While Nintendo Switch has always been a top choice for gaming, it actually streams videos from various platforms like YouTube. However, if you want to stream and watch Netflix on Switch directly, you will find that there is no official Netflix app available in the Nintendo Switch eShop. Can you watch Netflix on Switch? In this post, you will get answers. We would like to share 2 effective workarounds with you on how to get Netflix on Switch.
Can You Watch Netflix on Switch?
Officially, no, since there is no Netflix app available in the Switch eShop for you to download, stream and watch Netflix on Switch. Netflix previously partnered with Nintendo to provide an official Netflix app on eShop for Nintendo Switch, Wii U, 3DS/3DS XL and 2DS models to download and install Netflix app for watching Netflix on Switch and other Nintendo models. However, this partnership ended in January 2019. From then on, all Nintendo models can’t download and install the Netflix app from eShop.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t watch Netflix on Switch. While there is no official solution, you could still get 3rd-party solutions to fix the no Netflix app issue for Switch. There are currently 2 effective methods to help you watch Netflix on Nintendo Switch, respectively: download Netflix to MP4 for playing on Switch offline, and install Android OS on Switch so as to download and install Netflix app on Switch for streaming and watching Netflix on Switch online, which are described in detail below.
Offline Download Workaround to Watch Netflix on Switch
The first yet the easier solution to watch Netflix on Switch is to download Netflix videos offline to your computer and then either upload Netflix video downloads to your YouTube for personal watching on Switch or play Netflix video downloads on Switch via SD card through 3rd-party Homebrew software like NXMP (since Nintendo Switch has no media player to play back media files from local SD drive). To download Netflix videos for playing on Switch, you need to make use of 3rd-party Netflix video downloader software, since the native Netflix download feature produces no independent files and restricts its use of download files. CleverGet Netflix Downloader is the top choice for Netflix video download. It could download Netflix to MP4/MKV files as independent files at up to 1080P resolution, with selected subtitles and audio tracks. It could even help you remove ads during Netflix video download process if you are an ad-supported Netflix subscriber.
The below guide would show you how to download Netflix videos with CleverGet Netflix Downloader and then play Netflix video downloads on Switch.
Step 1: Set download directory
Download, install and kick off CleverGet on your computer. Then, click the 3-dot icon at the top right corner and select “Settings” option on the drop-down menu. Set download directory on the “Settings > General” panel.
Step 2: Play and analyze target Netflix video
Open Netflix website within CleverGet, log in with your account, and play back target Netflix video. Click the round button at the bottom right corner of the playback screen to analyze Netflix video page.
Step 3: Select download options and start downloa ding
Once the analysis completes, there will pop up a window including all available download options. Choose the download options, output (MP4 for uploading to YouTube for playing on Switch, or MKV for playing Netflix video downloads via SD card), subtitle and audio track, and then click the “Download” button to start downloading. Wait for the download to complete.
Step 4: Play Netflix video downloads on Switch
Since Nintendo Switch doesn’t support direct media playback, you get 2 ways to play Netflix video downloads on Switch:
1. Upload the Netflix video downloads to your YouTube channel and then watch it through YouTube app on Switch.
2. Install Homebrew software like NXMP on Switch and then play back Netflix video downloads via SD card: download and install Homebrew on your Nintendo Switch, place the NXMP application files and downloaded Netflix video files in different folders on SD card, then insert the SD card to Switch and kick off the NXMP app to browse and watch Netflix video downloads from the other folder on your Switch.
Now, you could freely watch Netflix on Switch offline without internet connection and ads.
Get Netflix on Switch with Android OS Installation
Though there is no official Netflix app for downloading and installing on Nintendo Switch, you could still install Netflix app on Switch by installing the Android system on Switch. Once you have installed Android OS on Switch, you could install Netflix app on Switch from the Google Play store. To do this, you need a microSD card with 16+GB memory, USB-C cable and Nintendo Switch.
The below guide would show you how to install Netflix on Switch by installing Android OS:
Connect Switch SD card with computer.
1. Download Hekate bootloader on your computer, and then unzip it to move files to your SD card root.
2. Boost Switch into the HOS status and pair the Joy-Cons.
3. Plug SD card to Switch and slide the RCM jig to the right.
4. Connect SD card with computer via USB-C cable.
5. Power Switch off.
6. Enter RCM mode by pressing Volume+ and Power buttons on Switch at the same time.
7. Inject the Hekate payload “hekate_ctcaer_[version].bin”.
8. Click the “Nyx Options” after booting into hekate. Then rail Joy-Cons and dump the Joy-Con BT paring.
9. Click the “Tools” button on hekate partition manager, and select the 16GB SD card for the OS before clicking “Next Step”.
10. Connect Switch to computer and choose “SD UMS” to download, extract and save icosa-tab to the SD card root.
11. On the computer, install MindTheGapps into the root of the SD card before removing SD UMS from computer.
12. Select “Flash Android” on Switch and accept the prompt. Allow writing to the SD card, press “Install > Select Storage > MicroSD Card” options to install the Lineage zip file.
13. In hekate, click “More Options > Switchroot Android 10” to boot Switchroot Android.
14. Press volume+ button to return the recovery to flash zips, and then hold volume – to return to hekate.
15. Afterwards, reboot the Switch to stock firmware.
After these, you should have installed Android on Nintendo Switch. Now you can download and install Netflix app from the Google Play store, and then watch Netflix on Nintendo Switch freely. However, it should be noted that this method is not safe and recommended, since Netflix might suspend your account once it detects you are streaming Netflix contents on non-supported devices.
FAQs
1. Will Netflix app be available on Nintendo Switch 2?
As of now, there is no official information about the Netflix app landing on Switch 2.
2. Can you watch Netflix on Switch with HDMI?
No, currently there is no official support of media file playback. Therefore, HDMI data transferring is of no use.
3. What streaming services are available on Nintendo Switch now?
YouTube, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Twitch, Pokémon TV, etc.
4. Can you download Netflix on Switch?
Officially no. If you have installed Android OS on Switch, you could then download and install Netflix app on Switch. But this method is not recommended.
Conclusion
If you want to watch Netflix on Switch, the above-mentioned 2 ways should have been useful to you. You could choose either way according to your own actual needs. Downloading Netflix videos offline with CleverGet and then transferring to Switch for playback is without the easier solution, which requires you little technique knowledge, while installing Android OS on Switch is much more complicated to operate and risky upon your Netflix account.