The thing is, I'm traveling in Antrim, New Hampshire, and I have a really bad network, which can only support Rick and Morty on HBO Max played in 240p, and in that quality, those annoying buffers still buzz like flies.
Can You Download Movies on HBO Max?
Yes. The official download function is available on the HBO Max app. And downloading and watching HBO Max titles offline is obviously a solution for me.
But I prefer binge-watching on a bigger screen, especially now that I have my laptop with me. So, for all HBO Max binge-lovers, I wrote this guide to share how I download movies on HBO Max on different devices. If only I could watch-max-offline, all these buffering issues would disappear.
How to Download Movies on HBO Max on Mobile Devices
Tool required: HBO Max App
The official download function is only available on the HBO Max app, so we don't have a second choice here. Find it in Google Play or the App Store. By the way, you need at least a Standard subscription plan. The hbo-max-ads Basic with Ads plan won’t offer you downloads at all.
Operation guide
Haven't used the HBO Max app to download movies on HBO Max before? Here is a step-by-step guide. The first time you launch the HBO Max app will receive a request for cookies from it. Choose to accept to proceed.
Download the app from the App Store. Sign in to it with your account, which should have a Standard or Premium HBO Max subscription.
Search for the titles you want to download. Press it to enter its info page. You will see a download button below Watch Now. That's for the whole season download.
Press the download arrow, and soon you can find and watch downloaded HBO Max titles offline on your mobile devices.
And here comes the hassles. The common sense is that streaming services like to put limitations on their users' activities, especially for downloading. There is a breakdown of HBO Max download limits:
- Certain HBO Max series limit downloads to 25 episodes per series.
- Standard and Premium plans allow up to 30 downloaded movies across all mobile devices simultaneously.
- Downloads cannot be saved to an SD card or any extra storage device.
- Downloads expire 30 days after downloading if not watched, or 48 hours after playback begins, or when the content leaves HBO Max.
- Switching to the Basic with Ads plan will delete all your downloads.
- Some episodes and movies are not available for download.
- HBO Max is unavailable in certain regions, including the UK.
Gosh, not finishing listing all the limitations yet, but longer than my vacations already. Anyway, I can't binge The Bear with them interrupting, so I studied how to download movies on HBO Max on laptops with a Windows or macOS system. Not as hard as I thought, I shared it below.
How to Download Movies on HBO Max on Laptop/Desktop
Words Ahead: You can only use the tool I introduced for personal entertainment. No distribution, no selling, no sending to any third party. Following copyright laws because none of us wants to be involved in it.
Tool required: StreamFab HBO Max Downloader
I've used it for weeks, and now I have all seasons of Rick and Morty and The Last of US, Adventure Time, etc., and countless movies saved on my laptop with it. I even bought a 4TB portable SSD for storing them. I have to admit it's awesome to watch HBO Max movies without any buffering or ad pausing. You know, the better part is, I downloaded them with just a Basic with Ads plan, but totally ad-free, and some of them reached 4k UHD quality plus Dolby Atmos.
A reliable solution to download movies on HBO Max on a laptop in splendid quality through easy and efficient operations. More exclusive functions boost and simplify the downloads at the same time.
Besides, it has some functions worth mentioning, since I acquired a lot of conveniences with them. The first one is the bulk download function. We don't have to download every episode manually, repeating the selecting and downloading over and over again but download all or favorite episodes simultaneously.
The second one is its auto-download function that allows it to detect and download the latest releases of HBO Max following a user-customized schedule. And that sets me free from saving the shows in person. Take a nap, and the episodes are ordered in my drives already.
Operation guide
Unlike the nerdy tools, no offence, running as a command-line tool can be found on GitHub, StreamFab HBO Max Downloader has a complete, user-friendly built-in browser. Check the guide I wrote for you and you will know how easy it is to download movies on HBO Max with it.
Go to VIP Services and click on HBO Max to log in to it within the built-in browser. You need an activated HBO Max subscription to proceed.
Find the HBO Max movies you want to download. Click it to let StreamFab start analyzing. A pop-up with settings will be shown on your screen for you to adjust.
Is everything confirmed? Click on the Download Now button to start downloading. If you are busy right now, click Add to Queue to download them later.
Common Fail Points & Quick Fixes
|
🚫 Issue
|
✅ Quick Fix
|
|---|---|
|
Stuck at 720p / 1080p won’t download
|
Go to Settings → Downloads → Download Quality → Highest. If it’s still 720p, HBO Max’s server-side DRM cap is the culprit—nothing to do but wait. Clear cache/reinstall to stop it defaulting to “Fastest.”.
|
|
“Download Failed” / Error 321, 905, 420
|
Update the app/OS, disable VPN, and retry on a stable network. Sign out → reboot device → sign back in. These codes are often tied to outdated builds or blocked VPN exit nodes.
|
|
“Download limit reached”
|
Delete finished titles or remove old devices under Profile → Manage Devices. Standard Ad-Free = 30 files; Ultimate Ad-Free = 100.
|
|
Expired file / “Renew” button missing
|
Go online, open Downloads, tap the warning icon (!) and hit Renew Download. You can repeat this anytime before the title leaves the catalog.
|
|
Random log-outs / “Too many devices” or VPN warning
|
Turn off VPN/proxy, avoid region-hopping, and trim huge batch downloads. Use Manage Devices to sign out unused phones/tablets.
|
|
“Can’t play title” after a successful download
|
Briefly reconnect to the internet so the app refreshes its license token, then relaunch. If it persists, clear cache or update the app.
|
Comparison Between Two Methods
- With Ads (HBO Max): 0 downloads—the plan doesn’t allow offline viewing.
- Standard Ad-Free: 30 titles max across all phones/tablets on your account, typically up to 1080p offline.
- Ultimate Ad-Free: 100 titles max; streaming supports 4K/Atmos, but offline files are usually 1080p.
- StreamFab HBO Max Downloader: 100 titles/day(∞) and up to 4K/Atmos
Have a quick test to see which download method suits you more.
| HBO Max App | StreamFab HBO Max Downloader | |
|---|---|---|
|
System |
Android, iOS |
Windows, macOS |
|
No expiration? |
❌ |
✅ |
|
No quota? |
❌ |
✅ |
|
Download requirement |
Non-Basic with Ads |
All plans available |
|
Format |
Encrypted |
MP4, MKV |
|
Resolution |
1080p |
4k + HDR10/Dolby Vision |
|
Audio |
Original |
Dolby Atmos |
|
Bulk download |
❌ |
✅ |
|
Auto download |
❌ |
✅ |
FAQs
Of course, yes. Unless, like what I said before, you want to share or sell them to third parties. That is definitely copyright violation, so don't do it, no matter what the case. You can legally watch them by yourself, or make short movie clips, or for educational purposes.
As long as the movies or shows support 4k online streaming originally, then StreamFab HBO Max Downloader can download them in 4k.
Final Words
All in all, if what you need is just to take a random episode on HBO Max to spend your spare time and you don't care about resolution or quota at all, but only the portability, subscribe to its ad-supported plans to save your favorite HBO Max movies or TV series with the HBO Max app to enjoy them.
But if you don't want to waste your fancy monitor with crystal-clear definition, or maybe wanna access HBO Max movies on PC devices without Internet, in that case, StreamFab HBO Max Downloader, which supports 4k resolution and Dolby Atmos, etc., is much more suitable for you. If you are a new user of it, you can download 3 HBO Max movies for free within its trial; it won't let you down. Alternatively, you can also try screen record HBO Max, which provides another practical option to capture shows and movies for offline playback.
