With Netflix now making certain shows and movies available to download on its mobile apps, you're probably running out of space on your phone more often. For Android users, there is a quick fix that will allow you to transfer those downloads to your SD card until you want to watch them.
Transferring the movies to your SD card will take some effort on your part, but if your phone's memory is a precious commodity, it will be worth it. You will need a file manager or browser to transfer the files. We have a list of seven recommended free Android file managers Top 7 Free File Explorers for Android Top 7 Free File Explorers for Android There are plenty of file explorer and explorer apps for Android, but they are the best. Read More
For the purposes of this article, we will be using Astro File Manager to transfer the files.
Download the movie or TV show to your phone using the Netflix app and open the file manager of your choice. Astro File Manager is a great option and make sure the option to view hidden files is turned on. In the case of Astro File Manager, you can do this by going to Display Settings / Appearance and making sure to Show hidden files is checked.
Go Android> data> com.netflix.mediaclient> files> Download> .de . This is where you will find all the Netflix videos downloaded to your device. Since Netflix doesn't use the name of the TV show or movie in the file, it's best to do this process one at a time. You will find a folder with random numbers and letters for each video.
You'll want to add a name to the file before you transfer it to your SD card, but make sure you don't delete the original name or rename the file entirely. Once you've added the name of the show or movie, you can transfer the file to your SD card. To learn how to do this with Astro File Manager, watch the video below:
(In the latest version of Astro File Manager, you may find the Copy button at the top of the screen instead of the bottom.)
Unfortunately, you can't view these files directly from the SD card, so when the time comes to do so, you'll need to transfer them back to your phone. This is annoying, but it's still a useful trick if you know you're going to be without Wi-Fi for a while and want to build a library of TV shows and movies to watch.
When it's time to transfer the files, remove the name you added to the file and make sure the original file name stays exactly as it was when you first downloaded it. If the name is changed, Netflix will not be able to play the video.
Move the file from the SD card to your phone using the same method as shown above, and you're ready to watch your saved show or movie in the Netflix app.
An alternative, hassle-free method is to use your SD card as your default storage for your phone. This has some serious drawbacks as it is known to slow down the phone and you will not be able to remove the SD card from your phone.
Do you have other tips and tricks to save space on your phone? Let us know in the comments.
