How to get the most out of Netflix: hidden films & shortcuts

Netflix has an immense catalog of series, movies, and programs of all kinds. You will be happy to know that there are a number of tricks that most users do not know about and they can help you make the most of Netflix.

How to access hidden content?

The Netflix category filter may not be your strong point, as a result, it can sometimes be difficult to find what you want. In reality, the platform hides much more content than appears. Therefore, you should know that you can refine your search by accessing certain hidden categories.

To do this, you will need to log into Netflix from your computer. Once logged in, type in the browser the following address: https://www.netflix.com/fr-en/browse/genre/83 and change 83 to one of the following codes:

Action & Adventure (1365)

• Classics Action & Adventure (46576)
• Action comedies (43040)
• Action thrillers (43048)
• Adventures (7442)
• Comics and Superhero Movies (10118)
• Westerns (7700)
• Spy Movies (10702)
• Martial Arts Movies (8985)
• War & Action Movies (2125)
• Asian Action Movies (77232)

The great classics of cinema (31574)

• The classics of comedy (31694)
• Classical dramas (29809)
• The classics of Science Fiction & Fantasy (47147)
• The Thrillers (46588)
• Black Film (7687)
• Great war movies (48744)
• The great epics (52858)
• Silent cinema (53310)
• Westerns (47465)

Cult movies (7627)

• Series B Movies (8195)
• Kitchampy Movies (1252)
• Horror movies (10944)
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy Movies (4734)
• Cult Comedies (9434)

Comedy (6548)

• Black comedies (869)
• Comedy from abroad (4426)
• Political comedies (2700)
• Comedy about sport (5286)
• Stand-up (11559)
• Comedy for Teenagers (3519)
• Satires (4922)
• Romantic comedies (5475)

Romance (8883)

• The great classics (31273)
• Romantic comedies (5475)
• The most famous (502675)
• Eccentric (36103)
• Independent movies (9916)
• Foreign cinema (7153)
• Dramas (1255)
• Erotic (35800)

Science Fiction & Fantasy (1492)

• Classics (47147)
• Cult movies (4734)
• Action Movies (1568)
• With extraterrestrials (3327)
• Fantasy (9744)
• Adventure Movies (6926)
• Dramas (3916)
• Horror movies (1694)
• Thrillers (11014)

Thrillers (8933)

• Action Movies (43048)
• Classics (46588)
• Crimes (10499)
• Independent Thrillers (3269)
• Gangster Movies (31851)
• Psychological thrillers (5505)
• Political Thrillers (10504)
• Mysteries (9994)
• Science Fiction Thrillers (11014)
• Spying Thrillers (9147)
• Erotic thrillers (972)
• Supernatural Thrillers (11140)

Cartoons (7424)

• Adult Cartoons (11881)
• Action Cartoons (2653)
• Animated comedy series (9302)
• Animated dramas (452)
• Science Fiction Cartoons (2729)
• Horror cartoons (10695)
• Fantasy heroic cartoons (11146)
• Animated series (6721)

Children's and Family Movies (783)

• 0 to 2 years films (6796)
• 2 to 4 years films (6218)
• 5 to 7 years films (5455)
• 8 to 10 years films (561)
• Films from 11 to 12 years old (6962)
• Children's documentaries (10659)
• Movies based on children's books (10056)
• Cartoons (11177)
• Disney (67673)
• Children's TV programs (27346)
• Tales around animals (5507)

Music (1701)

• For children (52843)
• Country & Western / Folk (1105)
• Jazz (10271)
• Latin Music (10741)
• Urban & Dance Concerts (9472)
• Concerts Worldwide (2856)
• Rock & Pop Concerts (3278)
• Musical comedies (13335)
• On stage (55774)

Series & TV Shows (83)

• Classics (46553)
• Cult series (74652)
• British series (52117)
• Korean series (67879)
• Mini-series (4814)
• Cooking and travel (72436)
• War (25804)
• Science & Nature (52780)
• Action & Adventure (10673)
• Crimes (26146)
• Comedy Films (10375)
• Documentary (10105)
• Dramas (11714)
• Horror (83059)
• Mystery (4366)
• Science Fiction & Fantasy (1372)
• Reality TV (9833)
• Children's Programs (27346)
• Teen Programs (60951)

As you can see, these categories are much more detailed than those that normally appear in the start menu and will allow you to find a program to watch much more easily. In addition, if you mark ‘+My list’, you can save the programs as favorites and access them from your TV whenever you want.

How to access geo-restricted content?

You can access the hidden content, specific to a certain region, via VPN that changes your location, so you can watch series and movies that are on Netflix in Spain, France, Australia, and other countries. These are the best VPN services that we recommend.

What are some useful shortcuts?

If you use the Netflix for PC app, you will also find it extremely useful to know certain keyboard shortcuts to better enjoy your Netflix viewing.

• F key: full-screen playback
• Spacebar or Enter: pause playback or resume
• Up/down arrows: increase or decrease the volume
• Left/right arrows: by pressing once, forward, or go backward in playback for 10 seconds; holding the push button, advance to the fast camera or rewind.
• M key: mute the video
• Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Q: see technical information of the audio and video (frame rate, buffering, bandwidth used ...)

How to disable AutoPlay?

Autoplay is quite a practical feature if you don’t want to select the next episode each time. However, it can present a bit of a ‘trap’ as you can get hooked on a series longer than you like. The good news is, this feature can be disabled fairly easily. To do this, enter your profile and click on Account. Then, click ‘Playback Settings’ and uncheck ‘Play the next episode automatically’.

Autoplay can also refer to when a trailer automatically plays as you scroll through the menu. You can also turn this feature off in the same menu as the Autoplay series.

How to clear your playback history?

As you know, with the most advanced Netflix payment plans, you can have multiple profiles on the platform. However, that does not prevent any other user you share an account from entering your profile and seeing what you have been watching. To avoid this, view your Playback History, click the ‘Hide All’ option, or choose which content to delete. In 24 hours, it will disappear from your viewing history. The only downside is that if you delete everything, Netflix will have more difficulty recommending content based on your preferences, or it will even recommend shows you have already watched. It’s up to you!

How to download offline content?

Finally, do not forget that with Netflix, you can download all the original production series and movies to watch them when you do not have Internet on your device or simply do not want to spend data. To do this, simply enter the app, choose the content you want, and click on the download icon. The content will be stored for a limited time, but you can download it again after that period. 

What are other Netflix tricks?

• Install the IMDb Ratings for Netflix extension for Chrome that will show you the Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb ratings for movies and series you can find on Netflix. This can save you from spending your time watching some bad show. You can download and install the extension from here. 

• If you want to watch Netflix with some friends of yours who are not physically here, you can use the Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) Chrome extension. It includes a chat feature where you can discuss the movie while watching.

• Want to learn the language that the movie is in? Download and install the Language Reactor Chrome extension that offers you dual subtitles and a popup dictionary while you watch the movies.