10 Hacks to Make The Most Of Your Netflix Experience

As anyone who has wasted hours searching for something to watch knows, Netflix has a staggering amount of content. If you love a specific genre but don’t want to waste half an hour looking through Netflix’s entire catalog of indie movies, the “Netflix Bible” is for you. Basically, the only way for the streaming service to keep its huge collection in check is by dividing its content into hyper-specific categories. As soon as you know the codes for those categories, you can access them too. Love “Romantic Foreign Movies”? Then 7153 is for you. Love musicals about showbiz? 13573 is for you. You can find the full Netflix Bible here.

Now that Netflix has changed its star system to the fickle thumbs-up, thumbs -down, it’s even harder to decide what’s really worth your time. Thankfully, there’s a Google Chrome extension that’s been made with your streaming needs in mind. The Netflix enhancement suite, or NEnchancer, integrates with your account to show you trailers for shows and movies and adds Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB pages to titles. If you’re looking to explore the critically-acclaimed best of Netflix, this is a must.

For years watching TV was a social activity, but that doesn’t have to change in the age of streaming. The subreddit r/NetflixBestOf gives Netflix lovers a great platform to talk about their new streaming obsessions as well as the streaming gems they’ve uncovered. If you’re looking for a recommendation that’s a bit off the beaten path, Reddit has you covered.

Did you know that if you’re streaming Netflix on an Apple TV, you have access to a couple of extra features? Press the Up arrow twice on your Apple Tv remote while viewing. That will take you to a page that has a banner with the title’s thumbnail image, description, and rating. However, pressing Down unlocks the cooler features. If you press Down, Apple TV will show a progress bar divided into chapters. You can also use the Right and Left arrows to move forward or back a few minutes.

If your streaming machine of choice is a computer, you need to know about Netflix’s desktop settings. Here’s your cheat sheet:

• F puts Netflix into full screen mode; Esc returns it to normal size
• PgDn pauses
• PgUp plays
• Spacebar also pauses and plays
• Shift + Right Arrow fast-forwards
• Shift + Left Arrow will rewind.
• M should mute the show or movie you’re watching

Netflix shame is a real thing. You’re already two hours into the Parks and Recreation re-watch you know you shouldn’t be doing but are committed to, and then Netflix sucks you back into reality by politely asking if you’re really still watching. Flix Assist, a Google Chrome extension, takes care of that guilt-producing problem while also eliminating the next episode countdown feature. If you’re serious about your weekend binge, this is a streaming must.

If you want to dive into Netflix’s impressive library of international content, be sure to take note of this next tip. Netflix allows you the option to customize your subtitles by font, color, drop shadow, and size. Simply go to Account > My Profile > Subtitle Appearance and start customizing.

Once upon a time you were able to play with Netflix’s secret menu and adjust your buffering settings. However, that menu (which was formerly accessed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Alt/Opt+S) looks like it’s gone. So how do you make sure your latest binge won’t be interrupted? Keep peak streaming hours in mind. Weeknights after work are prime streaming hours, and Friday nights are the busiest. As long as you keep your binges to daylight windows or late nights / early mornings, you should be good.

This one really boils down to how you stream. You can change your Playback Settings by going to Account > Profile > Playback Settings. If you stream exclusively on your computer, gaming console, or through a TV app, you can probably safely set your Data Usage to High. However, if you stream anything at all from your phone, consider changing that setting to Low or Medium. The High option takes a staggering 3 GB per hour or 7 GB if you stream in HD.

We’ve all been there. You give out your Netflix password to your brother, then next thing you know half of his dorm is clinging to one account. If you’re in a position where you can’t watch anything because randos are taking up your Netflix space and messing up your algorithms, go to Account > Sign Off All Devices. Once you sign back in, change your password, and be sure to give out that password selectively.