How to Download Movies Legally for Offline Watching

Published: November 12, 2026

Source: support.google.com — official guidance

Save movies inside Netflix, Prime Video or YouTube Premium and watch them later with no internet — the legal way, step by step.

How to Download Movies Legally for Offline Watching

Before you start

Keep the streaming app you want to use installed and updated on your phone, and stay signed in to your paid account in it.
Connect to Wi-Fi before you start downloading — movies are large files and can use up a lot of mobile data.
Check that your phone has enough free space for the movie before you tap download.

Open the official app and sign in

Pick the service that has the movie you want — Netflix, Prime Video, or YouTube Premium — and open its official app on your phone or tablet. Make sure you are signed in to the account that has the paid subscription, and update the app from your app store if it asks you to.

Downloads only work inside the official app, on a phone or tablet. They do not work from a web browser, and Netflix does not offer downloads on a Windows or Mac computer at all. If you are on a laptop, download the movie on your phone instead and watch it there.

Find a movie that can be downloaded

Not every movie can be downloaded, so check before you get your hopes up. In Netflix, open My Netflix, then Downloads, then See What You Can Download to see only the titles that can be saved. In Prime Video and YouTube, open the movie's page and look for a Download button — if there is no download icon, that title cannot be saved.

Before you tap download, check your phone's free space. A movie is a large file, and a download can fail halfway if the phone runs out of room — if your phone is nearly full, free up storage on Android first. Also connect to Wi-Fi, so the download does not eat up your mobile data.

Tap Download and wait for it to finish

Open the movie's page and tap the Download button — on YouTube it sits below the video, on Netflix and Prime Video it is on the movie's details page. For a TV show, tap the download icon next to a single episode, or use the download-season option if the app offers one.

The app will show the download progress. Wait until it is fully finished before you go offline — a half-downloaded movie will not play. If you want smaller files, open the app's settings first and pick a lower download quality; higher quality looks better but takes more space and more time.

Watch it offline from the Downloads section

When you are ready to watch, open the app and go to its Downloads section — in YouTube it is under your profile picture in the Library, in Netflix under My Netflix, and in Prime Video under Downloads. Pick the movie and tap Play. You do not need any internet connection for this step.

Keep in mind that downloads expire after a while, so go online again before a trip if you downloaded a movie long ago — the app needs to connect to the internet from time to time to check that your subscription is still active. If a movie has expired, just download it again while you are online.

Tips

Download movies the night before a flight or a long trip, while you are on home Wi-Fi — not at the airport on slow public Wi-Fi.
If you watch a series, turn on the app's Smart Downloads or Auto Downloads option if it has one — it can save the next episode for you after you finish one.
Delete movies you have already watched from the Downloads section to free space for the next ones.

Keep in mind

Only download inside the official app of a service you pay for. Websites and apps that promise free movie downloads are usually piracy, and they can also carry malware.
Never pay anyone who offers to download movies for you or sells a cheap download trick — the official download button inside the app is free for subscribers.
Downloads are tied to your account and your device. If your subscription ends or you sign out, your downloads stop working.
Downloading over mobile data can use up a large amount of data very fast. Use Wi-Fi whenever you can, and check the app's download settings first.

FAQs

Can I send a downloaded movie to another phone or play it in another app?

No. A download only plays inside the same app on the same device that saved it. You cannot move it to another app, copy it to another phone, or play it like a normal video file. If you want to watch on another device, download the movie again on that device.

How long does a downloaded movie stay on my phone?

Downloads do not last forever. Each app sets its own expiry rules, and some movies expire sooner than others. Open the Downloads section in the app to see which of your downloads are close to expiring, and go online again before they run out so the app can refresh them.

What if the download button is missing or the download keeps failing?

First, check that you are signed in and connected to the internet, and that the app is updated. Then check your free storage and try again on Wi-Fi. If the download button is missing from a movie, that title simply cannot be downloaded — try another movie instead.

Can I download every movie on Netflix or Prime Video?

Not always. Some movies and shows cannot be downloaded because of licensing rules, and your plan or region can also limit what is available. Use the app's Downloads section to see only the titles that can be saved — that way you do not waste time on titles that cannot be downloaded.

Sources

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