Downloading Emby content for offline viewing

This guide will help you step by step to download a movie or series from the Emby server, so you can watch it later without internet (offline). The process is simple, but has a few important aspects you need to consider, especially regarding storage space and the quality of the downloaded file.

1. Selecting a movie or series for download

First, enter the Emby application and choose the movie or series you want to download.
Once opened, click the Download button (see image below).

2. Choosing download quality

After we click Download, we'll need to select the file quality.

• If we want an original version, the file will be large (for example, a movie can reach 10GB).
• If we want a more phone-friendly version, I recommend choosing a lower quality to save space and download time.

3. Confirming download

After choosing the desired quality, click Download again to start the process.

4. Download notification

Immediately after clicking Download, the application will show us a message or notification at the bottom of the screen that the file is downloading.

5. Checking download progress

To see download progress:

1. Go to the application's main page.
2. Click on user profile (top right corner).
3. From the user menu choose App Settings

6. Settings and download monitoring

Now we need to click the Downloads button in the application.
From here we can:

• see download progress,
• manage the location where files are saved,
• receive push notifications on phone about progress or completion.

If we click Manage Downloads, a window with additional details will open:

• if it says Transferring it means it's still downloading,
• if it says Downloaded, then the file is completely downloaded.

7. Offline viewing

After ensuring the download is complete, we can disable internet to test offline mode.

• If we're in an area without signal (mountains, airplane), the application automatically enters offline mode.
• For a quick test, manually disable internet.

8. Accessing downloaded content

Click Downloads, where we find content grouped by libraries:

• Movies – for movies,
• TV Shows – for series,
• Music – for music.

Everything is organized and separated by categories.

9. Playing movie offline

Select the downloaded movie/series, and the application will immediately open it in offline mode.
Metadata (title, posters, information) is saved together with the file, so the experience is complete.

Now you can watch movies in complete offline mode, with all metadata and posters saved.

Movie in list (example)

Offline playback (example)

Conclusion

You've now seen the necessary steps to download and watch movies or series offline directly from the Emby application.

• Choose appropriate quality for available space on your phone,
• Monitor download progress,
• Disable internet to access offline mode,
• Enjoy viewing anywhere, even without network connection.