22 hours ago4 min read
How to View Your Entire Netflix Streaming History and Playback Time
- Utshab Biswas
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
What you need to Know
Netflix allows users to view their full streaming history via the account settings.
Viewing history includes both films and individual episodes of TV shows.
Netflix typically sends the full account data within a few days via email.
The exact watch time is located in the “ViewingActivity.csv” file under CONTENT_INTERACTION.
If you're a binge viewer who has watched hundreds of movies and TV shows on Netflix, you might have posed yourself an easy question: What have I watched, anyway? Or maybe you're wondering how many hours of streaming you've accumulated to see if your Netflix subscription is paying for itself. Either way, the solution is in one powerful resource that few use even know about your Netflix watch history.
Why Check Netflix Streaming History?
Your Netflix viewing history provides more than a trip down memory lane. It can provide you with important information on your streaming habits, allowing you to see trends, detect excessive screen time, or just remember what you've watched already. This comes particularly in handy when you've switched between multiple shows and films over the years and can't remember. Also, looking over your history can assist you in choosing if your Netflix plan is appropriate for your usage patterns, or if a more affordable or premium plan is more appropriate.
How to Access Your Netflix Viewing History
Netflix doesn’t prominently display the viewing history, but you can access it easily by following a few steps on the web version:
Open Netflix in your browser and log in.
Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and go to Account.
Scroll to the Profile & Parental Controls section and select the profile you want to inspect.
Click on Viewing activity under the Settings section.
This will bring up a list of all the titles you've watched recently. For TV series, Netflix lists every episode individually, so your history might look shorter than expected due to only showing 20 entries per page initially. Fortunately, there's an option at the bottom of the list that says "Show More" clicking this will load additional entries so you can view your full streaming activity.
Why Are Some Unknown Titles in My Viewing History?
You may see unfamiliar titles in your history of what you've been watching. Don't panic, you're not going crazy. Netflix might track something as "watched" if you accidentally clicked a preview or if something auto-played as you were browsing. A few seconds of playback is sometimes all it takes for a title to show up in your history. These entries have the tendency to lengthen or complicate the list more than it actually is, but they can be safely ignored if you do not mind doing it manually.
See the Titles You've Rated on Netflix
Netflix also provides the option to see everything you've rated over time. This is particularly handy if you wish to revisit previous favorites or modify an existing rating. You can access this in a different section under your profile's settings. By checking out your older ratings, you can make sure Netflix's recommendation system is more effectively working according to your taste.
Download Your Full Viewing History in CSV Format
If you're someone who likes detailed tracking or wants to analyze their streaming habits more thoroughly, Netflix gives you the option to download your complete viewing history as a CSV file. Here's how:
While on the Viewing Activity page, look for a small link that says "Download all".
Clicking it will prompt Netflix to generate a file for download. This file can be opened with Excel or any spreadsheet program.
The CSV file contains a full list of titles, dates watched, and more perfect for organizing or calculating your total screen time.
How to Find Your Exact Netflix Playback Time (Advanced Option)
Want even more detailed insights, like the exact watch time for every video? Netflix holds this data but doesn’t display it directly in your account. However, thanks to data protection regulations like GDPR, Netflix is obligated to provide users with all account-related data upon request.
Here’s how to get your complete playback record:
Go to Netflix Account Settings in your browser.
Scroll to Security & Privacy and select Personal info access.
Confirm that you want to receive your personal data.
Netflix will send you an email to confirm your request. Click the link in the email.
Log in again to finalize the request.
Netflix states that it may take up to 30 days to fulfill the request, but most users receive the data within a week. When the data arrives, you'll get a ZIP file containing folders and files related to your account activity.
Locate the Exact Streaming File
Inside the downloaded ZIP file, go to the CONTENT_INTERACTION folder. Within it, navigate to a file called ViewingActivity.csv. This is your holy grail it contains not only titles and dates but session durations as well, providing you with the best possible record of your Netflix activity.
After it's opened in Excel or Google Sheets, filter and examine your viewing habits, monitor binge sessions, or even chart your viewing patterns.
Knowing how to access and download your Netflix history can be both insightful and empowering. Whether you’re curious about what you’ve watched, want to improve recommendations, or determine if the subscription cost matches your usage, this hidden tool can help. Plus, for parents, it’s also a useful way to monitor what children are viewing on different profiles.
Take control of your streaming journey today dive into your Netflix history and uncover the stories behind your screen time.
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