Are you trying to download the latest episode of your favorite Netflix series but can’t? Here are the problems – and solutions – that prevent the download
In addition to streaming movies and TV series with Netflix you can also do another thing very convenient: downloading video files that interest us, to watch them later at leisure even if we have no connection. For example, if we want to watch a movie on a plane with our laptop, or watch an episode of a series with our smartphone while we’re in line at the doctor.
But this feature has limitations, as well as imperfections, and that’s why sometimes it’s impossible to do the download on Netflix. Except for technical problems with your connection, which of course can prevent you from downloading movies and series from Netflix, all download limitations on this born-for-streaming platform usually depend on contractual restrictions or specific settings. So here are the main reasons why Netflix doesn’t let you download titles and how to solve the problem in each of these cases.
You can download a maximum of 100 titles
Netflix has a limit to the files you can download: on all your devices connected to a single Netflix account, in fact, you can store a maximum of 100 titles. Most users don’t know this or don’t realize it, because the number is quite high, but if you’re a collector of TV series and movies then you might run into this bottleneck. So if you want to download an extra movie, you have to delete at least one from a device connected to the account.
You can connect a maximum of 4 devices to Netflix
Depending on the type of subscription you have, Netflix limits the maximum number of devices you can use the service with. Both streaming and downloading. The maximum number of devices, with a Premium subscription, is 4. So if you’re trying to download a movie from the fifth device, you’ll never be able to. Unplug one of the devices and delete all downloaded files on it and you can use another one.
Download with expiration date
It may also happen that the download on Netflix is successful but you, shortly after, can’t see the downloaded title. This is because each title has a maximum time within which it can be viewed, after which it “expires”. In some cases this time is only 2 days, in others 7 or more. When titles leave the Netflix catalog, finally, they automatically expire even if you have already downloaded them.
The Smart Download on Netflix
The Smart Download is an interesting feature of Netflix that, automatically, deletes an episode of a TV series after you’ve finished watching it and, again automatically, starts downloading the next episode. In this way you take up less space on your device, you reach the number of 100 downloads more easily and you always have the last episode available. But you will not be able to watch the deleted episode a second time. So make sure that Smart Download is turned off if you plan to watch the same downloaded title multiple times (or if multiple people with the same account want to watch it).