9 Netflix Hacks to Get the Most Out of Your Subscription
It’s time to power up your Netflix experience with some easy Netflix ‘hacks’ that will amplify your viewing experience and help you get the most out of the service.
Remove Dud Recommendations
Did you know that you can delete Netflix watch history?
While you can use this to clear embarrassing shows from the lineup, it has a far more practical purpose. The algorithm recommends movies and shows based on the content you’ve already watched. But it has no way of knowing what you watched and didn’t enjoy and what you watched and actually enjoyed. So by removing bad choices from your history through the account Options > Viewing Activity > Clear entire show, you can get better picks that suit your taste, too.
Find Shows at Random
Netflix has recently added the option just to play something randomly. This will save you from the agony of finding the ‘right’ show and just get things rolling. It’s a great way to find new content or simply solve familial bickering over what to watch. Laptop users can’t access this yet, but there are third-party websites that will do it for you.
…Or Find Them Faster
Many third-party sites offer better categorization, personalized filters, and other advanced search features. This will help you find new shows that suit your tastes better or find specific content you’re struggling to access with the native scroll-based search.
Download to Watch Later
Make your commute less boring, or keep the kids quiet on a road trip without burning through your mobile data allowance by pre-downloading a show to watch. Not only will this let you better control your data usage, but it will also help show buffer quicker in dud signal areas.
Laptop Shortcuts
Did you know that there are a host of laptop shortcuts you can use if viewing from a laptop? These can make your viewing experience substantially better, so check them out!
New Genres
Another thing few people realize is that the default genres displayed by Netflix are far from the only ones they have. They have hundreds! You can access subgenres that better appeal to you by entering their code, which you can find on the Netflix site. Chrome also has an extension for this.
Block Binge Watching
The binge-watching model may make Netflix its bread and butter, releasing even the newest shows in bulk. That’s great if you have the time for it—but not so great if someone on your account is using it as an excuse to lay around watching shows all day.
That autostart of the next episode gets too tempting, sometimes. Simply head to account Settings > Playback settings > Autoplay options for each profile you want to change. Uncheck autoplay, and you’re done. This can be managed by profile, so you don’t have to change it for everyone.
Skip Autoplay Previews
Have the automatic previews started feeling like the old unskippable DVD trailers? Do you get aggravated by the autoplay on mouseover? Time to turn it off, too. You will do the exact same thing: Account settings > Playback settings > Autoplay options for each profile you want to change. This time, untick ‘autoplay previews.’ You’ll never be bothered again!
A few Netflix hacks like these, and your viewing experience will soon be precisely what you want it to be. Do you know any other quick tricks? Be sure to share them, too!
