Netflix is one of the most popular online streaming services in the world. They have an excellent collection of original movies, TV Shows, stand-up shows, classics, and even content from other networks. There are multiple ways in which you can access Netflix. The simplest way is to use the official app for your Smartphone (Android and iOS). If you have a relatively new Smart TV, then chances are there is a Netflix app for your Smart TV. Netflix also has an app for Windows systems. But what about Mac systems? Is there a Netflix App for Mac? Can you download Netflix on Mac?
In this guide, we will see different ways to watch Netflix on Mac machines. We will also answer the important question every Mac owner with a Netflix account has, “Can you download Netflix on Mac?”.
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A Brief Note on Netflix
Today, there are more than a dozen online streaming services or OTT Platforms. But Netflix is the one that made it popular. People were still buying DVDs and Blu-rays and were reluctant to subscribe to an online-only system.
But Netflix, with its superb original content, either in the form of Movies, 8 to 10 episode TV Shows, stand-up comedy shows, and animated shows attracted users away from physical media towards fully online content.
Initially, Netflix didn’t have much of a competition at all. Slowly other OTT platforms such as Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max emerged but couldn’t dethrone Netflix.
Even today, Netflix has the highest number of paying subscribers than any other streaming service.
How To Watch Netflix Content?
There are different ways to watch Netflix. Let us see some popular methods.
1. Smartphone App
Be it Android or iOS, Netflix has an official app for both the major smartphone Operating Systems right now in the market.
Just go to the Play Store (for Android Devices) or App Store (iOS Devices) and download the Netflix App.
If you already have an account, log in with your credentials. If not, create an account. To watch content, you need to subscribe to a plan. There are several plans for you to choose from.
Once you choose a subscription, you can select any content and start watching.
2. Smart TV
One of the popular ways to watch Netflix original movies and TV Shows is on a large-screen TV. There are a couple of ways you can watch Netflix on TV. If you have a Smart TV, then it will have a Netflix App for sure.
Some popular Smart TV Operating Systems are webOS (LG), Tizen OS (Samsung), and Android (many TV Brands). All these operating systems have their respective application stores.
You can download the Netflix App from these stores and log in with your credentials to watch the content.
3. Streaming Devices
The second way to watch Netflix on large-screen TVs is by using a dedicated Streaming Device. You have several streaming devices such as Fire TV Stick, Nvidia Shield, Roku, Apple TV, several Android Streaming Systems, etc.
Depending on the operating system of these Streaming Devices, there will be stores to download applications. All these devices have support from Netflix as it released its official app for almost all streaming devices in the market.
4. Gaming Consoles
If you have gaming consoles such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, etc., then all these consoles also have the official Netflix app.
5. Blu-ray Players
Modern Blu-ray players from reputable brands such as Panasonic, LG, Sony, Samsung, etc. can not only play physical discs but also stream content online.
All these players have a Netflix app that you can use to watch content.
6. App For Windows
Windows system has the benefit of using its dedicated Netflix App. You can go to Microsoft Store and install the Netflix App.
7. Netflix Website
Even if you don’t have all the above-mentioned devices, you can simply fire up a web browser on your computer, open Netflix’s website, log in, and watch content.
Is There a Netflix App For Macs?
While Netflix has its official app for different devices such as Smartphones, Tablets, Computers, Smart TVs, Streaming Devices, etc., many macOS user wonder if there is a Netflix app for their Mac systems.
Sadly, the answer is no. As of now (at the time of writing this guide), Netflix hasn’t launched an official app for macOS.
Can You Download Netflix on Mac?
If you are looking forward to downloading Netflix on Mac computers, then you are in for disappointment. As there is no official Netflix app for Mac, you cannot download Netflix on Mac systems.
We don’t know the reason behind Netflix not releasing an app for macOS. But as there is no Netflix app that means you cannot download Netflix content on Mac machines for offline viewing.
If you are familiar with offline viewing, you can use the official Netflix app on your Smartphone or Windows machine and download a movie or TV Show to watch it later, even without an internet connection.
This is possible only from the official Netflix app and you cannot download offline content anywhere else. As there is no official app for Mac, there is no straight or legal way to download content for offline viewing.
What Are The Alternatives?
If there is no Netflix App for Mac systems, then how to watch its content on macOS devices? One of the simplest ways is to use a web browser.
Browers such as Chrome, Safari, etc. support playback from Netflix’s website. So, use your favorite web browser on a Mac system and watch Netflix movies or TV Shows by accessing Netflix’s Website.
Are you using the latest MacBooks with Apple Silicon (M1 or M2 SoCs)? If this is the case, then you can try to download Netflix’s iOS App and use it on your M1 or M2 MacBook.
We haven’t tested this method. Look for Netflix App on Mac’s App Store (in the iPhone & iPad apps). If it is not present, then chances are the developer (in this case, Netflix) hasn’t enabled this feature.
There are other methods such as installing Windows OS (Parallels or Boot Camp), sideloading the Netflix app, AirPlay from an iOS device (iPhone) to Mac, or screen recording, etc.
We do not recommend these methods as some of them are illegal while others can break your system. So, the best way to watch Netflix on Mac as of now is using a web browser. And no, you cannot download Netflix on Mac, be it the application or the content for offline viewing.
Conclusion
Netflix is one of the most popular and most viewed streaming services. It has support for different devices and operating systems as it provides official apps for many platforms.
The advantage of watching content on these official Netflix apps is that on some devices, you can download content for offline viewing.
Sadly, Mac users cannot enjoy this feature. If you use a MacBook and looking to download Netflix on Mac system, then you will be disappointed. At the time of writing this guide, there is no official Netflix app for Mac systems.
In this guide, we covered different ways in which you can watch Netflix content. As there is no Netflix app for macOS, we mentioned a couple of ways for you to watch Netflix on your Mac systems.
