When someone asks me Can we save Prime Video shows on our laptop, my short answer is yes, and on a Windows PC or Mac you really have two main options.
- The official app (Windows or macOS) lets you hit Download and watch offline. It’s safe and simple, but downloads expire (30 days or 48 hours after you start), there’s a limit of about 15–25 titles, and the files stay locked inside the app.
- The third-party route can convert Amazon Prime Video to MP4 files. That means you can keep them forever and move them to an external drive. It works, but it’s best kept for personal offline viewing, no sharing at all.
For a short trip or a weekend binge, I stick with the app. When I want a more permanent, backup-style copy on my PC, I take the second path.
Method 1: Using the Official Prime Video App on PC
When I first looked for a way to download Prime Video shows on my computer, I quickly realized the browser wouldn’t help. No extension or “online downloader” actually works; Amazon’s DRM blocks them all.
Installing the App
The only official option is the Prime Video desktop app. On Windows 10 or 11, you’ll find it in the Microsoft Store. On macOS, it’s in the App Store. Installing is straightforward—sign in with your Amazon account, and the interface will feel almost identical to the mobile app.
Downloading Shows and Movies
Inside the app, every movie or episode has a small arrow icon. Clicking it starts the download, and Amazon will ask which quality you prefer: Good, Better, or Best. In practice, these translate to low, medium, and high resolutions. On my laptop, “Best” usually means 720p or 1080p. Amazon doesn’t offer 4K downloads on PC, something I know frustrates plenty of users, since I’ve seen Reddit threads where people complain their app won’t go beyond HD. But that’s the current limit.
Here is a simple guide teaching you how to download Amazon Prime Video to PC with Prime Video for Windows in case you haven't used it before. If you are using a MacBook or an iMac, you can check another specific guide to download Amazon Prime movies on Mac.
Launch Prime Video for Windows. Log in, then find your Amazon purchases and rentals in "My Stuff".
You will see a download button under the title description. Click on it to start downloading.
After the downloads are finished, you can find them in the "Downloads" section to start offline viewing.
Where the Files Go
One question I often hear is, “Where are my downloads saved?” Technically, the files are hidden deep in the app’s storage folder, encrypted with strange names. They won’t appear as neat MP4s you can copy onto a USB stick or play in VLC. Amazon’s design keeps them locked to the app. That’s also why casting them via Chromecast or AirPlay doesn’t work: the app won’t allow those transfers.
The Limits You Should Know
Even if downloading works smoothly, the Amazon Prime download limits show no mercy. (Browsing the long official policies is boring and eye-hurting, so I compiled them here for a quick view.)
- Not all content is available for download due to licensing restrictions
- Some movies and shows require additional payment, even for Prime members
- Downloads can take up significant space on your PC, especially in higher quality formats
- Downloaded videos may expire after a certain period or if your device goes offline for too long
- Downloaded content can only be watched within the Prime Video app, not with other media players
If most of your watchlist lives inside extra add-ons like sports or movie packs, remember that those Prime Video add-on subscriptions follow their own download rules. Some channels don’t support offline viewing at all. To see what each add-on includes before you subscribe, you can read this overview of Prime Video Channels.
For casual offline viewing, though, the official app does its job. It’s free with your subscription, perfectly legal, and reliable for short-term use. If you just want a few episodes for a trip or a film for the weekend, this method is all you need. But if you still feel annoyed by just staring at it, a third-party tool may be a better option for you.
Method 2: Saving Prime Video as MP4 (Third-Party Tools)
Why We Look Beyond the Official App
After a few trips with the official Prime app, you probably have noticed the walls: the 30-day timers, the 48-hour countdown once you hit play, and the frustration of finding a show suddenly unavailable for download. Community forums are full of the same complaints. Also, I'm not the first one, and you're not the last one who shouts out, “I bought it, why can’t I keep it?” That’s the moment people begin looking for a way to remove Amazon Prime Video DRM to turn Prime streams into real files they can back up and move around.
How These Tools Work
Third-party downloaders don’t rely on browser tricks. Instead, they log into Prime on your behalf, fetch the stream, and rip Amazon Prime Video into a standard MP4 or MKV file. The result: a video you can play in VLC, copy to an external drive, or store on a NAS. Most support subtitles and multiple audio tracks, and the better ones can grab 5.1 surround sound. In my own tests, downloads finish much faster than real-time recording, think minutes, not hours.
If you’re more comfortable capturing what’s on-screen instead of downloading full files, there are also ways to record Amazon Prime Video without a black screen. I still prefer dedicated downloaders for speed and quality, but it’s a handy fallback if you only need to save a single episode or two.
A one-stop solution to easily download Amazon Prime Video on PC without restrictions. Meanwhile, with satisfying output quality, bigger customization space, and unique convenient functions.
- Download Amazon Prime Video also in 1080p, but with better EAC3 5.1 surround sound
- Save Prime videos as MP4 or MKV files for playback on any device, not just in the app
- Download Prime videos in selectable codecs between H.264/H.265 to let you save your drives
- Supports downloading membership, free, purchased, rented, pay-per-view Amazon movies
- Automatically save newly released Prime episodes in the user's set schedule
- Watch Prime videos offline with your preferred subtitles and audio language
- Remove DRM and ads to provide clean, unrestricted video files
- I studied for days and found out it is the only one Amazon downloader using direct-download mode, and the others are still recording+encoding mode. I guess that's why StreamFab dares to offer 3 free full-length downloads on Amazon Prime. So, I suggest you fully use its free trial first before purchasing it.
Here's a step-by-step guide to let you know how to start the trial to download Amazon Prime Video on PC for free with StreamFab.
Log in to it. Then find the Amazon titles you want to save to your PC. Click it to open the info page.
Now, StreamFab will analyze it and soon give you a menu to customize the specific video properties.
Are all options good? Now you can click on "Download Now" to start. Or you can click "Add to Queue" instead, in case you are about to AFK for a while.
- Tips: The most comfortable scene, in my opinion, is when you download Amazon Prime rentals only once with StreamFab, and then you can avoid the rental costs that keep stacking up in the future.
Safety, Legality, and Boundaries
This is where the conversation gets tricky. For personal offline use, I haven’t seen reports of accounts being banned, but that doesn't mean you are totally safe. The safest rule is simple: only download what you’ve already paid for, keep the files for private viewing, and never upload or share them elsewhere.
If you want friends or family to enjoy the same catalog, it’s smarter to use Amazon’s own account-sharing options instead of copying video files around. With a household setup, you can share Amazon Prime benefits on separate profiles while keeping everything inside Amazon’s rules. As for device safety, reputable tools don’t bundle malware, and I always run them through antivirus checks before installing or updating anything.
Brief Comparison Between 2 Methods
Why use StreamFab Amazon Downloader instead of the official app? This sheet will answer. You can also check if it's satisfying your picky needs, if you have, for audio or format, etc.
| Features | Prime Video for Windows | StreamFab Amazon Downloader |
|---|---|---|
|
System |
Win, Mac |
Win, Mac |
|
Resolution |
1080p |
1080p |
|
Audio |
Original |
EAC3 5.1 |
|
Format |
DRM-encrypted |
MP4, MKV |
|
Codecs Selectable |
❌ |
✅(H.264, H.265) |
|
Batch-processing |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Auto-download |
❌ |
✅ |
By the way, you may ask what the offered codec options by StreamFab can do. Here's the biggest influence on you if you are prepared to download a pile of Amazon Prime Video titles.
FAQs
Words before, if you are thinking about moving the files to other devices so that you can watch Amazon Prime Video offline forever, you can't because they are encrypted.
If you are just curious about it, the default path is:
"C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Packages\AmazonVideo.PrimeVideo_pwbj9vvecjh7j\LocalState\Downloads“
It's changeable, but better not to set a UDrive or any other portable device as the download path. If you accidentally interrupt the downloading process, the final file you get might be broken and unplayable anywhere.
That's impossible, due to Amazon Prime only letting us stream their 4k content on a suitable TV. Not to mention downloading them.
No, at least not to PC. The playback of downloaded content over Chromecast or AirPlay isn’t permitted by Amazon. But you can do it on a television with supported devices and appropriate adapters.
For titles that are included with Prime, Amazon usually lets you download to only two compatible devices at a time per account, and there’s also a total cap of roughly 15–25 downloaded titles across all devices.
If you see a “download limit reached” message, delete some older downloads or deregister devices you no longer use, then try again.
Once your Prime or Prime Video subscription ends, downloads that were “Included with Prime” stop playing. The files may still sit in the app, but you can’t watch them again unless you renew your subscription.
Purchased titles are different: movies or shows you bought outright stay in your Amazon account and remain watchable as long as Amazon keeps the license for that content.
Most download issues come from hitting the title limit, using an outdated app, or being offline for too long.
First, connect to the internet, open the Prime Video app, and check for updates. Then remove a few old downloads or sign out devices you no longer use. If error messages keep coming back, Amazon’s help pages or support chat are the next stop.
Final Words
After testing both paths over the past few years, I’ve come to see them as tools for different kinds of people. If you’re like me, on a short trip, with just a couple of shows queued up for a flight, the official Prime Video app is more than enough. It’s free with your subscription, safe, and does exactly what Amazon intends: temporary offline viewing.
But if you’re someone who hates the ticking clock—if you buy films and want to keep them for good, or you want the freedom to back them up to a hard drive—then the official app will always feel like a cage. That’s where third-party downloaders step in. They convert those streams into MP4 files you actually control. Yes, it means stepping outside Amazon’s rules, so it should always stay personal. But from what I’ve seen, this is the only way to break free of limits like the 25-title cap or the 48-hour countdown.
At the end of the day, the choice depends on whether you simply want to watch a movie this weekend—or whether you want to keep it in your library five years from now.
