How to Recover Netflix History

Want to restore a list of shows you watched on Netflix recently, but are unsure how? Like many other streaming platforms, this one stores the history of the content you watched, both for improving their recommendations and giving users a way to go back in time, so to say. Before we dive into it, we need to state that the company has limited free trials and made it so that only people in the same household can share an account. That may impact data rescue as the system could prevent access from a remote location, but it’s still worth trying. With that said, let’s get into how to recover Netflix history.

1. Inspect your network connection

We won’t assume the worst yet, which is that your Netflix profile or account was erased or discontinued. Right away, we will state that if you were to erase the profile manually, its information, history included, will be removed permanently. If you reach out to Netflix via methods 3 and 4 immediately, you may get some data back. However, don’t rely on it—treat it as a miracle if it works.

Thus, you should first verify that you entered the correct profile. Then, examine if your Internet connection is the culprit, meaning that poor connectivity isn’t causing problems with data syncing between the Netflix application and the server. Double-check that the modem or router is online. Then, inspect whether the network signal is strong enough on the Smart TV, mobile device, or computer, especially Wi-Fi. Consider sharing a cellular network connection from a mobile device to see whether the information would sync. If possible, use a wired connection to a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, too.

2. Log out then log back into Netflix to recover the viewing history

Do you know the credentials for your account? If so, you can sign out, then sign back in. If you don’t, that shouldn’t stop you since we have a Netflix account recovery guide. The meticulous but time-intensive and tedious method is to go to all your devices, then press the account (profile icon) or settings (cogwheel/gears) to find the option to sign out. Alternatively and more conveniently, you can sign out of Netflix on all devices at once on a computer. We demonstrated all these:

• Smart TV — Select the Get Help option in the bottom left corner of the Netflix app, then choose Sign out and confirm the decision.
• Computer app or browser — Open the Netflix website or the computer app. Then:
  1. Select the profile belonging to the account.
  2. Tap or click the profile icon in the upper right corner.
  3. Go to Account from the drop-down menu.
  4. Pick the Sign out of all your devices option.
  5. Confirm your decision.
• Mobile device — Launch the app, then pick the profile. Tap More (three horizontal lines, 3 vertical dots, or profile icon). Select Sign out and proceed.

3. Download a copy of your information

If the shows you wanted still don’t appear directly, perhaps you want to see if a list exists elsewhere. Luckily, Netflix makes it easy to recover the watching history by doing this:

1. Access the Netflix account page.
2. Sign in if you haven’t. Go to Profile & Parental Controls.
3. If you have the necessary permissions (ideally, being the account owner), you can tap on any profile attached to the account.
4. Select Viewing activity.
5. If you don’t see the content you seek (such as if it was a long time ago or there’s a lot of recent activity), click or tap the Show More button.
6. If you decide to go through the list offline, you can choose the Download all option at the bottom of the page. It will be in the CSV file format.

Unsurprisingly, you have to be an active user of the Netflix service to do so. If your account expired, has been erased, or doesn’t show any activity, you need to get a copy of all information Netflix has on your account. Visit the Netflix Get My Info page and follow the brief instructions. You can also email [email protected] for help with personal data. You must be the account owner to do so, however.

4. Recover history by contacting Netflix Customer Service

There isn’t much you can do besides running data recovery software for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Smart TV. However, the history is likely encrypted and takes little storage space. More importantly, it may have been erased by the Netflix app or overwritten by the system. Thus, we don’t recommend wasting your time. Instead, you should reach out to Netflix Customer Support in these ways:

• Live chat — Scroll down to the bottom of any Help page on their website and click the Start Live Chat button to contact Netflix Customer Care.
• Calling from the app — Click or tap the Call Us button next to the live chat one. You have to download and use the Netflix application for Android and iOS to make a free call.
• Dial their helpline phone number — Search for Netflix phone numbers for your country on their website. The example is +1-800-585-7265 for the United States. Many countries lack such a phone number, unfortunately.