How to download movies from Amazon Prime for offline viewing
Amazon Prime members have access to an amazing curation of movies, TV shows, and many Amazon exclusives, including award-winning documentaries. With content on a constant rotation, new flicks and seasons are arriving and departing almost daily. Finding it hard to keep up with Amazon’s programming? Fortunately, the Amazon Video app allows you to download your favorite movies for offline viewing. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll teach you how to download offline from Amazon, as well as how to manage your files and a few tips and tricks for media viewing.
The process
Step 1: Install the Prime Video app and log in
First of all, you’ll need an Amazon account with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Also, you’ll need the Amazon Prime Video app, meaning you’ll need a compatible Fire, Android, or iOS device. Once installed, launch the app and sign in to your Amazon Prime account.
Amazon Video download screen
Step 2: Select a video
Next, select a film or show that you want to download and open the video details. Note that not all Amazon Prime movies or TV shows are available for download, and you can only download content if you are in certain areas (the U.S., for example). Once you’ve chosen a movie or show, tap the Download button — for shows, you can also download individual episodes.
Amazon Video download screen
Step 3: Choose where to save the file
If you have an SD card in your phone, you’ll be asked to decide whether you want to download the video to it or use your phone’s internal storage. Keep in mind that video files can get quite large, so if possible, we recommend opting for external storage.
Amazon Video download screen
Step 4: Choose the video quality
Next, choose your desired video quality. The higher the download quality, the larger the file size. Tap Start Download.
Amazon Video download quality screen
Step 5: Browse your downloads
To browse the films and shows you’ve previously downloaded, select the My Stuff button on the bottom.
Amazon Video download screen
Your downloaded titles will appear here. Tap the one you want, then tap Watch Now.
Amazon Video download screen
The Prime Video app is available for mobile devices, tablets, and compatible Windows 10 computers. If you’re looking to get your downloaded movies and TV episodes onto a larger screen, you can do so by “casting” the content to your TV. Here’s how:
Casting your content
Step 1: Hit “Watch On”
If you wish to do so, select the video you want to watch, then tap the More button.
Amazon Video casting
Then, select Watch On.
Amazon Video “watch on” screen
Step 2: Choose a location
Amazon Video casting options
The app will then check for devices that you can cast the video to, such as a Fire TV stick.
How much space do I need?
The amount of storage needed for a file depends on its quality. We downloaded the film Annihilation at the Best quality setting and it took up 1GB of storage, while at Good quality (the second-lowest), it took up a mere 308MB. Season 1 of The Wire, 13 episodes in all, took up 3.5GB when downloaded on Good quality.
What’s available?
According to Amazon, only select titles are available for download. When we browsed the Prime Video selections, it looked like every title available to Prime subscribers was downloadable. Most likely, you can count on all Amazon originals being available for download. Note that you can only download videos while in the U.S. and U.S. territories, although once you’ve downloaded them, you can watch them from anywhere.
How do I delete titles?
Deleting a single title
Step 1: To delete a single film, go to your My Stuff section, find the film you want to delete, and tap the Three Dots.
Amazon Video delete option
Step 2: Next, tap Delete Download.
Amazon Video delete download screen
Deleting a show
Step 1: To delete a show, go to the section labeled “My Stuff,” go to the show you want to be removed, then click the Three Dots.
Amazon Video deleting content
Step 2: Then, hit Delete Download.
Amazon Video delete download screen
To delete individual episodes
Step 1: Go to the Downloads section, locate the show you want to be deleted, then hit Edit.
Amazon Video — deleting individual episodes
Step 2: Select the show’s episode you need deleted, hit the Three Dots, then hit Delete.
Amazon Video — deleting multiple videos
Downloading content and media on Amazon Prime is incredibly convenient, but using this streaming service does come with some downsides. For one thing, Amazon won’t allow you to download media to most non-Windows 10 computers, and some titles are only watchable for a specific amount of time. Also, you lose access to your titles if your Amazon Prime subscription gets canceled. It’s still a user-friendly streaming service for binge-watching TV shows, though.
Which streaming services allow offline downloads?
In addition to Amazon Video, there are several other content-streaming services that give users the option of offline downloads.
Leave a Reply