Netflix is one of the most popular video streaming services to watch TV shows and movies online. Millions of people worldwide enjoy content on Netflix every day. Perhaps one of those people is you! However, are you really getting the most out of Netflix? If you want to make sure you know the service inside and out, we’re here to help make it happen.
In this article, we’ll be telling you 17 Netflix tips and tricks to help make your experience even better. We’ll help you find better things to watch, save time and money, and show you some other helpful Netflix tricks. To begin, let’s talk about seven methods for how to find better things to watch on Netflix.
How to find better things to watch
1. Reset preference settings.
If your preferences have changed since you started using Netflix, or if you’re tired of seeing suggestions based on things your family members have watched, you can remove activity on your Netflix account that does not reflect your current taste in movies and shows. This will essentially reset Netflix taste preferences on your account. To do this:
- Move your cursor over your profile name in the top right corner. Then click Account.
- Scroll down to see your viewing activity on your profile.
- Click the X button beside anything you want to remove from your watch history.
- You can also remove things you’ve rated on Netflix. Click Rating beside “My Activity” to view a list of content you’ve rated on Netflix.
- Now, click on the X beside any movie or TV show you want to remove your rating for.
We have a whole article about Netflix settings! Check it out if you’re interested in reading more.
2. Use multiple profiles.
To make sure that you don’t get recommendations when other people are watching things you aren’t interested in using your Netflix account, you can create multiple profiles under one Netflix account. This will allow you to keep your watch list, viewing history, and recommendations separate, while still allowing you to share one account with your family members or a friend to help save money on the cost of a Netflix membership. Here’s how to create and manage Netflix profiles.
- Sign into your Netflix account.
- Hover over your name in the top right, and then click Manage Profiles.
- Edit a user profile by clicking the Pencil icon above their name.
- Create a new profile by clicking Add Profile.
- Enter details to the profile (like a name).
- Click Done to save your changes.
3. Check out IMDb’s top 250.
To get recommendations of the best movies to watch, check out this list of 250 top-rated movies on IMDb. Not all of these movies are available on Netflix, but many of them are. Look through the list and sort by ranking, IMDb rating, release date, or number of ratings. If any of them interest you, head over to Netflix and see if it’s available to stream. Even if it isn’t available, Netflix will likely still be able to suggest some related titles you might want to watch instead, right in the search feature.
And be sure to check out the entire IMDB.com website for other great lists and features.
4. Use tools like Netflix Roulette to get suggestions.
No ideas on what you want to watch? In the mood to watch just about anything? If you want to have something chosen for you at random to watch on Netflix, you should check out NetflixRoulette.net. Decide whether you want to see results for movies, TV shows, or both. You can also filter your search by genre or rating, or see only results with a certain director, actor, or title keyword.
5. Check out Rotten Tomatoes’ ratings of Netflix movies.
Many movies from Netflix have been rated by Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics. Here you can find reviews from RottenTomatoes.com of only movies that are available to stream on Netflix. This way, you know that any movie recommendation you find on this list will be available to watch through Netflix!
6. Find out what’s new with WhatsNewOnNetflix.com.
If you want to find out about the latest releases on Netflix in your country, or worldwide, check out WhatsNewOnNetflix.com. This website has a database showing all the newest movies and TV shows available on Netflix in various regions across the globe. The site is updated multiple times every day, so the information is always kept up-to-date.
WhatsNewOnNetflix also offers a VPN (virtual private network) service, called StrongVPN. This service will help you trick your web browser into thinking you’re in another country, allowing you to watch content available on Netflix in other regions that might not be available on Netflix where you live.
7. Check out the Best of Netflix Reddit page.
Reddit is a website that allows for discussion of various topics by anyone on the Internet who chooses to participate. On this site, you can find discussion forums on pretty much anything, including Netflix. If you want to get recommendations of shows and movies on Netflix that other users enjoy, head over to the NetflixBestOf page to read Reddit user forums. Click on a forum title (large colored text) to expand it and read its contents.
Find more forums about Netflix and tons of other topics on Reddit.com.
Those are some great ways to find new and better things to watch on Netflix. In our next section, we’ll be giving you some tips to help you save money and time when using the Netflix streaming service.
Tips for saving time/money when streaming Netflix
1. Change video streaming quality to use less data.
If you want to save some money on your next mobile data bill, or want to speed up the time it takes to load a movie or TV show to stream (or both), then you should consider changing your Netflix video playback quality setting. Reducing the quality of your streams can save you both time and money.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Netflix app on your mobile phone and go to the Your Account menu.
- Select Playback Settings from the top of the Account menu options.
- Choose the quality you want to use – Auto, Low, Medium, or High.
- Click Save to finalize the changes you’ve made to your settings.
Check out this article to learn more about how Netflix data usage works.
2. Share your account with a friend/family member.
If you want to save money on your Netflix membership fees, consider sharing a Netflix account with one of your close friends or family members. On one Netflix account, you can create multiple user profiles, allowing you to keep your preferences, watch list, viewing history, and recommendations separate, while still using (and paying for) just one account. If you want to add a new profile to your account so one of your friends can share it with you, here’s how!
- Hover your cursor over your name in the upper right corner of your Netflix homepage, then select Manage Profiles from the menu that appears below.
- To add another profile to your Netflix account, click Add Profile.
- Add a name to the profile, and indicate if the profile is for a child under age 12. Checking the box labelled “Kid” will restrict that profile exclusively to content rated suitable for children.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 to create more profiles if you wish – you can create up to five profiles on one Netflix account.
- To save your new Netflix profiles, click Done.
Share your Netflix login information with your friends and allow them to create their own user profiles, then work out a way to split the cost between multiple people. This will make it less expensive for all of you each month. You may even choose to upgrade your membership to Premium to allow you and your friends to be streaming on up to 4 screens at any given time. When you’re splitting the cost a few ways, the Premium membership (normally $11.99/month) could cost each of you only about $3.99!
3. Take advantage of the Netflix free trial.
Not sure if Netflix is worth it for you? You can try Netflix for free for one month with their free trial membership! Simply sign up for a new account and enjoy one month of their streaming service for free.
- Go to Netflix.com and click Join Free for a Month.
- Choose the streaming plan you want to use. A Basic membership is $7.99/month, Standard is $9.99/month, and Premium is $11.99/month. Choose the plan you want to go with, then click Continue.
- Enter your email address and create a password for your new Netflix account. Check the box below if you don’t want to be sent email offers. Click Continue to move on.
- Choose the method of payment you want to use. Don’t worry – you won’t be charged anything unless you decide to continue your membership past the free trial period of 1 month.
- Enter the information required for the method of payment you selected. If you’re paying using your credit card, you’ll need to enter your name, card number, its expiration date, and its security code. When you’re done, click Start Membership.
That’s all you need to do to get one month of free Netflix! If you don’t want to be charged, be sure to cancel your Netflix membership before the end of the free trial month. You will still be able to log in and watch Netflix until the end of your free trial.
4. Pause your membership if you’re not using it.
If you find yourself not using your Netflix membership very often, you might want to put your account on hold. To avoid paying for a service you aren’t using, you should cancel your Netflix account. Remember that you can cancel your subscription at any time, because Netflix doesn’t lock its users into a contract that requires them to keep their membership for a set amount of time.
Should you choose to cancel your membership, you will still have access to the service until the end of that period (until the time when you would have been billed next) and you can create a new account at a later time if you decide you want to start using it again. If you want to cancel your Netflix plan, you can do so here.
5. Buy discounted Netflix gift cards to pay for your account.
Another way to save money on your monthly fees for your Netflix membership is to purchase discounted Netflix gift cards and use them to pay for your account. This is one of our favorite Netflix tips! Stores like Walmart, BestBuy and Amazon sell gift cards for Netflix, and often they go on sale for a discounted price. Purchase one of these gift cards, then register the card as a payment method on your Netflix account.
6. Download movies/shows to watch offline later.
Do you sometimes like to watch Netflix on-the-go? Perhaps you like to enjoy a TV show episode or two while riding the bus or train to and from work or school. If you like to watch Netflix on your mobile device, you probably find you use up quite a bit of data, even if you’ve reduced the quality of the videos you’re streaming.
One solution to this problem is to download movies and TV shows you want to stream on Netflix in advance. This allows you to save video content to your device so you can watch it later, even if you have no Internet access. Not everything available on Netflix is available to download, but many movies and shows are. You will need Internet access to do the downloading, but then you can watch and enjoy on-the-go without wasting your data!
- To download a movie or show on Netflix, open the Netflix app on your mobile device. From the side panel menu, tap Available for Download to see only content that can be downloaded to watch later.
- Tap a movie or TV show to go to the description page of the content you want to download. Then click the Download icon to begin downloading it. If you’re downloading a TV show, you will need to tap the Download button beside each episode you wish to download.
- Once you’re finished downloading content, tap My Downloads from the main menu to view a list of the movies and TV show episodes you’ve downloaded.
- If you want to watch something you’ve downloaded, tap on it to begin playing.
Those are all the Netflix tricks we recommend using to save yourself some time and money! We still have a few more tips and tricks to offer, so keep reading if you want to learn some of our general Netflix advice!
Other helpful Netflix tricks
1. Make use of these handy keyboard shortcuts while streaming on Netflix.
To make it easy to play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and more, check out this list of helpful Netflix keyboard shortcuts. You can do all of these functions without having to use your mouse to reveal the control toolbar, and instead simply hit a key on your keyboard. These are awesome to know, so keep note of them and you’ll begin to memorize them the more you use them.
F = full screen
ESC = exit full screen
Shift + Left Arrow = rewind, Shift + Right Arrow = fast-forward
M = mute
Up arrow = volume up
Down arrow = volume down
Enter = play/pause
Page up = play
Page down = pause
2. Change up your Netflix subtitle settings so they better suit your needs.
Tired of looking at unnecessary subtitles on Netflix? Or want to try watching a movie or TV show in a foreign language? Maybe you’re struggling to read subtitles because the font is just too small. If you have any of these issues, you can change your subtitle settings to make them just the way you want them.
To make changes to subtitles while streaming something on Netflix, click the Dialog icon (the one that looks like a speech bubble). This will give you options to turn subtitles on or off, change the language the subtitles appear in.
If you want to change the size or color of the subtitles you see when streaming, access your Netflix subtitle preferences to change them to your liking.
3. Enable Netflix auto-pause for when you fall asleep while watching a movie or TV show.
If you like to watch Netflix when you’re getting ready for bed, or lounging on the couch, you can get it to automatically pause what you’re watching if you happen to fall asleep. Netflix has a series of projects on the “Make It” section of their website. One of these projects are the Netflix socks.
These smart socks can detect when you’ve fallen asleep, and pause your show or movie automatically. Check out their tutorial to learn how you can create your own pair!
4. Use Rabbit to watch and discuss Netflix with your friends.
Our final Netflix tip is to use a website called Rabbit to watch and talk about Netflix with your friends and family. This makes it easy for you to host a watch party with your loved ones, even if you’re not able to actually be together in person! You can even host or join public streams if you want to watch something with other people who love the same types of shows and movies as you.
EDIT: As of July 31, 2019, Rabbit is no longer available. It is now part of a similar service called Kast. You can also try some alternatives to Rabbit and Kast.
Now that you’re armed with these 17 helpful tips and tricks for Netflix, you’re all set for getting the most out of your Netflix membership. Have an extra tip you think we should add? Tell us about it below! Check out our free course on how to use Netflix if you want to learn the basics. Want to stream Netflix from your computer on your TV? Find our helpful tutorial on how to connect your computer to your television here.
