Although streaming services have become widely popular over the past few years, making movies easily accessible in most situations, they aren’t so handy when there’s no internet connection — or if someone wants to actually own a movie. That’s where downloading can come in handy, though the information on how to do so isn’t always widely available.
There are several ways to download movies onto your MacBook so that you can play them without an internet connection, including downloading directly from certain streaming services (not all allow downloads on Mac), or downloading the movie directly from a legal source online.
Let’s take a closer look at the various ways to download movies on a MacBook and some other things you need to consider when doing so.
How to Download Movies on a MacBook
There are a few different ways to download movies on a MacBook (on Amazon), though some are more complicated than others. The method you choose will depend on whether you want the movies for free — and how much work you want to put into getting them.
Streaming Platforms
One of the safest and most legitimate ways to download movies on a MacBook is by using a streaming site. If you have a subscription to, for example, Hulu, then you can easily follow their instructions to download movies for later viewing.
The only issue is that you’ll usually be restricted to the device you downloaded it on. You can’t distribute the movie to other devices.
Only certain streaming platforms offer this feature, and many limit it to certain devices — where the MacBook is often not included. For instance, Netflix, which allows downloads to iPhone and iPad, doesn’t allow downloads to Mac, because Apple would prefer you buy or rent content from them on their native Mac platforms (like Apple TV).
Movie Downloading Sites
Some third-party sites will allow you to type in the URL of a movie online and download it to your computer. The advantage of this is that you’ll then have the file and can send it to different devices and even share it with friends and family.
However, some movie downloading sites can be dangerous and are filled with scams and hackers. Always make sure you do your research on the site you intend on using by typing it into Google and looking at accounts of others using it.
To be clear, this is not a recommendation to pirate or otherwise steal movies and download them directly. Rather, you should know that some movies that have entered the public domain may be literally available to download on YouTube or otherwise available for you to acquire and store offline legally.
Apple TV
Another way to download movies on your MacBook is by using Apple TV. Apple TV has a vast array of movies and shows available for download, but the catch is that they cost money. If you don’t mind purchasing your movies, this is a great option.
QuickTime Recording
You can also play a movie on your MacBook from the internet and record it using QuickTime by following these steps:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB cable.
- Open QuickTime and choose ‘New Recording.’
- Click the arrow next to the ‘Record‘ button and choose to record from your iPhone.
- Find the movie on your iPhone you want to record by opening up a streaming service and hit ‘Play‘ around the same time you hit ‘Record‘ on your laptop.
- Stop the recording when the movie is over and save the file.
Some people prefer to do this rather than downloading directly from the streaming site because, much like using a movie downloader, this gives you the file — and it’s completely safe since you don’t need to download any software.
How to Download Movies on Streaming Platforms
If you’re looking to download movies directly from the streaming platforms themselves, most of them make it pretty easy if you’re on a phone or tablet. However, with laptops, a lot of them are very strict and won’t let you download content directly.
How to Download Movies From Netflix
Downloading movies from Netflix is only permitted on certain Apple devices, and a MacBook sadly isn’t one of them. To download on MacBook from Netflix, you’ll have to use use the QuickTime method or a movie downloader.
How to Download Movies From Hulu
It’s much easier to download Hulu movies on a MacBook, so there’s no need to use the QuickTime method:
- Find the Search menu.
- On the menu, tap the ‘Downloadable‘ filter.
- Select what you’d like to download.
The only downside to this is that not every movie on Hulu is available for download, so you may still have to use another method for certain films.
How to Download Movies From Amazon Prime
If you have Amazon Prime, you can also download movies to your MacBook to watch later — though, much like Apple TV, this will cost money. The good news is that there are lots of movies available. Amazon Prime has almost everything, so you aren’t limited for choice if you’re willing to pay.
How to Download Movies From HBO Max
HBO Max also allows MacBook users to download movies, but there’s a catch. You’re only allowed to have thirty downloads at once, so you can’t build a big offline collection — and much like Netflix, it only allows this on a phone or tablet, so you have to use QuickTime or a movie downloader to get it on your MacBook.
How to Use a Movie Downloader
Because so many streaming services limit you to tablets like the Amazon Fire (available on Amazon) and phones with available downloads, using a movie downloader is one of the best ways to get that content on your MacBook.
The first thing you should do is make sure you’ve found a legitimate program. MacX Video Converter Pro is a good choice, but there are quite a few that work. You can do this by researching them.
Fortunately, Apple devices do have good security systems that work well against viruses if you make a mistake, but it’s always better not to take the risk.
You can then follow the instructions in the program. Normally, it will involve typing in the URL of a video and letting the program analyze it before offering it for download. You’ll then have to choose the quality and video format before you go ahead and download it.
Make sure you think about what devices you want to play the movie on (if it’s more than just the MacBook) before you choose the video format. You should also remember that the higher the quality, the more memory it will take up on your computer.
How Much Storage Space Is on a MacBook?
Large videos — especially high-quality ones — are some of the biggest culprits for taking up a lot of space on a computer. Therefore, being aware of how much space you have on your MacBook is key to ensuring it can hold those movies you want to download.
How much space you have depends on what computer model you have. Different MacBooks come with different storage capacities, so make sure you check yours by accessing ‘About This Mac’ (found by clicking the apple icon at the top left-hand corner of the screen).
You can then navigate to storage and see how much the computer has and how much you have left.
Can I Upgrade My MacBook Storage?
MacBooks don’t make it easy to upgrade the storage. If you’ve found that you’ve run out, the best thing you can do is buy an external storage device, like the Seagate Portable 1TB External Drive (on Amazon), and store movies on there. You should make sure that the storage device is compatible with your MacBook, as some aren’t.
How Much Storage Does a Movie Use?
How much storage a movie will take up fully depends on the quality, the runtime, and the video format. For the most part, a standard definition movie can use up to 2 GB of space, and a high definition movie can use up to 4 GB.
That means you need to make some decisions about the quality you can stand vs. how many movies you actually want to have on your MacBook.