Netflix Enables Windows 10 Video Downloads For Offline Viewing

It took a long while, but Netflix finally got around to letting users download movies and TV shows for offline viewing on select platforms last year. The oft-requested feature is handy for traveling, as it allows subscribers to download content on their home network and then view it from places where either an Internet connection doesn't exist (watching a horror movie while out camping in the middle of nowhere is a fun experience) or where data charges are cost-prohibitive. Well, that same feature is now available to Windows 10 users.

Netflix updated its Windows 10 app in the Windows Store to support offline viewing. When you first fire up the updated app, Netflix displays a message saying to look for the "Download & Go" symbol (an arrow pointing down) on movies and TV shows that support the feature. When you see it, just click to start downloading to your Windows 10 device. Downloaded titles will appear in the "My Downloads" section of the app.


To make things easier, Netflix lets you sort movies and TV shows by which ones are "available to download." That takes the guessing game out of clicking on various titles and hoping to see the download symbol. There is quite a bit of content available, including Dave Chappelle's new two-part stand-up show and the first season of Netflix's original Strange Things. If you're spending the night in the woods and want to freak yourself out, try downloading Backcountry ahead of time

Being able to download content to Windows 10 devices is mostly applicable for laptops and 2-in-1 devices that are portable. After all, you're probably not going to lug your hulking desktop with you on vacation or business trips. That said, there are some instances where downloading to the desktop could come in handy—maybe you own a NUC or Compute Stick that do take with you. Alternately, if the weather is calling for a bad storm and you fear that you Internet might be knocked out, you can download some content ahead of time.

In any event, it's nice to see Netflix embrace Windows 10 rather than just Android and iOS. If you're interested, you can download the Netflix app for Windows 10 here.

Thumbnail Image Source: Flickr (Brian Cantoni)