May 03, 2019. We have to reupload this video as there was some problem with the previous upload. Get 14 Days free trial. Is there a Netflix. Apr 25, 2019.
Get Capto for screen recording
With Netflix being the biggest subscription service on the planet and more than a billion Apple devices in our hands, many are surprised to find out that there's no Netflix app for Mac. And as there is no Netflix app for Mac, many paid subscribers aren't able to download their favorite series and movies, hence are missing out on being able to watch Netflix offline.
If you own a Mac, pay for a Netflix subscription, and want to know how to watch Netflix offline, there are a number of fast, easy, and legal solutions that will let you have a cinematic experience.
While one can't simply download Netflix on Mac, listed below are a few quick and simple workarounds to try, so you can enjoy Netflix on the go.
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Can You Download Netflix On Mac?
If you're asking whether you can download Netflix shows on Mac then it's important to note that despite there being no Netflix app for Mac, there's one for iOS devices and for Windows.
While the only legal way to download Netflix movies is via the Netflix app, there are some less-legal solutions advertised online for how to download Netflix shows on Mac.
If you've seen advertisements splashed across the internet saying that you can download Netflix app for Mac, they are a scam. Often these dodgy tech traps involve installing malware onto your Mac, which will leave the operating system looking like a scene from a horror movie.
Unfortunately, if you've downloaded such software in the past, your Mac may already be affected, so it's vital that you check your computer for viruses. A smart-scan tool like CleanMyMac X will find and destroy malware and leave your Mac happy and healthy.
To use CleanMyMac X to remove malware:
Install and open the CleanMyMac X app on your Mac
Select Malware Removal from the top of the menu
Hit Scan
To protect your Mac, press the Remove button
What you need to watch downloaded Netflix content on Mac
To safely watch Netflix on Mac, you need the following:
An active Netflix subscription. You can't download Netflix, watch Netflix offline or even online if you've canceled your subscription.
A movie or TV show that has a download option. Most Netflix choices allow this, but not all of them do.
If you're going to be streaming, then you'll need a WiFi connection. Before you can take Netflix offline, WiFi is needed to download Netflix app.
A device that supports Netflix
Finally, if you want to know how to download movies from Netflix on Mac legally, then take a look at the suggestions below.
Stream via Airplay to get Netflix for Mac
If you're already invested in Apple technology and own an iOS device, streaming via AirPlay is an effective solution. iPhones and iPads are both iOS devices that will do the job.
Download Netflix App For Mac
AirPlay works via WiFi, which connects AirPlay-compatible devices together. This is where NetSpot, Mac's WiFi analyzer, will be very useful as an ideal network planner, because having powerful and consistent WiFi will ensure an uninterrupted viewing experience:
Open the NetSpot app
See where the most powerful WiFi in your area is and move your iOS device accordingly
If the WiFi signal is weak all around, use the NetSpot Survey option to plan out a better WiFi network
After all WiFi problems are solved, move on to streaming from your iOS device:
Connect to WiFi
Download the Netflix app on iOS device
Open AirPlay on your iOS device and tap Screen Mirroring
Select your Mac from the list of devices
Open the Netflix app and select the downloaded content you want to play
Enjoy the show!
How to download movies on Netflix
Now that you have AirPlay set up, a good way to save on data is to download movies to your iOS device and then stream the downloaded content over WiFi:
Ensure you have strong WiFi or enough data to successfully complete the process
Open the Netflix app on your iOS device
Select the movie or TV show you'd like to download
Click the download button (if it0019s a series you'll need to individually select the episodes you want to watch)
How to download movies from Netflix to Mac via Windows
But I want to watch Netflix offline,001d you say. Fair enough. A good solution for you is to leverage Microsoft Windows. If you know that you'll not be connected to the internet or you don't own an iOS device, this is the way to go.
The Windows workaround works by installing the Windows 10 operating system onto your Mac. Once you have set up Windows, then you can download Netflix app from the Microsoft Store which supports offline downloads of some content. Make sure you get the Windows system from a reputable Windows partner or reseller.
How to download Netflix app on Windows:
Click on the Start menu and select Store
Type Netflix in the search box and press Enter
Select Install
How to watch Netflix offline using screen record
If you see anywhere online that you should screen record movies so you can watch Netflix offline — beware — this is very illegal. Screen recording movies is considered to be piracy, and most screen recording tools will forbid against this type of activity.
There are many powerful screen recorders out there, such as Capto, which is optimized for Mac. While the app can capture, record, and take video and image editing to the next level, it should be used for its intended purpose and within the boundaries of the law.
As well as being illegal, there are other downsides to using screen recording as a way to watch Netflix offline. First, it's time-consuming. As you have to have the movie playing on screen from start to finish to capture all the content, it can be disruptive if you want to do anything else on your computer.
Second, the quality of the video will vary based on the speed of your internet connection. You could end up with lagging or glitchy content, and it will be too late to fix it.
Not only this, but a screen recording creates large files that take up space on your hard drive and may cause your Mac to slow down. Luckily, CleanMyMac X has a clever feature that lets you find heavy files and helps you delete anything that you don't want to keep:
Open CleanMyMac X and select Large & Old Files from the menu
Click Scan to start the search
Gasp at the big ol' files you had long forgotten about
Select any unwanted files from the list and click Remove
CleanMyMac X allows you to remove files immediately, or take extra precautions and choose to remove them securely.
Now that some of the most common conceptions around how to download Netflix on Mac are debunked, you can go back to watching an episode, a movie, or just binging on a series all at once.
Best of all, Capto, CleanMyMac X, and NetSpot are available for a free trial on Setapp, the app subscription platform whose collection boasts more than 150 apps and tools to improve your movie-watching life, as well as every other aspect of your day.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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Netflix gives you the option to download shows on their Windows app, as well as Android and iOS, but there is no such thing for Mac users. For a long time now, I was looking for a way to download my favorite Netflix shows on a Mac, and there wasn’t any working solution. Until today.
So, I recently found out a way to download Netflix videos on Mac. And no, we are not talking about recording Mac’s screen. Instead, we’ll use an app called Parallels, which lets you run Windows on your Mac. Yes, you can also run Windows on the Mac with Boot Camp but that will require you to restart your Mac every time you need to switch to Windows and not to mention the complicated setup. Parallels, on the other hand, is an optimized virtual machine, so it runs Windows within macOS. The setup is simple and would take around 15 minutes. And it even works flawlessly even with a VPN, so you can watch geo-restricted shows like the office the US without any glitch. And if that’s not enough, it even lets you watch 4k content on your Mac. Sounds awesome. Let’s see how you go about it.
Download Netflix Movies on Mac
Step 1: Install Parallels on a Mac
Go to www.parallels.com and download Parallels Desktop application for your computer. Although the single license costs $80, there is a 14 days trial with full access to the software.
Within the trial period, you won’t be bugged with any watermarks or asked for your credit card information. So, it makes sense to use this if you are going for a vacation where the internet might be expensive or non-existent.
If you like the software then you can purchase a license after trial runs its course.
Once you download Parallels’s dmg file, install it on your Mac, like you install any other software.
My favorite thing about Parallels is that the installation is extremely simple. Simply, run the software, and it’ll take care of everything, from installing Windows to configuring it. In fact, I ran the installer and went for a walk. Once I came back, Windows was ready to go. I was surprised, I didn’t have to click even a single button.
You may get a popup that would read System Extension Blocked, it means your macOS requires an exception in Security Preferences for this application. Click the button to open the Settings page and grant the permissions.
How To Download Netflix On Macbook Pro
You just have to click a single button to grant the exception, click ‘Allow’ to begin the setup process. It would also prompt you to enter the macOS account credentials and authenticate the transaction before granting the exception.
It automatically fetches the Windows copy from the Windows server so you don’t have to download the Windows ISO. Parallels download an evaluation copy of Windows though. It would take a few minutes to install though as the package is around 5GB.
After downloading the setup files, Parallels would automatically begin the installation process and you would be greeted with the installation screen. If you’ve never used windows, this screen means you’re already there and it would take a couple of more minutes to finalize the settings.
After finishing the installation, you will be able to use your Windows right out of the box. No need to install any drivers or anything. It’s that simple.
After the installation is finished, Parallels will ask you to create a free account. To save some time, you can log in with your Google account and you’re up and going.
Netflix Application Download
And there you go, Windows on a Mac. Cool. The Windows desktop replicates Mac’s desktop to Windows and adds all the files on the Windows desktop too which is cool. I can access my documents easily without having to manually copy the contents from macOS to the simulated Windows.
Step 2: Install the Netflix app
Next up, we need to download the Netflix app on Windows, so, open the Windows Store, search for Netflix, click ‘Get’ and there you go. You can even install Netflix without signing in to a Microsoft account. Good job Microsoft.
Now, once you have the Netflix app, log in to the Netflix app with your credentials. One thing I noticed while I was setting up the Netflix account is the overall smoothness, I mean it’s unreal. It works even better than some Windows computers out there.
I tested this on the least powerful 2015, 128 GB MacBook Air. If this work on this MacBook, it’ll work on most Macs out there.
After logging in to Netflix, let’s go ahead and download something to test if it actually works. Not everything is available to download though, to find the shows, available for download, go to the ‘Available for Download’ section in the menu. If the title you want to download from Netflix isn’t available for download, then you got no other option than to capture the screen as you watch it.
Once you find the title you want to download from the available catalog and click the Download button to start the download.
You will then see a blue progress bar along the bottom of the app. Once the download finishes, it would show up in the download library of the Netflix app. You can find your downloaded shows by going to the menu and tapping My Downloads. Simply press play and start watching your videos.
The videos are downloaded in your Macbook storage, so make sure you have enough memory.
You can even play videos with the Internet off. You can try this by turning off the WiFi on your mac. I watched the entire episode on the Airplane mode to test the app and it worked just fine.
Download Netflix To My Laptop
Read: Remove Shows From Continue Watching on Netflix App (Android | iOS)
The Netflix app retains all the features even though being simulated on a sandbox, including the smart downloads, which will automatically delete an episode once you’ve watched and downloaded the next one when you are connected to the Internet.
To enable the smart download or to download videos in higher video quality, go to the menu and scroll down to Downloads. Under Downloads, tap Video Quality and choose the quality that works for you.
It remembers how far along you’ve watched the episode and resumes even after you restart the Parallels’ session on the mac. It’s safe to say the method is pretty dope at this point.
Step 3: Download Geoblocked content
We have a fully functional Netflix app that stores all the downloaded files safely in the system. While I don’t have a shortage of titles, there are a few strays which are not available in my country. You can use a VPN to circumvent the geo-restrictions to access the content from around the world.
Turn on your VPN that supports Netflix unblock, (we recommend Nord VPN or Smart DNS Proxy VPN) and connect to a location where the content might not be blocked. I usually look for titles like The Office as it isn’t available in my country. Just search for the title and it should show up in the search results on the Netflix app.
If by any chance the app doesn’t pull up the titles, it could be because of the Cache issue. Restarting the Netflix app within the Windows won’t solve this problem, you would have to close the Parallels app on your mac and restart the sandbox.
After booting the Windows up, open the Netflix app again, try searching for the title again and it should pop in the results now.
Step 4: Play Netflix in 4K on a Mac
Netflix App For Mac Os
The party is still not over, there is one final thing. It can play Netflix 4k content on the Mac. Until now, you could only do this on Windows. We’re still playing the content on Windows but it’s on a Mac now. You would need a Macbook or a TV which supports 4K screen. Also, upgrade your Netflix account to the one which has 4K playback options.
Read: How to Watch Netflix in 1080p on Chrome and FireFox
I tested this on a few Macs lying around including a MacBook Pro and an iMac, it works on every device. You can even watch 4K content on Edge browser but Safari and Chrome simply don’t play Netflix content in 4K so there’s that.
Netflix Free Download
Read: 10 Chrome Extensions to Supercharge Your Netflix Experience
Closing Words
Download Netflix For Mac Free
This is how to download Netflix movies on Mac. I’ve been using the setup for the past three days and it works flawlessly. There aren’t any watermarks on the simulated Windows and the software doesn’t nag you to upgrade to premium. I’ll update the results if there are any updates with this method. As of now, I’ve to go and pack my bags.
Read: How To Watch Netflix Together With Remote Friend (Android | iOS)