Back in 2016, Netflix released a new update in which it added a download feature for offline viewing for its streaming platform, with this new feature people can now download content with the ease and watch it offline at any place at any time. Just don’t do it during an important meeting or during a lecture.
This feature has noticed a surge in Netflix users particularly amongst Indian users who leverage this feature to keep themselves entertained especially when they do not have access to the Internet.
The feature is useful in situations where you do not have high-speed Wifi access or if you have not opted for an unlimited data plan. So while the download feature of Netflix has been universally accepted, it also has a few disadvantages, in this article, we will learn about the offline download errors of Netflix and how to solve them.
For those of you who prefer watching movies offline and constantly download the latest TV series and movies, then you certainly might have come across errors related to the download limit on Netflix. So firstly, let us look at what is the download limit on Netflix and then find out if there is a way to increase the download limit on Netflix?
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What’s the Netflix Download Limit?
You can watch any movies and TV series offline on Netflix as the platform has an option where users can download their favorite shows, however, Netflix has set a certain limit on offline downloads, so you are restricted from downloading a ton of movies or TV shows. As per the information provided by one of the support pages of Netflix, “At any given time, on a single device a user is eligible to download a user can download a maximum of 100 titles, once the user has exceeded the 100 title limit they will receive an error which will restrict them from downloading any more content on Netflix from that particular device. Also note that you will be able to download titles one either one, two, three, or four devices depending on the Netflix subscription plan you’re using, so the first thing you should do is choose a plan that is best suited for you.
Why does my Netflix download get deleted automatically?
The titles you have downloaded have a certain expiration time, although this varies for different movies and tv series depending on the licensing agreement that has been agreed between Netflix and the creator of that title. For instance: a Netflix original like 6 Underground will always be in your downloads unless you remove it, whereas, for other tv shows or movies, users get a notification regarding an expiring download 7 days prior to the expiration date. If the content has been removed by Netflix, then it automatically gets removed from your downloads without any prior notice. But when you have already paid a subscription fee then why does Netflix have a download limit? If you have already paid for the content then why should Netflix restrict you from downloading more content? To solve your doubts let us look at the download policy of Netflix.
Why Does Netflix Have a Download Limit?
Ever since Netflix started dominating the streaming space, it began pouring heavy investments in original content resulting in a massive library of TV shows, movies, and documentaries, however, Netflix still licenses most of the trending content from other content creators. The license holders have full control over the download limit on Netflix which varies from title to title. You get a warning notification regarding the download limit when there is only one download left because Netflix does not provide the download limit set on each title at the beginning.
The creators set the download expiration of titles that are not owned by Netflix which varies from creator to creator. To sum it up, some titles that you have downloaded will not expire for several weeks or even months, whereas some titles may expire within 48 hours. So far, Netflix has not come up with an update where it gives you information about the exact expiration date of a title, which is something that most users would find very helpful, as it would make sure that you watch the title within the expiration limit so you don’t miss out on your favorite movie or TV show.
If the content creator has a provision in their agreement with Netflix for the number of times you can download one title on your device, then you might have to wait for a certain period (Usually 365 days) if you have exceeded the download limit for that particular title. Netflix Original series should not have a similar reason for limiting downloads, but surprisingly, the content streaming provider prefers not giving out specific details as to why there is a download limit on its original content as well.
Some Of The Most Common Netflix Download Limit Errors
Now that you know that there is no specific way to find out the download limit of Netflix until and unless you have exceeded the download limit and receive an error message when you go to download a particular Netflix shows, it is time to get familiar with the errors that you may encounter. These are the errors that are most likely to occur while downloading Netflix content for offline viewing:
Netflix error code:10016-22005 (You have too many downloaded videos)
Netflix allows its users to store a maximum of 100 unique titles on a single device at any specific time. If by some chance you have exceeded that limit which is highly unlikely (unless you are on a Netflix marathon) a notification will pop up when you open Netflix which says ‘you have too many downloaded videos on your device’ this is known as error 10016-22005. To solve this error and download additional titles, you will have to delete some previously downloaded titles from your device.
Error code: 10016-23000(You have downloads on many devices)
Netflix lets its users download content on one, two, or four devices at any given time depending on the subscription plan that you have purchased. If you exceed the number of downloads then an error message will pop up that says that you have downloads on many devices this is called error 10016-23000. If you wish to continue downloading Movies or TV series on a new device, you either have to delete the previously downloaded content from the older devices or see if you can upgrade your subscription plan to support more devices.
Error code: 10016-22007 (You have reached the yearly download limit for this video)
Netflix does not allow users to download particular titles more than a couple of times from the same account, although the number of downloads varies according to the licensing agreement that the streaming platform has with the content creator. If you have downloaded a particular title more than a couple of times, then Netflix will send you an alert stating that you have “reached the yearly download limit” for that particular title this is called the error 10016-22007. If you receive this error then there is no other option but wait for the allotted time period before you can download that particular title again.
How To Resolve these Netflix Download Errors?
Now that you know about the most common Netflix download errors, here is how you can solve them:
How to Fix the Netflix Error Code: 10016-22005
When you go to download a video but you get a notification from Netflix stating that you have already downloaded too many videos, you will have to delete older downloads before you can begin with the current download. To delete the older downloads go to the downloads section in your Netflix app on your iOS, Android, or Windows device then select whichever titles that you wish to delete from your downloads.
Netflix also has an option to delete all your previous downloads at once, this helps to free up a lot of the same which in turn allows you to download several new titles at once. If you are facing any trouble with deleting any older downloads then open this Netflix support page which will guide you with quick and easy instructions on how to delete old downloads on Netflix for Android, iOS, and Windows 10.
How to Fix Netflix Error code 10016-23000
If you receive a notification on Netflix that says ‘You have downloads on too many devices’, then you will have to delete all the downloads from an older device if you wish to download content on a new device. If you have the older device with you then you can use the above methods to delete the older content, however, if you do not have the access to the device then follow these steps to remove downloads from the older device:
- Open any browser and log in to your Netflix account, go to the top right corner and click the ‘Account’ option in the drop down menu
- Then go to ‘Settings’ and click the ‘Manage download devices’ option, this will redirect you to a page which gives you a list of all your connected devices that have downloaded content
- Click on the ‘Remove device’ button under the corresponding device to delete downloaded content from whichever older device you want.
By following these steps you will have removed your older device and all of the downloaded videos on the device will get deleted as well, this will help you to download more titles on your new device.
Manage Downloaded Content With Netflix Smart Downloads
Remember how you would get frustrated about downloading a video every time a new episode would release on Netflix that’s where the new Netflix Smart Downloads feature comes to your rescue.
In the first quarter of 2019, Netflix released a feature known as Netflix Smart Downloads that automatically download the next episode (requires WiFi connection) in a series that you’re currently watching offline, while also automatically deleting the episodes that you are done watching.
The only con with this feature is that it only available on Android devices and since it downloads and deletes episodes it is only available for TV series.
How to Enable the Netflix Smart Downloads feature on your Android phone?
Follow these steps to activate the Smart Downloads feature:
Step 1: Open the Downloads Tab
Step 2: Enable ‘Smart Downloads’ from the top left corner.
It is important to note that the Smart Downloads feature only works provided the series you are currently watching has additional episodes to download if there are no new episodes left to download then the last watched episode will not be deleted.
Watch Netflix Offline Without Any Concerns Regarding Download Limits
The information provided above should be enough to ease your mind for the next time you come across any errors or issues related to the video download limit on Netflix. However, make sure you keep an eye out on the number of times you download a specific title, or else you might have to wait for a whole 365 days to download that title again.
Netflix does have a download limit for videos but does not worry, you can still watch your favorite movie or series online if you have reached the download limit for that video, although you just won’t be able to download it. Watching Netflix online is not always possible for different reasons. So most people download the video and watch Netflix offline as it is much more convenient. Do let us know your take on the decision taken by Netflix to impose limitations on its download limit. Do you think Netflix is the No. 1 movie streaming site currently? If you are not certain then check out these top 25 free movie streaming sites of all time and vote for the best one.
