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When traveling abroad (remember that?), some streaming platforms limit what you can watch, and even whether you can access your account at all. Downloading movies and episodes of your favorite shows is an easy way to stay entertained on the road, or if you don’t have a wifi or data connection to stream to your device.
If you’re a premium HBO Max subscriber, meaning you pay for the ad-free plan, you can download most movies and shows on the platform to watch offline. Here’s how to make it happen.
How to download HBO Max shows and movies
First, you’ll need the HBO Max app for your mobile device. You also have to be logged in to your HBO Max account and connected to wifi (though you can enable cellular data downloads in Settings > Video Options).
Search for the movie or episode you want to watch offline and press the Download icon. If you want to watch in a language besides the default, make sure to select it before you start the download. To change the video quality—to speed up the download or save space on your device, for example—go to Settings > Video Options > Download Quality and select Fastest download. Downloads aren’t available on desktop, unfortunately.
How to watch your HBO Max downloads
To find downloaded movies and shows, go to your Profile > Downloads, and just hit the Play icon when you’re ready to watch. HBO Max limits you to 30 downloads at a time across all devices logged into your account, and you can only have five copies of a single movie or show between profiles and devices.
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Downloaded movies and shows expire after 30 days if unwatched, or 48 hours after you hit Play. Downloads also expire if and when the content leaves HBO Max. You can renew expired downloads by selecting your Profile > Downloads > ! > Renew.
