In November 2019, Disney launched its on-demand streaming service, Disney Plus. It was a dream come true for fans of Disney movies and shows. Whether you love Star Wars, the Avengers movies, The Mandalorian, Hamilton, or Disney classics like Cinderella, Bambi, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians, or Beauty and the Beast, or Pixar favorites like Toy Story, Coco, Cars, or Up, you can find all of these and more on Disney+.
Better still, all this Disney content is available offline. You no longer have to be home and connected to Wi-Fi to watch these hits. With the Disney Plus download feature, you can save these shows to your mobile devices and watch them on the go.
Read on to learn how to download Disney shows.
What is offline content?
With a subscription to Disney+, not only can you stream your favorite shows and movies when you have a Wi-Fi connection, you can also download your shows for later viewing. This offline content is perfect when you’re not going to be near Wi-Fi and you don’t want to use a lot of data. It’s also great when you’re going to be on a plane or in a car for a few hours (as the passenger of course). And if you have kids of various ages, they can each watch shows and movies that fit their age groups.
What do I need to get started with Disney+ downloads?
Most importantly, you need a subscription to Disney+. Depending on any deals offered for Disney+, a monthly subscription to Disney+ is $7 a month or $70 if you pay for the entire year in advance.
You can also subscribe to the Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu bundle. For $13 a month, not only does your subscription include Disney+, it also comes with ESPN+ and Hulu. With this offer, not only do you get Disney’s entire catalog, you also have access to programming from ESPN and Hulu. ESPN+ includes live and archived games and events from MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAA, UFC, international soccer, and more. It also includes ESPN Originals and access to exclusive content on the website. With Hulu, you can watch more than 80,000 hours of TV episodes and shows from their massive on-demand library.
Once you have a Disney+ subscription, you’ll need a mobile device, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. You can only download Disney+ content to mobile devices. Shows can’t be downloaded to your Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, or laptop.
Then, you need to install the Disney+ app to your mobile device and have enough storage space on it for the shows you plan to download. You can download content on up to 10 devices.
How to download Disney+ content
Once you have a Disney+ subscription and the app installed on your device, follow these simple steps on how to download Disney movies.
- Open the Disney+ app.
- In the bottom menu bar, tap the “Search” icon — in the shape of a magnifying glass.
- From the search results, tap on the movie you want to download.
- Tap the “Download” icon. It’s a line below a downward arrow inside a circle. It’s to the right of the “Play” button and “Add to Watch List” (plus inside a circle) icon.
- Once the download begins, the “Download” icon with change to a “Loading” icon — a square inside a dotted circle.
- When the download is complete, a “Checkmark” icon will take the place of the “Download” and “Loading” icons. At this point, you can watch your show offline.
The process is a bit different if you want to download a TV show or series.
- Open the Disney+ app.
- In the bottom menu bar, tap the “Search” icon.
- From the search results, tap on the name of the show you want to download to go to that show’s page.
- To download an entire season:
- On the show’s page, swipe up until you see the season number and tap the “Download Season” icon to the right of the season number. A pop-up window will appear — tap “Download Season”.
- To download a single episode, go to the show’s page, swipe up until you see the season number and continue swiping until you find the episode you want to download. Below the episode image is the number and name of the episode. To the right of the name is the download icon. Tap that to download the episode.
Once you’ve downloaded the show you’re interested in, you can immediately begin playing it by tapping the “Play” button. Or, if you want to watch it later, you can find all the shows you’ve downloaded in the “Downloads” tab, in the bottom menu bar to the right of the “Search” icon.
What else do I need to know about Disney+ downloads?
The entire Disney+ catalog is available for downloads. You can download as many shows as you want, provided you have enough storage space on your mobile device. Shows will stay in your downloads folder as long as you’re a subscriber of the Disney+ service. You just have to connect your mobile device to the Internet at least once every 30 days.
It’s best to be connected to Wi-Fi when you’re downloading your shows and that’s the app’s default setting. If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, you can still download shows using data by changing the default in Settings.
The amount of time it takes for a show to download depends on the strength of your Wi-Fi network.
When you want to remove your show to make room for more, simply:
- Select the “Download” icon.
- Find the show you want to remove and tap the “Checkmark” icon to the right of the show’s name.
- Choose “Remove Download”.
The final cut
The Disney Plus download feature makes a great streaming service even better. Disney fans of all ages can watch their favorite movies and shows on their mobile phones and tablets no matter where they are or whether they’re connected to Wi-Fi.
Disney’s entire catalog is available and the process to download your favorite content is pretty simple. Learn more in our Disney+ review.
Disney+ download FAQs
How much does it cost to download shows from Disney+?
Once you have a subscription to Disney+, you can download your favorite shows for free. A standalone Disney+ subscription is $7/mo., or you can subscribe to the Disney bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu for $13/mo. You can check it out with a seven-day Disney+ free trial.
Do I need special equipment for a Disney Plus download?
All you need is your iOS or Android mobile phone or tablet.
Is there a limit to the number of shows I can download?
No. You can download as many movies and shows as you have storage space for on your mobile device.
How long can I keep a show on my phone?
As long as you’re a subscriber of Disney+, there’s no time limit for how long you can save a show or movie on your phone.