Whenever I get ready for a long flight or a train ride, the first thing I do is open the Prime Video app to download a few shows. But here's the problem many of us face: you try to download more episodes, and suddenly you see a message saying “download limit reached”. Or worse, you download something days before your trip, only to discover it has already expired when you finally remember that you want to watch Amazon Prime Video offline.
If you've ever been frustrated by these restrictions, you're not alone. Amazon Prime Video enforces strict download limits on how many titles you can keep, how long they last, how many devices you can use, and even where you can play them. These rules often catch people by surprise. In fact, community discussions on Reddit and Amazon's own help forum are full of related questions.
In this guide, I'll walk you through all the key Prime Video download limits in 2025, why they exist, and what you can realistically do to work around them.
When it comes to offline viewing, Amazon doesn't give you full freedom, although it indeed offers the official download function on PC devices. Instead, there are several strict limits you'll likely run into. Here's a breakdown of the main ones in 2025:
1. How Many Titles Can You Download? (15–25 Titles)
Depending on your region, Amazon Prime Video only lets you keep between 15 and 25 titles downloaded at once. That's not per device—it's across your entire account. For example, if you've downloaded 10 movies on your tablet and 10 episodes on your phone, you may already hit the cap.
If your family likes to travel a lot, then you probably hit this limit many times, especially when you have kids. The only official fix is to delete some existing downloads to free up space for new ones.
Prime downloads don't stay forever. You usually have 30 days to start watching after downloading. Once you press play, a countdown begins: you only have 48 hours to finish the video. For example, if you download a film on Sunday but only start it on Friday, you'll have until Sunday night to complete it. If the timer runs out, you'll need to renew the download online before you can watch again.
Amazon allows downloads on up to 4 devices registered to your account. However, the same title can only exist on 2 devices simultaneously.
This often confuses families sharing an account. A parent might download a movie on their phone, and a child might try on their tablet—only to get an error. The solution is to remove the download from one device before adding it to another.
| Video Type | Download Quota |
|---|---|
|
Purchased titles |
Can download per video on 4 devices |
|
Rented titles |
Can download per video on 1 device |
|
Prime Video subscription titles |
Can download per video on 2 devices |
|
Prime Video mobile edition |
Can download per video on 1 device |
|
Third-party add-on titles |
Can download per video on 2 devices |
|
Free titles |
Undownloadble |
|
Pay-Per-View Videos |
Undownloadble |
Even if you've downloaded a show at home, it may not play if you travel to a country where that title isn't licensed. Community threads are full of stories where someone boards a plane, lands abroad, and suddenly their downloads stop working. Amazon ties downloads to the region of your account, so if you're outside that licensed region, playback can be blocked.
5. Not All Titles Are Downloadable
Although you can download Amazon Prime Video to PC or mobile devices, not all titles are downloadable. The content provider and the following restrictions mainly decide it.
Licensing also explains why some movies and shows simply don't have a download option. This is especially true for rentals, live events, and Freevee (ad-supported) titles. You'll only see the download button if Amazon has permission for offline use.
Why Do These Download Limits Exist?
At first glance, Amazon's rules can feel arbitrary. Why stop someone from keeping more than 20 downloads or watching a movie after 48 hours? The reasons aren't random. They mostly come down to licensing and business strategy.
Although this is none of our business, if you are curious about this, then learning the reasons is also an interesting view-broaden. But if you feel board to this part, you can jump to part 3 instead to directly learn what tools you can use to bypass the Amazon Prime download limits.
Licensing Agreements with Studios
Most of the content on Prime Video doesn't actually belong to Amazon. It's licensed from studios, streaming partners, or networks. Those agreements often limit how content can be stored and viewed offline. For example, some contracts only allow temporary offline copies, which is why the 30-day and 48-hour rules exist.
Preventing Long-Term "Free" Access
Another reason is business-driven. If users could download unlimited titles and keep them forever, some might cancel their subscriptions after stockpiling shows. The expiration rules ensure that offline access is tied to an active subscription, which helps Amazon protect its revenue model.
Technical & Storage Considerations
According to Amazon's support documentation, limits also help manage server load and digital rights management (DRM). By capping downloads at around 15–25 titles, Amazon reduces the risk of mass downloading across accounts, which could otherwise strain its system.
Comparison with Other Platforms
This isn't unique to Amazon. Netflix, for instance, sets its own limits, usually 100 titles per device with similar expiration rules. While Amazon's cap is lower, the overall approach of enforcing offline rules is industry-standard.
After going through all these rules, it's clear that Prime Video's offline feature is designed for short-term use, not long-term freedom. If you only travel occasionally, the official app works fine. But if you want to keep shows for more than 30 days, store more than 15–25 titles at once, or watch offline while traveling abroad, you'll need to look beyond Amazon's own app.
Tool Required: StreamFab Amazon Downloader
Some users turn to screen recorders, which basically capture the video in real time. This works, but recordings can take hours, and sometimes the quality isn't ideal.
Another option is dedicated downloader software, which saves Prime Video titles directly as MP4 or MKV files. For example, StreamFab Amazon Downloader lets you convert Amazon Prime Video to MP4/MKV format and permanently save them on your device. No matter whether the videos you want are purchased, rented, or from any other way, as long as the video is playable with your account.
- Download Amazon Prime Video in 1080p with EAC3 5.1 audio
- Save Prime videos as MP4 or MKV files for playback on any device
- Select codecs between H.264 and H.265 formats
- Support regular, purchased, and rented Amazon movie downloads
- Automatically save newly released Prime episodes for timely offline viewing
- Save episodes with subtitles and audio in your preferred language
- Remove DRM and ads to get clean video files
- A free trial is available without payment info or a StreamFab account
This approach removes Amazon's built-in expiration and device caps.
Is it safe & legal to use?
Think of third-party downloaders like a personal DVR. They're handy for private offline viewing, but you should treat the files as temporary backups rather than a replacement for your subscription. Most people agree on this: we should only use these downloads for ourselves, offline, and not for anything else. The moment someone considers sharing, uploading, or even making money from these files, he or she risks getting into real legal trouble. So, just stick to keeping them private and for our own use.
About safety, you should only download tools from their official websites and avoid cracked versions or unknown sources, which may contain malware. While tools like StreamFab are widely used and generally considered safe, stick to your own accounts and never hand out your passwords to apps or services you don't trust. That's a proper way of keeping our data secure.
How to use it correctly?
You can easily get started with this software to bypass Amazon Prime Video download limits effortlessly. No matter you are a common Windows user or a user who wants to download Amazon Prime Video on Mac devices, you can always follow these steps to begin:
Click on it and log in to your Amazon account. Be sure the account can play the Amazon videos you want to download.
Find the titles you expect to download. Click on it to enter the info page. In the meantime, StreamFab will analyze it and provide a preference menu.
Adjust all options to your desire. Click on "Download Now" to start right now. Or you can download them later by clicking on "Add to Queue".
- That's it! You just defeated all Amazon Prime Video Download Limits and successfully ripped Amazon Prime Video. Clap for the infinite, limitless bingeing experiences in the future!
FAQs
1. How to reset Amazon Prime download limits?
No way. The limits are tied to your account and all devices that belong to it.
2. What will happen after I unsubscribe from Prime Video?
After unsubscribing, you will lose access to all Prime Video downloads that were included with your subscription or were in rental. Only purchased content remains available.
After StreamFab removes Amazon Prime Video DRM for you, downloads with StreamFab Amazon Downloader will always be kept on your local drive and remain accessible.
3. Do Amazon Originals count toward the download limit?
Interestingly, many users have reported that Amazon Originals don't count toward the 15–25 limit. If you're maxed out, you may still be able to download Originals. This isn't officially documented by Amazon, but it's been confirmed in community discussions.
Wrap-up
I've spent a lot of time figuring out how Amazon Prime Video handles its offline downloads. While the service looks generous at first glance, there are quite a few rules you can't ignore. These aren't just made up on a whim; they actually come from the way film rights and business agreements work. Personally, I think the official app does the job for most situations, like flights or weekend trips. But if I ever want to hold onto a show for good, or maybe dodge restrictions tied to my location or timeline, I usually check out other options.
From all my testing and feedback from other viewers, the best method isn't just one or the other. I stick to the Prime Video app when I need quick and easy downloads. Only when the usual route falls short do I bring in a third-party program, but I only do this for added freedom, and always keep things above board.
