How to Fix Netflix Downloads not Working Offline

Are you having some difficulties with your Netflix account because you see your Netflix downloads not working offline? or are your Netflix downloads not working without Wifi? Then trust you are at the best place to get the best guidelines to curb this issue.

Netflix has made it very easy and simple to watch movies offline by downloading them to watch them later. This usually has the utmost benefit of saving much data as compared to streaming it directly with your data.

But aside from all the good the Netflix downloading feature has brought to a lot of users, it is also prone to certain errors that most users have complained about after some time of its establishment.

It is very heartbreaking when you know you have downloaded a Netflix movie already but you still find out that what you downloaded cannot be played.

Mostly, the issue with Netflix downloads not working may either be about the Netflix movie or series being unable to download at all or after downloading, you are unable to watch.

Netflix users who have encountered this issue so far often beat themselves and wonder about the cause of this error and the possible solutions to them. Read more as we give you the best reasons and solutions to your issue!

Why is my Netflix Download not Playing?

As a Netflix user, it is imperative to know that the fault of your Netflix downloads not working may usually be self-inflicted or the cause of the Netflix application itself.

We are going to give you the actual reason why you face the issue of your Netflix download not working on your laptop or why you don’t see your Netflix download working on your iPad. Below are reasons why your Netflix download is not working correctly:

1. Outdated version of the Netflix app.
2. App data issues.
3. Inefficient device response.
4. Exceeded the limit of Netflix’s downloaded devices
5. Data saver mode enabled
6. More than 100 downloads

How to Fix Netflix Download not Working on iPhone, Android or Windows

1. Relaunch the Netflix App

One of the quickest and simplest ways to deal with such issues concerning “ offline Netflix downloads” when you find Netfix downloads not playing or working is by quitting the app abruptly and relaunching it.

To do this, you must quit the Netflix app and clear all running apps in the background. If you are using the browser to access Netflix, you should clear the Netflix web tab and open it on a new tab.

After you are done quitting the app, relaunch the app and check and try to watch an offline downloaded movie or TV show to see if you still face the issue of Netflix offline downloads not playing.

2. Restart Your Device

One other simple way to deal with your Netflix downloads not working is by restarting your device. Your Netflix may not work as usual if background processes on your phone are slowing down the speed of the phone to make the app work effectively.

Therefore it is very necessary to deal with this issue by restarting your device. For android, iOS users and Windows users, the process to undertake this method has been listed below:

Android users:

1. Press and hold your phone’s power button for a few seconds.
2. When you see the power menu tap on restart or tap on Power off
3. If you chose Power off, wait a while and turn on the phone again.
4. When the phone turns on again, launch the Netflix app.
5. Try to download or watch a movie or series offline.

iOS users:

1. Press and hold your iPhone’s side button or volume button.
2. When the power-off slider comes up, drag it to turn the phone off.
3. Wait for a few seconds and turn it back on.

Windows:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on the Power icon of your Windows.
3. Look through to find the option of Restart and click on it.

3. Manage Download Devices

After restarting your phone to curb the issue with your Netflix and you realize you do not have access to download videos to watch offline, then you should check and make sure your device is authorized to download.

Aside from checking whether your device is authorized to download, you must also not forget to check the number of download devices you can have under your plan. You should make sure you do not exceed it.

If the device you are using to access Netflix currently is not part of the download devices, then you should not hesitate to remove the existing devices. This can be done using the steps below:

1. Launch Netflix or log in to Netflix through a web browser
2. Look for the “More” icon and tap on it.
3. After that, tap on “Account”.
4. Tap on “Manage Download Devices”.
5. Check if your device is part of the list of download devices.
6. If your device is not part, remove the existing devices and add your device.

Windows:

1. Launch the Netflix app.
2. Click on the profile in the top-right corner.
3. Click on “Account”.
4. Select “Manage download devices”
5. Check if your device is part of the list of download devices.
6. If your device is not part, remove the existing devices and add your device.

4. Update Your Device

It is also important to know that if your device’s operating system is old, it can lead to issues that may affect apps on the device. This includes bugs, security issues, and many others.

For that matter, if your device is outdated, you must update it and this can be done by following the steps below:

Android:

1. Launch the Settings app on your phone.
2. Scroll down and tap on About Phone.
3. Select System Update or the android version of your phone.
4. Tap to download the new system update.
5. Install the new system update
6. When the update is done, launch the Netflix app and check if you still see your Netflix downloads not working.

iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Select Software Update.
4. Download and Install.

Windows:

1. Use the Windows + I keys and launch settings.
2. Click Update and Security.
3. Select Windows Update
4. Select Check for Updates.
5. Download or Install pending updates

NB: After all the above processes in the particular device you are using, go back to check if you can now save Netflix downloads.

5. Check the Netflix Server Status

It is necessary to know as a Netflix user that it is not always that problems with Netflix are self-inflicted. There are times that the fault of Netflix downloads not working on Windows or Netflix offline downloads not playing on the website may not be your fault.

This happens because there are sometimes general glitches occurring in the systems of Netflix, causing all users to get stuck accessing the app.

There are times when authorities of Netflix are doing their best to take the app under maintenance. It does not happen every time but once in a while if you are unfortunate and it happens, you may not be too sure if it’s actually just you or a general problem.

With that being the case, you should endeavor to check using Down Detector to check if the system is actually down or not. Search for “Netflix” on the software and check if they serve you with Netflix outage reports in your region.

After checking if the Netflix server has issues with the software given above, you can also check Twitter to find out if there has been an official communique from Netflix about their app malfunctions.

6. Clear Netflix App Cache and Data

Mostly these issues we face such as Netflix offline downloads not working is as a result of glitches caused by the app cache or data on the device. It may also be a result of browser cookies and data. Below is how to clear the Netflix app cache.

1. Close the Netflix app on your phone
2. Long press the app till a sub-window shows and tap on the app info
3. Scroll down to look for storage and tap on it
4. Go down to tap on the clear cache to clear the Netflix app cache
5. Go back to relaunch the app to check whether the issue has been resolved.

iPhone users should use the processes below:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Go to General
3. Choose iPhone Storage.
4. Tap on Netflix.
5. Choose Offload App.

Windows:

1. Use the Windows + I keys to launch Settings.
2. Click on Apps
3. Go to App features
4. Scroll down to Netflix and click on it.
5. Click on Advanced Options
6. Scroll down and choose the Reset button to remove the data.

If you are using the browser to access your Netflix account, then you try to clear cookies on the browser rather. To do this, follow the steps given below:

1. Launch the browser (Either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge)
2. Tap on the three horizontal dots located at the top corner.
3. Click on settings
4. Click on Privacy & Security and select clear browsing data
5. Tick the boxes next to Cookies and other site data as well as cached images and files
6. Click on clear data.
7. All the cache and cookies will be cleared and you can access Netflix on the browser again.

7. Clear Browsing History or Data on Browser

After you have tried to clear the cache on the Netflix site using a web browser and it is still not working, then you should try clearing browsing data or browser history. To do this, go by the steps given below:

1. Launch the browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft edge)
2. Tap on the three horizontal dots located at the top corner
3. Go to settings
4. Click on Privacy & Security and select clear browsing data
5. Tick the box next to the browsing history
6. Click on clear data.

Using the Safari OS to do this, follow the steps below:

1. Select Safari on the menu bar
2. Select the option, “ Clear History”
3. This will wipe off all browsing history from the Safari OS.

8. Update the Netflix App

If you are still facing issues with the Netflix offline downloads not playing even after clearing the Netlfix app cache and data or clearing browser cookies and browser history, then you should also update the Netflix app.

We suggest that you do this update due to the fact that you might be using an outdated version of Netflix that does not permit you to use the app for that matter, you should update it as soon as possible so that you can sign in to the app without facing problems with your Netflix offline downloads, not playing.

1. Close all apps running in the background including the Netflix app.
2. Go to the Google Play store or App store on your device
3. Search for Netflix in the search bar
4. Tap on Update to update the app.
5. Check to see if the app has been updated successfully and relaunch the app
6. After launching the app, check if you still face the issue of “Netflix downloads not working“

After updating the app and you still encounter the issue, then you should uninstall the app and reinstall it. This can be done using the steps below:

1. Close the Netflix app on your phone.
2. Long press the app till a sub-window shows and tap on uninstall
3. After successfully uninstalling the app, go to Playstore (for android users) or App store (for iOS users)
4. Search for the Netflix app in the search bar.
5. Tap on the install section to download the latest version of Netflix on either Playstore or App store.
6. Launch the app, and check if you still face the issue of Netflix downloads not working on Windows.

9. Allow Download Storage

You might have forgotten to allow Netflix to access your storage which is definitely a hindrance to downloading movies to watch offline. Netflix is unable to save content and will fail to download anything on your device if you have not permitted it to download on your device.

Therefore if that is what is causing you to see your Netflix downloads not working, then you should not hesitate to check and make sure you allow download storage so that you can download movies on your device successfully. To do this, follow the steps below:

Android:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Choose Apps or Apps Manager.
3. Tap on Netflix.
4. Go to Permissions.
5. Switch the toggle button on to enable Storage.

There is no storage permission on iOS to perform this action, unlike android. You should receive a pop-up on your iOS to allow storage from Netflix on your device.

10. Remove Previous Downloads

You may have also encountered the NQL.2205 error which means that you have exceeded the number of downloads allowed on your device. You cannot have 100 downloads on one device at a time on Netflix. Because of that, it is necessary that you make space for new downloads.

You can also remove all the downloads at all spots. If you still want to keep a few downloads, you can remove the ones you will watch late.

Below is how you can delete movies or TV shows from the downloads list:

1. Launch the Netflix app.
2. Go to Downloads. If the downloads option isn’t showing, choose “More” and go to “Downloads“.
3. Choose Edit located in the top right corner.
4. Choose a movie, series, or TV show you want to delete from Downloads.
5. Tap or select the red cross to remove.

11. Disable Data Saver Mode

If you have tried downloading Netflix movies or TV shows and it is still impossible because you see your Netflix downloads not working, then you should check your cellular data if it does not prevent the process of downloading.

Many times, users have Data savers which prevent them from downloading with a huge data requirement.

This can often result in the Netflix error message “waiting for connectivity.”

Therefore you must turn off the Data Sava Mode to allow you to download your movies or TV shows on Netflix easily.

On Android:

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Tap on Network & Internet.
3. Select Data Saver.
4. Toggle the button close to the Data Server to turn it off.

iPhone:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Go to Cellular or Mobile Data
3. Tap on the Cellular Data or Mobile Data options.
4. Choose Data Mode.
5. Slide the toggle button close to the Low Data Mode to turn it off.

12. Upgrade your Netflix Plan

Aside from removing Netflix downloads to manage the storage, you can try upgrading your Netflix plan too. It is possible to do that and it will permit you to have more than the given number of downloads you can have e on your device currently.

You can make your Netflix switch to either Standard or Premium. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the Netflix app.
2. Tap on your Profile icon from the upper right corner
3. Click or tap on Account.
4. Scroll down to look for Plan Details in the plane at the left.
5. On the right, choose Change Plan.
6. At this point, you can upgrade the streaming plan to Standard or Premium per your preference.
7. After choosing either Standard or Premium, choose Continue.

13. Contact Netflix Help Center.

After recommending to you all the suggestions given in the above article, we are sure they are all possible ways to curb the issue of your Netflix downloads not working.

Therefore if you still find it very worrying to face the challenge of your Netflix offline downloads not playing even after going through all the processes highlighted above, then you should not hesitate to reach out to the Netflix Help Center.

They aid you to resolve the issue in the best way, answering questions like “Why can’t I play Netflix offline downloads on android ”? or “Why are my Netflix offline downloads not playing?

Visiting their site to seek help from them will be the best and the farthest you can go to curb the issue of your Netflix offline downloads not working after all.

  You can do this by contacting them on the app, using the steps below:

1. Launch the Netflix app and before you try to sign in, tap or click on “Help” in the top right corner..

2. The Help Center brings you a lot of options where you can easily report your problem of Netflix downloads not working.

Conclusion – Netflix Downloads not Working

You should not hesitate to check out this article any day to find a better solution or suggestions on how to fix Netflix offline downloads not working, and know the reasons that caused you trouble over the issue.

We have outlined all the causes that have led to your Netflix downloads not working as well as their possible remedies. As highlighted in this article already, it may mostly be a result of your data settings and the Netflix server under maintenance among others.

Look for a detailed highlight on how to fix Netflix downloads not working anytime here.