Yes, Prime Video lets you download shows and movies to watch without internet
Prime Video's download feature is built into the app on phones and tablets. You can save episodes and films to your device and watch them later without a connection — useful for travel, commutes, or when your internet is unreliable. Not everything on Prime Video can be downloaded; it depends on the licensing agreement for each title. The download stays on your device for a set number of days before it expires and must be refreshed.
Downloads work on the Prime Video app for iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. You cannot download on a web browser or on Fire tablets (those devices have a different offline feature called Watch Party downloads that works differently). Once downloaded, a video takes up storage space on your device, so you may need to delete old downloads to make room for new ones.
Key Takeaways
- The download button appears on the title's details page in the Prime Video app if that show or movie can be downloaded.
- Downloaded videos expire after a set period — usually 30 days, though some titles have shorter windows — and you must refresh them to keep watching.
- You need an active Prime membership to download, and the device must have connected to the internet at least once every 30 days to verify your membership.
- Downloaded files take up storage space on your phone or tablet, so delete old downloads if you run low on space.
How to download a show or movie on Prime Video
Open the Prime Video app on your phone or tablet and find the title you want to download. Tap or click on the show or movie to open its details page. Look for a download icon — it looks like a downward-pointing arrow or a cloud with a down arrow. If you see it, tap it. The app will ask you to choose a video quality: Standard (smaller file, uses less storage) or High (larger file, better picture). Choose the quality you want and tap download again.
The download begins immediately and shows a progress bar. Depending on the file size and your internet speed, a single episode may take a few seconds to a few minutes. You can close the app while it downloads — the process continues in the background. Once the download finishes, the download icon changes to show a checkmark or filled-in arrow, meaning the video is ready to watch offline.
For a TV series, you download episodes one at a time. If you want to download multiple episodes, repeat the process for each one. Some users download a few episodes at a time rather than an entire season to save storage space.
How long downloads stay on your device
Downloaded videos expire after a certain number of days. Most titles expire after 30 days, though some shows and movies have shorter windows of 7 or 15 days. The expiration date appears on the download details page in the app. When the expiration date arrives, the video stops playing and you see a message saying the download has expired.
To keep watching, you must refresh the download by tapping the download icon again. This removes the old file and downloads a fresh copy with a new 30-day window. You need an internet connection to refresh. If you do not refresh before the expiration date, you lose access to that downloaded file and must download it again from scratch.
The expiration system exists because of licensing rules — studios and networks control how long Prime Video can let you keep a downloaded copy. This is why some titles have shorter windows than others.
Which titles can and cannot be downloaded
Not every show or movie on Prime Video has a download button. Whether a title can be downloaded depends on its licensing agreement with the studio or network that owns it. Some original Prime Video shows and movies allow downloads. Many licensed titles — shows and films from other studios — do not. Rental titles and titles included with add-on subscriptions (like HBO Max or Paramount+) usually cannot be downloaded.
The only way to know if a title can be downloaded is to open it in the Prime Video app and look for the download icon. If the icon is not there, that title cannot be downloaded. This is not something you can change or request — it is set by the content owner.
Storage space and managing your downloads
Each downloaded video takes up space on your phone or tablet. A single episode of a TV show might use 300 MB to 1 GB depending on the quality you chose and the episode length. A two-hour movie might use 1 to 3 GB. If your device is running low on storage, you may not be able to download new videos until you delete old ones.
To delete a download, open the Prime Video app, find the downloaded title, and look for a delete or remove option — usually a trash icon or an X. Deleting a download removes the file from your device but does not remove the title from your Prime Video library. You can download it again later if you want to watch it.
Check your device's storage settings to see how much space is available. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. On Android, go to Settings > Storage. If you are consistently running out of space, download videos in Standard quality instead of High, or download fewer episodes at once.
Internet requirements for downloads and playback
You need an internet connection to download videos in the first place. Once downloaded, you can watch without internet. However, Prime Video checks your membership status periodically — your device must connect to the internet at least once every 30 days to verify that your Prime membership is still active. If 30 days pass without an internet connection, downloaded videos will not play until you reconnect and let the app verify your account.
This check happens automatically in the background when your device connects to wifi or mobile data. You do not need to do anything manually. If you are traveling and will be offline for more than 30 days, download your videos, then make sure to connect to the internet before you leave to reset the 30-day timer.
Troubleshooting downloads that do not work
If the download button does not appear on a title, that content cannot be downloaded — check whether it is a rental, an add-on subscription title, or a licensed show with download restrictions. If the button appears but the download fails or gets stuck, try closing the Prime Video app completely and opening it again. Make sure you have enough free storage space on your device.
If a downloaded video will not play, check whether the 30-day expiration window has passed. If it has, refresh the download. If the video still will not play and the expiration date has not passed, try deleting the download and downloading it again. Restart your device if the problem continues.
If you are having trouble with downloads on a specific device, try downloading the same title on a different phone or tablet to see whether the problem is with that device or with your account. Contact Prime Video support through the app if the issue persists across multiple devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I download Prime Video on my computer or laptop?
No, the download feature is only available in the Prime Video app on phones and tablets. You cannot download on a web browser or on a computer. If you want to watch Prime Video offline on a computer, you would need to use a different method like screen recording, which may violate Prime Video's terms of service.
What happens if my Prime membership expires while I have downloads on my device?
Once your membership expires, downloaded videos will not play. You must have an active Prime membership for downloads to work. If you renew your membership, the downloads become playable again as long as they have not expired.
Can I transfer a downloaded video from my phone to another device?
No, downloaded videos are tied to the device and the account that downloaded them. You cannot move or copy a download to another phone or tablet. You must download the video separately on each device where you want to watch it.
Do downloaded videos use my mobile data?
No, once a video is downloaded, watching it does not use any data. Downloads only use data during the initial download process. After that, playback is completely offline and does not consume mobile data or wifi bandwidth.
Why does my download keep expiring after a few days instead of 30 days?
Some titles have shorter expiration windows than 30 days — usually 7 or 15 days depending on the licensing agreement. Check the expiration date shown in the app for that specific title. You can refresh it to get another window, but the length of that window is set by the content owner and cannot be changed.