Hulu Download Limit & Restrictions: Ways to Get Rid of Them
Summary: Although Hulu's official download function is convenient, its various limitations do bring a lot of trouble to our viewing experience. This article summarizes some of my personal experiences.
Introduction
We all love Hulu's offline download feature, which is supposed to be the perfect companion for commuting and traveling, especially when internet access is unavailable due to some special circumstances. But the reality is that we are often bound by various "invisible limits": Why do downloaded videos suddenly disappear? Why do I reach my download limit even though I don't have many videos in my account?
Don't worry, there are solutions to these problems. In this guide, I'll walk you through Hulu's official downloading rules and share a proven method that allows you todownload shows on Hulu, save them forever, and watch them anytime, anywhere.
Why Hulu Downloads Disappear: Limitations Explain
According to Hulu's latest policy, released in 2025, these restrictions exist primarily for copyright protection and content licensing agreements.
In order to protect Hulu's own profitability and continue to attract user subscriptions, even if we pay for Hulu videos, we can only obtain "limited" viewing rights because of Hulu DRM protection.
- I used the Gemini 2.5 Pro to research the most common Hulu restrictions users mentioned. Based on the results, I compiled the following table:
1. Hulu User Limit
To download TV shows and other exciting videos on Hulu, you must be a Hulu (No Ads) or Hulu (No ads) + Live TV subscriber. This plan allows you to download limitless video content from the Hulu Streaming Library. However, if you switch to a plan that doesn't support downloads, like Hulu or Hulu + Live TV, your existing downloads will be removed, so subscribers to ad-supported plans can only stream and not download Hulu videos.
2. Hulu Device Limit
Hulu downloading is supported only on Mobile devices (Android and iOS) and Amazon Fire Tablets. You can download a maximum of 25 titles on up to 5 mobile devices at a time. If you change to a new phone or tablet, you need to remove the old device in the account settings before you can authorize the new device.
In addition, the devices supported by the download are limited to mobile devices. In other words, if you want to watch Hulu offline on a PC device, you need to find a valid Hulu video downloader.
We have another more comprehensive review that will show you the best Hulu video downloaders on the market. This article focuses on explaining Hulu's limitations, so we won't go into detail here. If you're interested, you can go to that article to watch it.
3. Hulu Content Limit
Despite being a Hulu (no ads) subscriber, some video titles can not be downloaded. Only those videos with a download icon in the streaming library are downloadable.
Due to the licensing agreements Hulu signs with content producers, some content (especially live TV and certain movies) is not available for offline download, even if you subscribe to the top-tier "No Ads" plan.
4. Hulu Time Limit
This is the culprit that causes downloads to "disappear." Once downloaded, unwatched video titles will be available for 30 days unless your content, such as an episode or movie, leaves the Hulu Streaming Library. However, once you start the playback, you will only have 48 hours to finish watching your downloaded video title; otherwise, it will expire. If you still wan to watch Hulu offline, you will have to download it again.
5. Hulu Playback Limit
PC users can only stream Hulu videos using a web browser, as there's no Hulu app for computers. You must know that the downloaded video titles are only available on the Hulu app. So, if you want to rip video from Hulu, you must have the Hulu app on your phone or tablet to view it smoothly.
Also, you must know that the downloaded titles are not sharable to other devices and can only be watched on the device that initially downloaded them. This happens to prevent unauthorized use of digital content.
How to Overcome Hulu Limits?
1. Tool Required:StreamFab Hulu Downloader
When you have all the essential insights about the most asked questions about does Hulu have a limit on devices, it's time to eliminate these limitations with the unlimited and unrestricted downloading support of StreamFab Hulu Downloader.
Download titles from Hulu US and Hulu Japan without regional restrictions in 4K quality. You can get ads-free downloads from any Hulu ad-supported or ads-free plan. Save Hulu videos permanenly on your device without expiration.
The text description may be a bit abstract, so I made a comparison chart so that you can see the difference at a glance.
| Hulu App Download | StreamFab Hulu Downloader | |
|---|---|---|
| Download amount | Limited to 25 | ✅ 100 titles per day |
| Valid period | Limited to 30days (48h for playback) | ✅ Permanent save, never expire |
| Supported devices | Limited to 5 mobile devices | ✅ Playback on any devices |
| Download format | Limited protected format | ✅Compatible MP4 and MKV |
| Video Quality | Limited to 1080p at best | ✅1080p, even 4k |
| Audio | Limited by default setting | EAC3 5.1 or AAC 2.0 |
After being tortured by Hulu's download restrictions, the emergence of StreamFab really made me shine. I think it is a great supplement to Hulu's own restrictions.
2. Operation Steps
Step 1: Install StreamFab Hulu Downloader on your device.
Step 2: Select the Hulu website from the website list, log into your subscribed Hulu account, and find your desired Hulu title for offline watch.
Step 3: Once you play your selected Hulu content, you will get a pop-up window with options for further customization of the output downloaded content, such as subtitles, audio-video quality, format, etc.
Step 4: Once you have done your selection option, select the “Download Now” option to complete your selected Hulu downloading process.
FAQ
Before you decide to use it, you may have some concerns. Below are some frequently asked questions from communities such as Reddit, hoping to answer your questions.
Technically speaking, as long as you download and install StreamFab from the official website, it is safe and does not contain any viruses or malware. As for legality, the premise of StreamFab saving Hulu videos is that you have subscribed to the video and obtained valid access rights, and StreamFab is only used for your personal viewing. In such a scope of application, it is allowed.
This goes back to the "account sharing limit" issue we mentioned earlier. It's likely that other family members have downloaded content on their devices. Using StreamFab to download content to your computer eliminates this issue.
Conclusion
If you get annoyed with Hulu device limits and other online and offline streaming restrictions, you must try the flexible and fascinating service of StreamFab Hulu Downloader. Instead of investing massive amounts on an expensive Hulu (No Ads) plan, you better stay attached to the StreamFab service and enjoy unlimited ads-downloading from any ad-supported or free trial plan for your permanent offline watch.
