show themselves.
How To Download From Netflix On Windows
To download movies from Netflix on Windows, you’ll have to install the Netflix app from the Microsoft Store first. Netflix doesn’t allow downloads from the browser so, to watch offline on your laptop, you need the app.
To download movies from Netflix on Windows:
- First, launch the Netflix app.
- Browse the content.
- Filter it by clicking on Movies.
- Select the movie or TV show you want to download.
- Tap Download.
Note: If you can’t find the movie or TV show originally came for, directly search for it by typing in the Search Bar.
Downloading From Netflix On Android, iPhone, Or iPad
Downloading from Netflix on Android, iPhone, or iPad is extremely straightforward. You may not have a stable internet connection everywhere you go, so this is when you can leverage the Downloads feature for unhindered entertainment on your portable device.
Note: If you can’t find the Download option then the title cannot be downloaded. There may be some other issues, see this detailed guide to resolve the issues.
To download movies from Netflix on Android:
- Launch the Netflix app.
- Filter the content by selecting Movies on the menu bar.
- Find a movie title you wish to download.
- Tap the downward-arrow download button to begin. You’ll find it below the Play button.
- Go to Downloads to access all your downloads.
Important: In case you want to watch a TV show offline, you can either download the entire season or click the downward-arrow button right next to each episode.
To download movies from Netflix on an iPhone:
- Open the Netflix app.
- Select Movies from the menu bar.
- Browse through the content.
- Tap the title you want to download.
- Once the page loads, tap Download right below the movie description.
To download movies from Netflix on an iPad:
- Pop open the Netflix app.
- Browse through the home screen. Filter the content by selecting Movies on the menu bar.
- Find a title you want to download.
- Tap the downward-arrow download button to start the download. You’ll find it right below the movie description.
- The progress wheel appears in place of the downward arrow. You can go to your downloads by selecting Downloads on the bottom navigation bar.
How To Download From Netflix On Mac
Sadly, there isn’t a Netflix app for Mac so you can only access Netflix on the browser. Despite accessing on the browser, you cannot directly download TV shows and movies to your hard drive for offline viewing on Mac.
But, we know two legal ways to enjoy downloaded content on Mac.
- Stream Wireless with AirPlay: This alternate option will need an iPad because its Netflix app supports AirPlay. Through AirPlay, you can opt for wireless streaming between two apple devices. All you have to do is download content from the Netflix app on your iPad and stream it on your Mac. This option works best when you have a gang to watch content with—plus a bigger screen never hurts.
- Boot Camp and Windows: Boot Camp on Macs runs Windows 10, and the Netflix app is available for Windows. So, you will have to install Windows 10 on a Mac and then launch the Netflix app for Windows on it. This way, you can directly download content from Netflix and enjoy it on Mac.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve reached the end, we hope you agree that the answer to how to download movies on Netflix is pretty straightforward. So, find something downloadable and watch your favorite movies—whether you’re connected or not.