We told you that Netflix was adding Watch Instantly support for Macs using Microsoft Silverlight earlier this week, but now the official Netflix blog details how to enable the new Silverlight. You can use the Netflix HTML5 player or the Silverlight plug-in to watch Netflix TV shows and movies on: PCs running Windows XP or later. Intel-based Macs running OS X Tiger (v10.4.11) or later. IPads running iPadOS 13.0 or later. See complete requirements below for HTML5, Silverlight 4, and Silverlight 5. RECOMMENDED: Use Silverlight in the 32-bit Internet Explorer process on x64 systems. Most browser plug-ins (including Silverlight, Flash, Java and almost all ActiveX controls) only work in.
Netflix gives you the option to download shows on their Windows app, as well as Android and iOS, but there is no such thing for Mac users. For a long time now, I was looking for a way to download my favorite Netflix shows on a Mac, and there wasn’t any working solution. Until today.
So, I recently found out a way to download Netflix videos on Mac. And no, we are not talking about recording Mac’s screen. Instead, we’ll use an app called Parallels, which lets you run Windows on your Mac. Yes, you can also run Windows on the Mac with Boot Camp but that will require you to restart your Mac every time you need to switch to Windows and not to mention the complicated setup. Parallels, on the other hand, is an optimized virtual machine, so it runs Windows within macOS. The setup is simple and would take around 15 minutes. And it even works flawlessly even with a VPN, so you can watch geo-restricted shows like the office the US without any glitch. And if that’s not enough, it even lets you watch 4k content on your Mac. Sounds awesome. Let’s see how you go about it.
Download Netflix Movies on Mac
Step 1: Install Parallels on a Mac
Go to www.parallels.com and download Parallels Desktop application for your computer. https://ievpyw.weebly.com/blog/new-wuper-mario-bros-wii-mac-dolphin-download. Although the single license costs $80, there is a 14 days trial with full access to the software.
Within the trial period, you won’t be bugged with any watermarks or asked for your credit card information. So, it makes sense to use this if you are going for a vacation where the internet might be expensive or non-existent.
If you like the software then you can purchase a license after trial runs its course.
Once you download Parallels’s dmg file, install it on your Mac, like you install any other software.
My favorite thing about Parallels is that the installation is extremely simple. Simply, run the software, and it’ll take care of everything, from installing Windows to configuring it. In fact, I ran the installer and went for a walk. Once I came back, Windows was ready to go. I was surprised, I didn’t have to click even a single button.
You may get a popup that would read System Extension Blocked, it means your macOS requires an exception in Security Preferences for this application. Click the button to open the Settings page and grant the permissions.
You just have to click a single button to grant the exception, click ‘Allow’ to begin the setup process. It would also prompt you to enter the macOS account credentials and authenticate the transaction before granting the exception.
It automatically fetches the Windows copy from the Windows server so you don’t have to download the Windows ISO. Parallels download an evaluation copy of Windows though. It would take a few minutes to install though as the package is around 5GB.
After downloading the setup files, Parallels would automatically begin the installation process and you would be greeted with the installation screen. If you’ve never used windows, this screen means you’re already there and it would take a couple of more minutes to finalize the settings.
After finishing the installation, you will be able to use your Windows right out of the box. No need to install any drivers or anything. It’s that simple.
After the installation is finished, Parallels will ask you to create a free account. To save some time, you can log in with your Google account and you’re up and going.
And there you go, Windows on a Mac. Cool. The Windows desktop replicates Mac’s desktop to Windows and adds all the files on the Windows desktop too which is cool. I can access my documents easily without having to manually copy the contents from macOS to the simulated Windows.
Step 2: Install the Netflix app
Next up, we need to download the Netflix app on Windows, so, open the Windows Store, search for Netflix, click ‘Get’ and there you go. You can even install Netflix without signing in to a Microsoft account. Good job Microsoft.
Now, once you have the Netflix app, log in to the Netflix app with your credentials. One thing I noticed while I was setting up the Netflix account is the overall smoothness, I mean it’s unreal. It works even better than some Windows computers out there.
I tested this on the least powerful 2015, 128 GB MacBook Air. If this work on this MacBook, it’ll work on most Macs out there.
After logging in to Netflix, let’s go ahead and download something to test if it actually works. Not everything is available to download though, to find the shows, available for download, go to the ‘Available for Download’ section in the menu. If the title you want to download from Netflix isn’t available for download, then you got no other option than to capture the screen as you watch it.
Once you find the title you want to download from the available catalog and click the Download button to start the download.
You will then see a blue progress bar along the bottom of the app. Once the download finishes, it would show up in the download library of the Netflix app. You can find your downloaded shows by going to the menu and tapping My Downloads. Simply press play and start watching your videos.
The videos are downloaded in your Macbook storage, so make sure you have enough memory.
You can even play videos with the Internet off. You can try this by turning off the WiFi on your mac. I watched the entire episode on the Airplane mode to test the app and it worked just fine.
Read: Remove Shows From Continue Watching on Netflix App (Android | iOS)
The Netflix app retains all the features even though being simulated on a sandbox, including the smart downloads, which will automatically delete an episode once you’ve watched and downloaded the next one when you are connected to the Internet.
To enable the smart download or to download videos in higher video quality, go to the menu and scroll down to Downloads. Under Downloads, tap Video Quality and choose the quality that works for you.
It remembers how far along you’ve watched the episode and resumes even after you restart the Parallels’ session on the mac. It’s safe to say the method is pretty dope at this point.
Step 3: Download Geoblocked content
We have a fully functional Netflix app that stores all the downloaded files safely in the system. While I don’t have a shortage of titles, there are a few strays which are not available in my country. You can use a VPN to circumvent the geo-restrictions to access the content from around the world.
Turn on your VPN that supports Netflix unblock, (we recommend Nord VPN or Smart DNS Proxy VPN) and connect to a location where the content might not be blocked. I usually look for titles like The Office as it isn’t available in my country. Just search for the title and it should show up in the search results on the Netflix app.
If by any chance the app doesn’t pull up the titles, it could be because of the Cache issue. Restarting the Netflix app within the Windows won’t solve this problem, you would have to close the Parallels app on your mac and restart the sandbox.
After booting the Windows up, open the Netflix app again, try searching for the title again and it should pop in the results now.
Step 4: Play Netflix in 4K on a Mac
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The party is still not over, there is one final thing. It can play Netflix 4k content on the Mac. Until now, you could only do this on Windows. We’re still playing the content on Windows but it’s on a Mac now. You would need a Macbook or a TV which supports 4K screen. Also, upgrade your Netflix account to the one which has 4K playback options.
Read: How to Watch Netflix in 1080p on Chrome and FireFox
I tested this on a few Macs lying around including a MacBook Pro and an iMac, it works on every device. You can even watch 4K content on Edge browser but Safari and Chrome simply don’t play Netflix content in 4K so there’s that.
Read: 10 Chrome Extensions to Supercharge Your Netflix Experience
Closing Words
This is how to download Netflix movies on Mac. I’ve been using the setup for the past three days and it works flawlessly. There aren’t any watermarks on the simulated Windows and the software doesn’t nag you to upgrade to premium. I’ll update the results if there are any updates with this method. As of now, I’ve to go and pack my bags.
Read: How To Watch Netflix Together With Remote Friend (Android | iOS)
Microsoft Silverlight is an already deprecated application framework used for writing and running rich internet applications. It can be likened to Adobe Flash. Its early versions centered on streaming media, while later ones supported multimedia, graphics, as well as animation. The latter also provided developers with support for CLI languages along with development tools.
Industry watchers were quick to observe Silverlight’s death as early as 2011. The following year, Silverlight fell out of favor and Microsoft deprecated it for HTML5 in Windows 8. Before 2015 ended, everybody knew that it was doomed, but the company remained largely unclear about its future.
Some Mac users, however, probably wonder: is Silverlight needed on Mac? Should they still install and enable it on their machine? Here are a few answers to burning questions about the technology near its demise.
What Is Silverlight?
Now in Silverlight 5, the program is defined on the Microsoft site as a “powerful development tool for creating engaging, interactive user experiences for web and mobile applications.” The free plugin is powered by the .NET framework. It is compatible with different browsers, devices, as well as operating systems.
The multiple perceived uses and benefits of Silverlight include:
End-of-Life Timeline
From its initial launch back in 2007, Silverlight was already compared to Adobe’s Flash. It helped provide video streaming for different events, including the NBC coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and the 2008 conventions for the two U.S. political parties.
How To Download Netflix On Mac With Silverlight Free
Silverlight was also harnessed for the video streaming services of Amazon Video and Netflix. Since getting wind of Silverlight’s end of life, however, Netflix announced in 2013 that it was moving to HTML5 video.
How To Download Netflix On Mac With Silverlight Windows 10
In a July 2015 blog, Microsoft encouraged companies using Silverlight for media to start transitioning to DASH/MSE/CENC/EME based designs. It set October 2021 as the overall support end date for Silverlight 5.
Here is support information for various browsers and programs:
How to Enable Silverlight on Mac
How to download adobe flash videos on mac. If you are a Mac user and, by any chance, you find that you still need Silverlight, there are still ways to install and enable it on your computer. Don’t expect to have an easy time with it, though.
A user on macOS High Sierra, for instance, finds that Silverlight works on Safari until he gets to Safari 12. He has updated to Mojave at the same time. Upon further research, he discovers online that Safari no longer supports Silverlight, yet he couldn’t see any information about Mojave blocking apps from using the plugin.
Is it time for them to quit Silverlight altogether while staying on Mojave, or roll back to High Sierra to use the plugin again?
One handy solution is to stick to usingFirefox 52.9.0 ESR, which appears to work fine with Silverlight.
Now, it’s time for us to dig deeper into the issue of Silverlight for Mac not being recognized, or if you are continually prompted to install it. You’re likely having this problem when you receive an error message (stating an install is needed) whenever you try to access a website requiring Silverlight to display content.
This can be caused by different reasons, including:
Before troubleshooting, try to assess the current environment in which the software runs. It also helps to clean out junk and other nuisance files that could be getting in the way of your Mac’s stable operations. A reliable third-party Mac optimizer tool gets this done.
Next, follow these steps:
Here are the solutions you can try for each of the three potential causes of the problem.
An Earlier Version of Silverlight Is in Your System
Typically, the website uses Silverlight 3 for its content to properly show. If this is the case, it looks at whether your system complies with the requirement. If your system doesn’t, you are directed to an upgrade on the Silverlight site. If, on the other hand, you’re using a PowerPC, the site knows this and only version 1 can be installed. Discuss this situation with the site’s support team.
The Plugin Is Actually Not InstalledFollow these instructions:
Your Browser Is Set to ‘Run Using Rosetta’Follow these steps:
Note that if the right version of the plugin isn’t installed, you should ensure that the Run using Rosetta check box is not selected as well. Afterwards, follow the steps in the last section to install the plugin.
Final Notes
Is Silverlight needed on Mac? Only you can answer this question, depending on your needs and preferences. Silverlight 5 is on life support until October 2021, at which point Microsoft will cease to support it.
Try one of the fixes we provided above if you need to install and enable Silverlight on your Mac for whatever reason you find necessary.
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December 2020
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