How to Use the Netflix App for Android Tablet to Watch Shows Offline

What to Know

Tap the Download icon (the down arrow) on a movie's description page or next to individual episodes to save them to your tablet.
Select Downloads to see and manage your videos. You can play them or delete them from here.
Downloaded content remains on your device for seven days. After that, you have to redownload the show or movie again.

Even with the best smartphone plan and tons of data, there's always a limit. If you want to view media while on the move, learning how to download shows from Netflix on your Android device running Android 4.4.2 KitKat or later is the best way to watch movies and shows offline.

How to Download Movies From Netflix

You first need to install the Netflix app, which you can download from the Google Play Store. Once it's installed, the steps to download movies and TV shows are the same regardless of which type of device you use:

Launch the Netflix app and log in to your account. If you just installed or updated the app, you should see a message telling you to look for the Down-arrow next to titles you want to download and watch offline.
Tap Downloads at the bottom of the screen, then tap Find Something to Download to see all the TV shows and movies available for download.
When you select a show or movie in the Netflix app, tap the Down-arrow on the movie's description page or next to individual episodes.
Tap Downloads at the bottom of the screen to find the show or movie you just downloaded.

Netflix downloads remain on your device for seven days. After that, you have to redownload the show or movie again.

Netflix Smart Downloads, Partial Downloads, and Downloads For You

Using Smart Downloads, when you finish watching an episode from a series, the Netflix app automatically deletes the one you watched and downloads the next batch so they're ready to go. It only works on Wi-Fi, so it won't use your data when you're not expecting it.

Smart Downloads are on by default, but if you want to make sure it's on, or you wish to turn it off, go to your downloads and tap Smart Downloads at the top of the screen.

Under Smart Downloads, you see an option called Downloads For You. If you enable this feature, Netflix automatically downloads suggested movies and shows to your device based on your viewing history and profile preferences.

Smart Downloads and Download for You toggles in the Netflix app

Netflix lets you watch partially downloaded movies and TV shows offline. This is especially handy if you're traveling and may not have access to Wi-Fi. Once you have a strong, stable internet connection, you can resume downloading and watching that content.

How to Delete Netflix Downloads

To remove shows and movies from your device, tap the blue checkmark next to the title, then tap Delete Download.

To delete all of your downloads at once, tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner of the app, then tap App Settings > Delete All Downloads.

How to Change Netflix Download Settings

If you want to change the default video quality of your downloads, or if you want to download content using your mobile data, tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner of the Netflix app, then tap App Settings.

If You Can't Download Netflix Movies and Shows

If you followed the instructions above but you can't download media from Netflix because you don't have the option, you have two things to consider:

Are you running a compatible version of Android? If you aren't running version 4.4.2 (KitKat) or later, you cannot download Netflix shows.
Some shows and movies are not available to download and watch offline later. It may be that your favorites aren't available at this time.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Tell us why!