Netflix offers controls for viewing history, playback and subtitle appearance.
Netflix users can find narrower genres, clear unfinished titles and adjust playback settings for a more personal viewing experience.
These five Netflix tips help viewers manage their watch history, find specific genres and change how the service displays content. Profile and playback settings also offer controls for unfinished titles, automatic previews and subtitles.
The options go beyond downloading programmes or adjusting video quality. Some involve browser settings, while others work directly from the screen where you watch.
Netflix tips for viewing history and genre searches
1. Check your viewing history. In a web browser, open your Netflix account and select the arrow beside your profile icon. Choose ‘Manage Profiles’, select your profile, then scroll to ‘Viewing Activity’ to see titles and viewing dates.
However, the activity list has no search function, so browsing older entries means repeatedly selecting ‘Show More’. Alternatively, choose ‘Download All’ to review the full history. A hide icon also lets you conceal individual entries.
2. Search more specific genres. Netflix’s genre codes open narrower categories than the familiar comedy, action or anime sections. To use them, enter netflix.com/browse/genre/ in your browser, followed by the relevant numerical code.
For example, 8985 opens martial arts films, while 7687 opens film noir. The code 1476024 covers Christmas children’s and family films from the 1990s. You can also save interesting titles for later rather than choosing something immediately.
Clear unfinished titles and adjust playback
3. Tidy ‘Continue Watching’. A film or series can remain in this row after you abandon it. However, you can remove it manually rather than wait for other viewing to push it out.
On mobile, tap the three dots beneath the title and choose ‘Remove from row’. On a television, press and hold the remote’s select button on the title, then choose ‘Remove’. In a browser, hover over the title and click the ‘X’.
4. Stop automatic previews. If trailers interrupt your browsing, open ‘Account’ and go to ‘Playback Settings’. Uncheck ‘Autoplay previews’ to stop them playing automatically. You can also uncheck ‘Autoplay next episode’ to prevent a series from advancing automatically.
5. Change subtitle appearance. Open ‘Manage Profiles’, choose your profile and select ‘Subtitle Appearance’. From there, adjust the font size, shadows and backgrounds. However, these controls do not change subtitle positioning.
For dialogue without sound descriptions, open the subtitles menu during playback and choose ‘English’ rather than ‘English [CC]’. Closed captions also include descriptive text and sounds, which support viewers with hearing impairments.
