How to legally download free movies to your computer

You don't have to risk giving your computer a virus to download media for offline watching.

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Over the past couple of decades, the actual process of watching movies and television shows has changed dramatically. It used to be confined almost exclusively to a theater or a TV, but as our electronic devices have shifted from being single-purpose items into each one seemingly being its own multi-use entertainment device, the way one can consume media has expanded significantly.

While most people in the world know about streaming services and the benefits they all have, there's also something to be said for the offline nature of watching entertainment. With no need to worry about a potentially slow or intermittent internet connection, downloading movies to your computer or laptop is a great way to watch your favorite films without the hassle of modern inconveniences.

Thankfully, there are a number of safe and legal ways to do so. Instead of sailing the high seas, as it were, you actually have some excellent options that will make a work trip or just a casual night at home all the more entertaining.

The unfiltered joy of the public domain

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Every January, it's always fun to see what will enter the fabled halls of the public domain. While creators' and artists' rights are supremely important, copyright laws are also incredibly bizarre, which leads to a lot of fascinating things becoming part of the public domain. Thanks to that, there is a treasure trove of sites and resources for downloading classic films.

With sites like Public Domain Movies and Internet Archive, you can find almost anything you want that is in the public domain and download it. It's not just old black-and-white movies, though many of those are outstanding, as the public domain has an enormous number of films in any genre you can think of.

If you're looking for higher-profile films, you can use a site like JustWatch. While it is primarily focused on where to stream the biggest and latest blockbuster films, which are most certainly not in the public domain, it actually has a robust search function that may allow you to find where a public domain movie you're interested in is stored for a potential download.

Taking advantage of your current streaming services

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If you have a lot of streaming subscriptions, you may not be aware that many of them have started to embrace letting you download content from them if you have a certain plan. Services like Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ have made a lot of strides in making content available for desktops and laptops, though more recently, Netflix and other major services have shifted more toward a focus on downloads only for mobile devices and Chromebooks.

When it comes to the actual act of downloading something you either purchased or is part of your streaming bill, it's important to understand which ones allow downloads to which device. More specifically, how each service defines the word "download." They're using the term rather loosely, but what they really mean is offline viewing on the app, whether that's on a computer or a mobile device. It's great for long plane or bus rides, or maybe in an area with a rough connection.

The major services that offer downloads to watch offline on a computer include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and YouTube. They do also offer mobile, but if you're looking to download content to watch offline, those are about the only options available.

On YouTube, you can download any movies that you have purchased to watch offline on mobile. While YouTube Premium is a great deal, letting you get rid of annoying ads on videos, you actually don't even need it to download the movies you have purchased. Meanwhile, if anime is your thing, Crunchyroll allows you to download movies for offline viewing, but only on mobile. It has one of the biggest libraries in the streaming game, and if you're in the market for some great anime movies, Crunchyroll will let you download a huge portion of its library.