Netflix has none of what you don't want (commercials) and more of what you do (movies, shows, and specials) but if you find yourself watching the same episodes of The Office over and over again, it's time to rethink your queue. The dizzying amount of choice on your favorite streaming platform can feel overwhelming at times, but with the right tricks up your sleeve (namely: codes!), you can find exactly what you want to watch—without spending an hour clicking through those never-ending feeds.
Browse with secret codes.
Netflix organizes all of its content into special categories — thousands of them in fact. You can explore each genre by typing its unique number after the web address: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/X, with X being the code. So the next time you're mindlessly scrolling through the homepage, jump to exactly what you want using one of these special shortcuts.
If you need something for the kids ...
Zero in on specific age groups (opens in new tab) or fam favorites (opens in new tab) (Disney!) by clicking straight onto one of these categories:
Children & Family Movies: 783 (opens in new tab)
Disney: 67673 (opens in new tab)
Education for Kids: 10659 (opens in new tab)
Family Features: 51056 (opens in new tab)
Kids’ TV: 27346 (opens in new tab)
Movies based on children’s books: 10056 (opens in new tab)
Movies for ages 0 to 2: 6796 (opens in new tab)
Movies for ages 3 to 4: 6218 (opens in new tab)
Movies for ages 5 to 7: 5455 (opens in new tab)
Movies for ages 8 to 10: 561 (opens in new tab)
Movies for ages 11 to 12: 6962 (opens in new tab)
If you need to laugh ...
For when the new Ellen Degeneres special is not enough:
Comedies: 6548 (opens in new tab)
Cult Comedies: 9434 (opens in new tab)
Dark Comedies: 869 (opens in new tab)
Slapstick Comedies: 10256 (opens in new tab)
Stand-up Comedy: 11559 (opens in new tab)
If you need to cry ...
Grab the tissues and get ready to sob your way through one of these:
Tearjerkers: 6384 (opens in new tab)
Emotional Movies: 4136 (opens in new tab)
If you want something to watch on date night ...
Cozy up on the couch with your significant other for a crowd-pleaser:
Action & Adventure: 1365 (opens in new tab)
Action Comedies: 43040 (opens in new tab)
Biographical Dramas: 3179 (opens in new tab)
British Movies: 10757 (opens in new tab)
British TV Shows: 52117 (opens in new tab)
Dramas: 5763 (opens in new tab)
Dramas based on Books: 4961 (opens in new tab)
Dramas based on Real Life: 3653 (opens in new tab)
Mysteries: 9994 (opens in new tab)
Period Pieces: 12123 (opens in new tab)
Sci-Fi Adventure: 6926 (opens in new tab)
If you're over Netflix originals ...
Sometimes the streaming service gets a little too ambitious promoting its own content. You could try installing the "No Netflix Originals" Chrome extension (opens in new tab) to remove them completely from your browse page or jump ahead to one of these categories ahead:
Classic Movies (31574) (opens in new tab)
Classic Comedies (31694) (opens in new tab)
Classic Dramas (29809) (opens in new tab)
Classic TV Shows (46553) (opens in new tab)
Cult Movies (7627) (opens in new tab)
Cult TV Shows (74652) (opens in new tab)
If you want something light on in the background ...
Not in the mood for complicated plot lines and whispered dialogue? These don't require a lot of brain space after a long day.
Food & Travel TV: 72436 (opens in new tab)
Food & Wine: 3890 (opens in new tab)
Reality TV: 9833 (opens in new tab)
Home Improvement: 3293 (opens in new tab)
Science & Nature Documentaries: 2595 (opens in new tab)
Science & Nature TV: 52780 (opens in new tab)
Travel & Adventure Documentaries: 1159 (opens in new tab)
If you want to binge ...
Hint: When "one more episode" turns into 10, go to "My Profile" and then "Playback Settings." There's an option to uncheck "Play next episode automatically." But we won't judge you for spending an hour (or 10) on one of these categories:
Classic TV Shows: 46553 (opens in new tab)
Crime TV Shows: 6146 (opens in new tab)
TV Action & Adventure: 10673 (opens in new tab)
TV Comedies: 10375 (opens in new tab)
TV Dramas: 11714 (opens in new tab)
TV Mysteries: 4366 (opens in new tab)
TV Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 1372 (opens in new tab)
If you're in the mood for romance ...
From the light and happy rom-com (opens in new tab) to steamy Romance with a capital R, these will have you feeling some type of way.
Romantic Movies: 8883 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Favorites: 502675 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Dramas: 1255 (opens in new tab)
Steamy Romantic Movies: 35800 (opens in new tab)
Classic Romantic Movies: 31273 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Comedies: 5475 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Christmas Films: 1394527 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Movies based on Books: 3830 (opens in new tab)
Romantic Movies based on Real Life: 3963 (opens in new tab)
To sort movies by year ...
On your computer, go to a category page (like Romantic Comedies (opens in new tab)) and look for a box with four dots on the upper right hand side of the page. From the dropdown menu, you can change it from "Suggestions for you" to sort by year released, alphabetical, or reverse alphabetical order.
To add in expert reviews ...
If you question what Netflix considers "critically acclaimed" (us too), filter in another layer of critiques by installing the Google Chrome extension RateFlix (opens in new tab). The free add-on will display IMDb ratings, Rotten Tomato percentages, and Metacritic scores right next to the movie description before you accidentally click on Bright.
To watch titles before they expire on Netflix ...
Check websites like What's on Netflix (opens in new tab) and Just Watch (opens in new tab). They'll tell you what's brand-new on the service and what's about to leave, so you can stream it before it disappears.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter (subscribe here (opens in new tab)).
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