In a recent update, Netflix retired its dedicated Windows app, and now offers a web app instead. This new "app," however is essentially a shortcut to open the Netflix website, and, as a result, you lose an important feature: downloads.
The ability to download videos and watch them offline is critical for many streaming services, since it's not possible to stream your content all the time. I always have a couple episodes or movies downloaded on my devices if I want to watch something when the internet is down, or when I'm traveling without a connection.
While Netflix still has downloads on iPhone, iPad, and Android, it dropped download support for Windows. It's not clear why, but you're not out of luck if you travel with your PC. As it turns out, there is a workaround to continue downloading content on Netflix for Windows.
How to download movies on Netflix for Windows
Instead of using Netflix's official "web app," try downloading an older version of the Netflix app, as highlighted by this post on Reddit. This version still has the downloads feature in tact, so you can keep downloading your content as usual.
Remember that this is only a temporary fix. Netflix could stop supporting the older version of its app anytime, rendering this workaround ineffective. However, as of this article, it appears to be working. Here's what you need to do:
If your PC has already updated Netflix for Windows, you should uninstall it. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, click the three-dots next to Netflix, and select Uninstall.
Next, you should turn off automatic updates on the Microsoft Store in order to stop Netflix from updating to the newest version, which, of course, removes the downloads feature. Open the Microsoft Store and click the profile icon. Go to Settings and turn off App updates.
Install the older version of Netflix. To download it directly from Microsoft, go to this Adguard store page and paste Netflix's app link. When you click the checkmark, you'll see a bunch of results, but you want to download version 6.99.5 from the list. Alternatively, the Reddit thread lists download links hosted on Dropbox and Google Drive, but downloading directly from Microsoft is the preferred method.
Once the app is downloaded, open Terminal on your PC and paste this command:
Add-AppxPackage .Downloads4DF9E0F8.Netflix_6.99.5.0_neutral_~_mcm4njqhnhss8.AppxBundle
This will install the old version of Netflix on your PC, and you will be able to download movies and TV shows as always. Note that the Terminal command assumes that you downloaded the Netflix app package to the Downloads folder on your PC. Feel free to alter the path if it's saved elsewhere. It's also worth noting that even if you disable automatic app updates, Microsoft Store can sometimes try to update all apps on your PC. You can avoid this problem by manually cancelling the download or by keeping the Microsoft Store closed.