Resolved! How to Download Rented Movies on Amazon?
Summary: Amazon Prime Video lets you rent movies for a fee, but official downloads come with strict limits — 30 days storage, 48 hours watch window, and device restrictions. In this guide, we explain the difference between subscription titles and rentals, walk you through the official Amazon app download method, and introduce a secure, compliant way to keep your paid rental movies permanently.
Introduction to Amazon Movie Rentals and Purchases
Amazon Prime Video has an enormous library of movies and TV shows—some come free with your Prime subscription (that little “Included with Prime” tag), while others you’ll need to rent or buy separately.
To make things easier, I’ve put together a quick summary of how Amazon sorts its videos. In short, there are three main categories, which you can see in the table below:
|
Categories |
Details |
| Included with Prime |
|
| Movie Rentals |
|
| Movie Purchases |
|
In general speaking:
- Subscription movies = can be watched during your Prime membership, with download restrictions subject to membership limits.
- Movies rentals and purchases = a temporary payment with limited viewing access for a short period of time, and stricter download restrictions.
Compared to ordinary videos, the download rules for rental movies on Amazon are stricter. They can only be downloaded to one device and cannot be transferred or shared.
However, many movies are only available as rentals on Amazon. Therefore, many users are looking for a way to download rental movies to their local computer and save them permanently in MP4/MKV format, just like with subscription movies.
The answer is yes, but there are limitations. This article will explain in detail:
- How to download rental movies through the official Prime Video app;
- These download limitations;
- And how to save rental movies in MP4 or MKV format using StreamFab Amazon Downloader.
Method 1: Download Rented Movies with Amazon Prime Video App
If you've rented a movie on Amazon Prime Video, you can download it to your device through the official Prime Video app. Similar to subscription titles, rentals can be watched offline, but with more stringent rules. Here's how:
1. Operation Steps
Note: If you've downloaded Amazon Prime videos, The validity period to watch the content is generally 30 days. Once it starts playing, your viewing time will immediately enter a countdown and it can only be viewed within 48 hours.
2. Limitations of Download Rented Movies on Amazon Official
Compared to subscription movies, rental movies have more restrictions, mainly in the following points:
Validity Limitations:
- After successfully renting a title, you have 30 days to start watching.
- Once you hit Play, you’ve got 48 hours to finish it (some titles are kinder and give you up to 7 days).
Device Limitations:
- You can only download a rented title on one device at a time.
- If you want to watch it somewhere else, you’ll need to delete it from the first device before downloading it again. Yeah, a little inconvenient, but that’s how Amazon keeps things tidy.
Non-Transferable:
- Downloaded files can only be viewed within the Prime Video app and are DRM-protected, so they cannot be copied to a computer, USB drive, or other player.
Video Coverage Limitations:
- Not all rental titles can be downloaded; some can only be viewed online.
For most Amazon movie rentals and short-term viewing needs, the official download feature can meet about 70% of users' needs. But what about rentals that are only available online? If I absolutely have to watch offline for some objective reason, how do I handle this situation?
This is why many users are looking for a more flexible solution, which is what we will share with you in the next section, Method 2, which support rip Amazon Prime videos, including Movie Rentals and purchases.
Method 2: Download Amazon Movie Rentals with StreamFab
Traditionally, rentals can only be saved for a short period of time, but with StreamFab, once rentals get downloaded, you can keep them indefinitely, even after the rental expires.
- No more expiration limits: You can still watch downloaded videos even after your rental period expires.
- Multi-device playback support: Saved rentals can be copied to your phone, tablet, USB drive, or smart TV, eliminating the need to be tied to a single device.
- High-quality storage: Supports resolutions up to 1080p and preserves EAC3 5.1 surround sound or AAC 2.0 audio tracks.
- Subtitle and audio track selection: Freely select subtitles for your rentals in your preferred language and save them as embedded subtitles or separate SRT files.
- Batch downloading: You can grab not just single movies but entire series—or even a few films at once—which saves you a ton of time compared to downloading everything one by one.
1. Safety and Using Notice
Before using StreamFab Amazon Downloader to save your Prime rentals, keep a few important things in mind:
1. Movie rental payment must be completed first.
- StreamFab only archives movies you’ve officially rented and paid for on Amazon Prime. It doesn’t skip payments or unlock anything you haven’t already bought, so you’re still playing by the rules.
2. Personal Use Only
- Anything you download is meant for your own viewing on your personal devices. Don’t share, sell, or use it for business purposes—that’d go against Amazon’s Terms of Service (and probably your conscience).
3. Tool Security
- When I tested StreamFab myself, I ran the installer through VirusTotal, and it came back squeaky clean—no viruses, no Trojans, nothing shady hiding inside. So yes, it’s safe to install and won’t mess with your system.
4. Legal and Compliance Requirements
- To use StreamFab the right way, you’ll need an active Amazon Prime account and legal access to the titles you’re downloading. Under those conditions, StreamFab simply helps you skip the annoying device limits and download restrictions, giving you more freedom to watch your movies whenever—and wherever—you want.
2. Operation Steps
After understanding the above rules, you can use StreamFab, one of the best Amazon video downloaders. The overall operation is also quite simple. Take the process of my test as an example:
Choose Amazon and play your rented movie
Click VIP Services in the left panel and choose Amazon. Play your rented movie title in the built-in software, which will automatically analyze it.
Customize and download your rented movie
Customize the output parameters like video and audio codec, subtitle language, video resolution, etc.
Click the download button
Once done, preview your settings and press the Download button to save it offline immediately. Alternatively, add it to the Downloading Queue to download your rented movie later.
FAQs
1. How long can I keep my rented movies on Amazon?
When you rent a movie on Amazon, it’ll hang out in your library for about 30 days from the day you rent it. But once you hit Play, the clock starts ticking—you usually get 48 hours to finish it (a few titles are nicer and give you up to a week). So, yeah, don’t wait too long to start watching.
2. Do I still have to pay to rent movies on Amazon Prime?
Yep, you still have to pay. You’ll need to complete the rental through Amazon before you can download anything. StreamFab won’t magically unlock paid movies for free—it only does its thing after you’ve rented them the proper way. No hacks, just convenience.
Conclusion
In general, there's a clear distinction between Amazon Prime Video's subscription and rentals: subscriptions rely on membership, while rentals rely on paying for individual titles. Regardless of the model, the official app imposes strict download restrictions, such as device restrictions, 30-day validity periods, and 48-hour viewing periods.
If you’re just planning to watch something offline for a short trip or commute, the Prime Video app will do the job just fine. But if you’d rather keep things stored long-term or want more control over your downloads, StreamFab is the smarter choice.
Just remember—use it responsibly and within the official rules. It’s meant to make watching easier, not to bend the system.
