Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the US and the rest of the world. Since a long time ago, Netflix members have been able to download certain shows to watch when they’re not online. You can do this now on many platforms and devices, including iOS/iPadOS, Android, and Windows. Unfortunately, there is no easy or legal way to download Netflix content on your Mac’s operating system, macOS.
That’s right. Despite what you may have read elsewhere on the internet, you can’t download Netflix content to your Mac at the time of this writing. Still, there are two workarounds to think about. One of these is easier to do than the other, as you’ll see below.
Download Netflix Content on A Mac
Users have been able to watch Netflix for a long time on MacBooks and Mac desktops. To do this, all you need is a web browser, such as Safari, Chrome, or Microsoft Edge. Unfortunately, none of these options let you download content to use offline. And, so far, there is no Netflix app for macOS.
Why is that? Neither Apple nor Netflix has said, which makes no sense given how popular Netflix is. In fact, it makes about as much sense as the two companies never agreeing to add Netflix to the Apple TV app, where the iPhone maker suggests content based on what you watch. (There is, however, a Netflix app that can be downloaded separately on the Apple TV set-top box.)
Try one of the following ways to watch Netflix content that you have legally downloaded on your Mac.
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Use AirPlay… on the iPhone or iPad
Apple’s products have had AirPlay support for a long time, allowing users to stream videos and music. Some third-party devices, like the Xbox, Roku, and others, also support AirPlay. Unfortunately, it limits the devices you can use to watch videos through AirPlay. AirPlay video can only be streamed to Apple TV and smart TVs that support AirPlay 2.
Because of these limitations, our first recommendation has nothing to do with Mac. Despite this, it could be a better long-term solution. Instead of watching downloaded (and offline) Netflix content on your Mac, use your iPhone or iPad.
Before starting, it’s important to know how Netflix handles downloading on mobile devices. By default, it uses smart downloads when downloading TV episodes over Wi-Fi. Using smart downloads, only one episode of a series is downloaded at a time. Once you’ve seen that episode, it gets deleted and a new one comes in. This happens automatically whenever your device connects to Wi-Fi.
If you want to watch multiple episodes of a series when you’re not connected to the internet, you should turn off smart downloads. Tap the Downloads icon in the lower right corner of the Netflix app. From there, go to the top and choose Smart Downloads. On the next page, you can turn Smart Downloads off by clicking the switch.
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Once the smart downloads option is turned off, you can start downloading Netflix content by doing the following.
- Open Netflix on your mobile device.
- Choose the movie or TV show you want to download by tapping on it.
- Select the Download icon at the bottom of the screen.
Once You’ve Downloaded Netflix Content to Your I Phone or iPad, You Can Watch By:
- Start the Netflix app on your phone or tablet.
- Select the icon that says “Download” at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the video or audio you want to play.
- Select Play.
Install Windows on your Mac
Okay, so the above solution wasn’t exactly what you needed to legally watch downloaded Netflix content on your Mac. Installing Windows 10 on your Mac using Apple’s Boot Camp or a virtualization program like Parallels is a real solution.
Boot Camp isn’t possible, though, if you’re using an Apple M1 device. And virtualization isn’t quite ready for these next-generation devices yet unless you want to be a free beta tester.
After installing Windows 10 on your Mac, go to the Microsoft Store and download the official Netflix app. When you log into your account, shows that can be downloaded are marked with an icon.
