It might feel like everyone in the world is connected to the internet 24/7, but there are plenty of situations where connecting to the web just isn’t possible — consider your last airplane flight, for an obvious example. Even if you can’t get a decent Wi-Fi or mobile signal, you can still watch your favorite Netflix shows and movies.
Learn how to adjust your downloads settings to get Netflix to automatically manage it for you with its Smart Downloads features, and how to manage downloads for countries with restricted licenses. For more, learn about Netflix’s hidden menu or see CNET’s reviews of all the streaming services
How can I download Netflix shows?
If you’re familiar with using Netflix on your mobile device, you’ve probably noticed the dark “Download” button that sits right below “Play.” Clicking that button starts a download of a local version of the movie or TV show you want.
You can download Netflix movies and TV shows on iPhone, iPad, Android and Amazon Fire devices, as well as computers with Windows 10 or 11 and some Chromebooks and Chromeboxes. Netflix downloads are set by default to only use Wi-Fi, though you can change that in your app settings.
There’s no Mac app for Netflix yet, so unfortunately, that means no downloads for Mac laptops (unless they’re running Windows too).
Download Next Episode keeps you up to date on TV shows. Downloads For You automatically downloads recommendations up to a certain file storage limit.
When turned on, Download Next Episode will automatically delete TV show episodes once you’ve watched them and then download the next episode in the season. It’s a no-brainer for anyone who downloads TV shows, which is probably why the feature is turned on by default in Netflix apps.
In the Windows Netflix app, toggling on Smart Downloads enables Download Next Episode, even though it’s not called out as a separate feature.
What is Netflix’s Downloads for You?
Downloads for You expands the automatic downloading and deleting options for Netflix that are used in Download Next Episode. The feature is available in the iPhone, iPad and Android versions of the Netflix app, as well as some Chromebooks and Chromeboxes.
After Downloads for You is turned on, Netflix uses your viewing habits and preferences to download movies and TV shows that the service thinks you will like. Once you watch them, they’re automatically deleted.
