How to Download Amazon Prime Video to Hard Drive (Official App & MP4 Method)

Imagine this: You’re excited to catch up on your favorite Amazon Prime Video series, eager to download them to your computer so that you can watch them offline whether on a plane or a train. But suddenly, the Amazon Prime Video app notifies you that your hard drive is full, and the download can’t continue.

This is where an external hard drive comes in handy. With its large capacity for file storage, an external hard drive is the perfect solution for backing up high-definition movies from Amazon Prime Video.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to download movies or shows from Amazon Prime Video and transfer them to your hard drive, whether you’re using a Windows PC or MacBook/iMac. Let’s dive in!

Can You Download Amazon Prime Video to an External Hard Drive?

Yes, but only through the official Prime Video app on supported devices, and the experience varies depending on the platform.

Amazon officially supports offline downloads on the Prime Video app for Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, iPad, and Fire tablets. However, only the Windows and Android apps let you choose where downloaded titles are stored. This means Windows users can connect an external hard drive and set it as the download location before saving new videos.

The table below summarizes Amazon’s official support for offline downloads and download location settings.

Way 1. Download Amazon Prime Video to External Hard Drive Directly

Best for: Watching offline inside the Prime Video app while saving local storage.

You may already know that if you subscribe to an Amazon Prime Video plan, you can not only watch movies using the web player in your computer’s browser but also install the Prime Video app and download Amazon videos to your Mac or Windows computer for offline viewing.

Supported computer systems for installing Amazon Prime Video:

• Windows 10 & Windows 11
• macOS 11.4 Big Sur or later

Therefore, you can first change Amazon’s download location to an external hard drive, and then download Amazon Prime Video to a hard drive directly. Though it is not recommended by Amazon, it indeed allows its users to change the output file location. You can rely on this feature to free up storage space locally. Below are the steps for your reference.

On Windows

Please note that the official app is available for Windows 10 (17763.0) or later. Also, only Prime Video app downloaded from the Microsoft Store can be moved to your external hard drive.

Moreover, the setting only takes into effect when the external hard drive is connected to your computer. You should keep the two connected during the whole downloading process. The settings you made will expire once you disconnect them.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch Amazon Prime Video on your desktop, and sign in with your Prime account.

Step 2. Plug your external hard drive to your computer.

Step 3. Set the external hard drive as the file location for your Amazon downloads. Press the “Windows + I” keys to open “Settings” on your computer, and search for “Apps & features”.

Step 4. Navigate to Prime Video and tap on it, then hit “Move”.

Step 5. Select the external hard drive as the drive where you want to move the app.

Step 6. Now all new data and downloads will be directly downloaded to your hard drive. Search for the Amazon Prime title you wish to download. On the details page, click the “Download” button to save Amazon Prime video to your hard drive.

On Mac

Things can be a little bit more difficult on a Mac, as you need to make sure that your external hard drive is in APFS format that is compatible with macOS. Also, you need to make sure to check “External disks” under Finder > Finder Preferences > General so the hard drive can be displayed successfully.

Step 1. Press the shortcut (Command + Space) to open Spotlight, then search for and open Disk Utility.

Step 2. Connect your external hard drive to your Mac, and you’ll see its name appear in the sidebar.

Step 3. Right-click on your hard drive, select “Erase”, then choose APFS under the Format option. Click “Erase” to format the drive.

Step 4.

• If you’ve already installed Amazon Prime Video: Open “Finder > Application” and then search for “Prime Video”. Drag it to your external on the left sidebar and it will be moved there directly.

• If you haven’t installed the app, download and run the Amazon Prime Video app and drag it into your external hard drive.

You can now launch the app and download the movies you want, and they will be downloaded to your external hard drive.

Way 2. Download Amazon Prime Videos as MP4 Files to External Hard Drive

The methods above should help you download your desired Amazon videos to an external hard drive. However, it’s important to note that videos downloaded via the official app must be watched within 30 days; otherwise, they will expire. Additionally, once you start playback, they will expire 48 hours later. If they expire, you’ll need to download them again.

This means that even if you download these videos, they are still protected by DRM and don’t truly belong to you. Once you cancel your Amazon Prime subscription, these videos will become unplayable.

If you don’t want to deal with these limitations, you can use third-party tools to download the videos as MP4 files and save them on your external hard drive.

TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader is what you need to avoid some playback limitations of official offline downloads. With its built-in web browser, you no longer need to switch from the official app, and can directly search for your desired movies on TuneFab to download Amazon Prime content into high-definition MP4/MKV/MOV videos (up to 1080P). Local MP4 files don’t rely on the Prime Video app for playback, but you should ensure you have the rights to download and use the content.

Here are the easy steps to download Amazon Prime Video to MP4 with the TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch the app on your computer, enter Amazon Prime Video, and then log into the web player from the home screen.

Step 2. Search for the video/show you want to download on the inbuilt web player and press the download button that is on the right of the address bar.

Step 3. When a new window pops up, adjust the output format, quality, subtitles, and even the output path. Select all videos and hit the download button.

If you download videos before changing the output folder, moving the downloaded MP4 files to an external hard drive is also a very simple task. Follow the steps below to move them:

Save MP4 Amazon Videos to External Hard Drive

Before transferring, please check your external hard drive’s storage space to ensure a smooth transfer process.

Step 1. Connect the hard drive to your Windows computer with a USB cable.

Step 2. Open the TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader, navigate to the “Downloaded” section, find the downloaded movie you want to move, and click the “View Output File” and you can view all downloads in a folder.

Step 3. Open “This PC”, select the folder corresponding to your hard drive, and simply drag and drop the MP4 files from the output folder into the folder on your hard drive.

Transfer Downloaded Amazon Videos from Your macOS Device

Before starting the transfer, please ensure you are using a compatible hard drive. If the one you are using is in a non-compatible format like NTFS or HFS+, format it or just try another one.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to your Mac with a USB cable. It should appear in Finder if it’s compatible.

Step 2. Open the TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader, navigate to the “Finished” section, and click the “View Output Folder” icon to locate the output folder.

Step 3. Select and drag the downloaded MP4 videos to your external hard drive.

After the transfer finishes, you can save locally for offline playback and watch them on compatible media players without relying on the Prime Video app and interruptions. By the way, the steps to download Amazon Prime movies to USB are nearly the same as downloading them to the external hard drive mentioned here. Have a try by yourself first.

Official App vs. MP4 Downloader: Which Method Is Better?

Both methods let you save Amazon Prime Video content for offline viewing, but they’re designed for different scenarios. The official Prime Video app is the better choice if you only need temporary offline viewing within Amazon’s ecosystem. TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader offers greater flexibility if you want compatible video files for playback across devices or local storage and flexible playback.

To make this comparison as objective as possible, we tested both methods under the same conditions and evaluated their download experience, playback compatibility, and external hard drive support.

Overall, the official Prime Video app remains the simplest and most secure option for users who only need temporary offline viewing within Amazon’s ecosystem. However, TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader provides more flexibility by creating standard video files that can be transferred to external drives and played on compatible devices.

Based on our testing, both methods successfully completed downloads, but they serve different needs: the official app is better for convenience, while a video downloader is better suited for users who want more control over local playback.

Tips Before Downloading Amazon Prime Video to a Hard Drive

Before you start downloading Amazon Prime Video titles to an external hard drive, keep the following tips in mind to ensure a smoother experience and avoid common issues.

Make Sure Your Hard Drive Has Enough Space

High-definition videos can take up a significant amount of storage, especially if you’re downloading multiple titles. As a general reference:

If you’re planning to save an entire TV series or multiple movies, using a high-capacity external hard drive or SSD is recommended.

Use a Compatible File System

Before saving videos to an external hard drive, make sure the drive uses a file system that’s compatible with your operating system.

If you plan to use the same drive on both Windows and Mac, exFAT is generally the most convenient choice because it’s supported by both operating systems without the file size limitations of FAT32.

Keep Your Drive Connected During Download

If you’re downloading directly to an external hard drive, avoid disconnecting it until the download has finished. Interrupting the connection may cause incomplete downloads or require you to start the download again.

For the official Prime Video app on Windows, changing the download location only works while the selected external drive remains connected.

Respect Copyright and Amazon’s Terms

Always use downloaded videos responsibly.

• Download content only for personal offline viewing.
• Don’t redistribute, upload, or publicly share downloaded videos without permission.
• Download availability varies by title, region, subscription plan, and licensing agreements.
• Follow applicable copyright laws and Amazon’s Terms of Use when downloading or accessing content.

FAQ

Can I download Amazon Prime Video directly to an external hard drive?

Yes, but with some limitations. On Windows and Android, the Prime Video app allows you to change the download location before downloading eligible titles. However, Amazon doesn’t recommend saving downloads to USB-connected external drives. Official downloads remain encrypted and can only be played within the Prime Video app.

Can I transfer Amazon Prime Video downloads from hard drive to another computer?

Official downloads can’t simply be copied to another computer because they’re encrypted and associated with your Amazon account and authorized device. Copying the downloaded files doesn’t make them playable on another device.

Summary

You can easily download Amazon Prime videos to external hard drive in two ways. One is using the Prime Video app and changing the output location, and the other one is downloading videos from Amazon Prime to MP4 with TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader and then moving them to your hard drive.

The official Prime Video app is ideal if you only need temporary offline viewing within the app and don’t mind its playback restrictions or download expiration.

If you want compatible video files for playback across different devices or long-term local storage, TuneFab VideOne Amazon Downloader offers greater flexibility by exporting videos in MP4, MKV, or MOV formats.

Whichever method you choose, make sure your downloads comply with applicable laws and Amazon’s Terms of Use, and use downloaded content only where permitted.