20 Netflix Life Hacks Every User Should Know
Let’s face it, Netflix isn’t cheap anymore. And if you’re wasting your precious time and money watching Netflix, you might want to watch more than just the 10 shows everyone else is watching.
If your evening ritual still boils down to opening Netflix, aimlessly scrolling for 20 minutes, and settling for the same three shows, it’s time to upgrade. Beneath that simple interface lie dozens of powerful settings, secret search codes, and third-party tools that can completely transform your viewing experience.
Download your TV shows and movies for offline viewing.
Like any other popular streaming service, Netflix allows you to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing . Ad-free plans allow you to download up to 100 files per device , while ad-supported plans allow up to 15 files. And as long as you access the internet at least once every 30 days, you can keep these media files on your device for as long as you like.
If you’re running low on disk space or downloading slowly, you can change the download quality to fix it. To do this, open the Netflix app, go to your profile , tap the “Menu” button at the top (three horizontal lines), then go to “App Settings” > “Downloads” > “Video Quality.” Here, select “Standard” or “High” depending on your available disk or network space.
Now simply click the “Download” button next to an episode, season, or movie to download it. You’ll find your downloaded media in the “Downloads” section of the “Profile” tab, where you can watch and delete TV shows.
Log out of one or both devices.
The Netflix website has a feature that lets you sign out of all connected devices. This includes all devices used by all members of your account. So, if you want to block a friend or someone who has somehow gained access to your account from watching TV, this is the place to go.
Click the profile icon and go to the “Account” section . Here, go to the “Devices” tab and select “Access and devices.” Then, find the device you want to sign out of and click “Sign out.” You can also click the “Sign out from all devices” button to sign out of all devices at once.
Don’t let Netflix share your personal information with third parties.
There’s a little-known option in Netflix’s settings, the wording of which is so odd you’d never guess it’s related to data collection. By default, Netflix shares your sensitive contact information with third parties to display ads on third-party services. This feature should be disabled, and it can be configured for each profile individually.
Click the “Profile” icon, go to the ” Account ” section, then the “Profiles” tab, select your profile, and go to ” Privacy & Data Settings.” Finally, disable “Allow data sharing across matching IDs .” Repeat these steps for all profiles in your account.
Transfer your profile to a new account.
Netflix is actively cracking down on unauthorized password sharing . If you can’t get around this restriction, it might be time to create your own account. But that doesn’t mean you have to reconfigure the algorithm. Netflix has a feature called Profile Transfer that will help you transfer all your data from your old account to a new one.
Open the Netflix website and select your profile. Then, click the “Profile” icon at the top and select “Profile Transfer.” A wizard will open, guiding you through the next steps. Click “Start Profile Transfer” and choose whether you want to transfer your profile to a completely new account or to an existing one. Netflix will help you create a new account with all your data. If you’re transferring your profile to an existing account, you’ll need to know the email address and password for that account. Follow the instructions to transfer your profile to the new account.
Remove unnecessary content from your browsing history.
Want to remove a ridiculous movie from your “Continue Watching” list? Or perhaps a movie you’ll never finish? It turns out you can clear your “Continue Watching” list by deleting the movie from your viewing history. As a bonus, this method will also remove any recommendations based on that content, as if you’d never watched it.
To do this, go to the Watching History page on the Netflix website (you can also get there by going to Account > Profiles > Your Profile > Watching History ).
Click the small “Hide” button next to the title you want to remove. Confirm the action in the next step, and the title will disappear from your list of watched movies.
Remove unnecessary entries from the “Continue browsing” list.
If you’re happy for Netflix to adjust recommendations based on a movie or show you’ve watched, but still want to remove it from your “Continue Watching” list, you can do so. The steps may vary slightly depending on the platform.
If you’re watching on the mobile app, tap the three-dot menu icon below the show or movie poster and select “Remove from list.” In the pop-up window, tap the “Remove ” button to confirm. On the website, simply hover over the thumbnail and tap the ” X ” button to remove it from the list. If you’re using the TV app, press and hold the primary button on your remote to go to the details page. Then tap the “Remove from list to continue watching” button.
Use a VPN to bypass content restrictions.
It’s no secret that Netflix has a different content catalog for each country. Depending on your selected country, you can use a VPN to bypass this restriction. You can watch all Korean dramas from the comfort of your home in the US. While you can use a free VPN , for fast streaming, a paid and secure VPN is best (NordVPN is a secure and affordable option). As a bonus, it will also encrypt your traffic and protect your data when connecting to public networks.
Enable smart download for your mobile devices.
If you’re watching Netflix on your commute or have an unstable internet connection, Smart Downloads can be a lifesaver. Once enabled, it automatically deletes watched episodes and replaces them with new ones when you’re back on Wi-Fi. You can also enable Downloads for You, which automatically downloads content Netflix thinks you’ll enjoy. In the iOS and Android apps, you can enable these features under Profile > Menu > App Settings > Smart Downloads .
Stop Netflix from using too much mobile data
If you like watching Netflix while away from home, it can quickly eat up your mobile data. Netflix’s Data Saver mode can help. In the Netflix app, go to “Profile” > “Menu” > “App Settings” > “Cellular Data Usage .” Turn off “Automatic” and switch to “Data Saver.” This will adjust video quality when disconnected from Wi-Fi, giving you about six hours of playback on 1GB of data.
Make sure you are watching in HD or 4K quality.
It would be frustrating to pay for a 4K Netflix plan but only watch in 720p because you haven’t adjusted your settings. Go to the Netflix playback settings page and select ” High ” under ” Display Data Usage .” This will give you the best quality for your device or screen.
Turn off autoplay for next episodes and previews on Netflix.
Netflix loves autoplay. Whether it’s starting the next episode or movie right after you finish watching something else, or showing trailers on the home screen, it can be quite annoying.
Both features can be disabled for each profile separately. After opening the Netflix website, go to the “Profiles” page. Here, click “Manage Profiles” and select the profile for which you want to disable these features.
Now uncheck the “Autoplay next episode” and “Autoplay previews” boxes. Click the “Save” button to save your settings.
Make your subtitles more readable.
Are Netflix’s default subtitles too hard to read? You can change the font, color, and size of the subtitles. On the Netflix website, click the “Profile” icon and select “Account .” From there, go to the “Profiles” tab and select your profile. Now, select “Subtitle Appearance.”
Here you can change the subtitle font, text size, shadow, background color, and window color. Once finished, click the “Save” button to save your settings.
Choose original voiceovers for your TV series and films.
When watching foreign-language movies, Netflix tends to default to English dubbing. Unfortunately, there’s no setting to prevent this, but there’s always a way to switch to the original audio track in the Netflix player. While watching a movie, go to the “Subtitles” menu, and under “Sound,” select the original audio track.
Lock your profile to keep it private and unavailable to other users.
If you share your Netflix account with friends or family, your profile isn’t entirely private. Others can see what you’ve watched and can also use your profile to taint your recommendations.
If you want to protect your profile (especially if you share an account with children), click the “Profiles” icon and select “Account.” Go to the “Profiles” tab, select your profile, and go to the “Profile Lock” section. Then click “Create Profile Lock.”
Enter your account password, and on the next page, enter your four-digit PIN and click Save . The next time you open Netflix, you’ll need to enter this PIN to access your profile.
Block adult content if you want.
If you share your Netflix account with children or teenagers, you may need to block adult content. To do this, go to the “Profiles” tab in your account and select your profile. From there, go to the “Set Up Parental Controls” section and enter your account password.
At the top, you can change the profile’s age rating (from 7+ to 18+). You can also turn your current profile into a kids’ profile, which will only display content suitable for children. At the bottom, you can even block a specific TV series or movie. Once finished, click the “Save” button.
Switch to dialogue-only subtitles
Netflix has finally added the ability to view dialogue-only subtitles , and while they’re not available on every show, the company plans to support them on at least all new Netflix originals going forward.
The new subtitles feature removes director’s comments and directions. So, you won’t see details about background music or heavy breathing. You’ll only see the characters’ dialogue.
To switch to this option, start watching a compatible series or movie on Netflix and go to the “Subtitles” section. Here, select English (or any other language of your choice) under “Audio” and English (or any other language of your choice) under “Subtitles.” If you want to return to the classic subtitle style, select the option with ” (CC) ” in the title.
Use Netflix secret codes for a more convenient web browsing experience.
Netflix’s search feature is pretty good, but the way the app organizes content leaves much to be desired. On the home screen, you constantly see the same popular content in different sections. If you want to discover new content in a specific genre, style, or language, there’s a more convenient way. That’s using Netflix secret codes.
Netflix has codes for every possible movie category and subcategory. There are 20 to start, but there are 267 in total, each with its own unique code. A list of all the secret codes can be found at Netflix-Codes.com . Simply enter the code in the Netflix search bar (or follow the link) to view content marked with that code.
You can also enter these codes into the Netflix URL yourself. For example, to watch “Asian action movies,” go to https://netflix.com/browse/genre/77232 .
Enable screen lock when viewing on a mobile device.
There’s nothing more annoying than accidentally tapping your phone or tablet screen while watching Netflix, causing the movie to pause, fast-forward, or turn on subtitles. I personally find this happens most often when traveling or while watching in bed. However, Netflix has a solution for this problem: screen lock. While watching, tap the screen to bring up the player controls, then tap the “Lock” button. Now, no matter how many times you swipe, the volume will not change unintentionally. How do I unlock the screen? Tap the screen again, tap the “Locked Screen” button, and tap again to unlock the screen.
Add reviews to your display pages with the Trim extension.
Trim is a handy little Chrome extension that provides contextual information about movies and TV shows, so you don’t have to open multiple websites to find them. You’ll see ratings and reviews from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes for any show right on its Netflix page, saving you one click before choosing what you want to watch.
Add more features to Netflix with the Netflix Enhanced extension.
Finally, you can try the Netflix Enhanced Chrome extension , which adds a few small enhancements to improve your Netflix experience. It automatically skips intros and plays the next episode immediately after the current one ends, saving you clicks and valuable time. You can also use handy keyboard shortcuts, such as pressing “N” to skip to the next episode, using the arrow keys to adjust volume, and more.