AVG AntiVirus for Mac. View all Mac apps. Seems to get better for a day or so right after I re-download Silverlight, but today makes more than ten times I have had to do so in the past six.
Silverlight is a free plug-in, powered by the.NET framework and compatible with multiple browsers, devices and operating systems, bringing a new level of interactivity wherever the Web works. Help for Photo Finale site users installing Silverlight on Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), shown using Safari 6.0 (8536.25). Photo Finale is a customizable photo ordering and sharing website. Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of Microsoft.NET-based media experiences and rich interactive. True with both Firefox and Safari - it.
There’s nothing more frustrating than kicking-back to watch a movie or TV series and finding that Netflix is not working on your Mac.
Unfortunately there’s no official Netflix app for Mac. The official Netflix app is far more reliable than using a browser but the only way to get the official Netflix app on a Mac is to run Windows on your Mac and then use the Windows Netflix app.
You can use software like Parallels to install Windows on a Mac so that you can easily switch between macOS and Windows whenever you want to use Netflix.
However, sometimes Netflix streaming problems can also be fixed on Macs with a few simple changes.
The most common Netflix playback issues on macOS are things such as cache problems, plugin failure error messages, a black screen with no player controls, external monitor issues, mysterious n8151, n8010 and 2105 error codes and problems cause by adware on Macs.
Most recently, those with older Macs have been hit by the 2018 update to Safari 12 which doesn’t support the Silverlight plugin that Macs made before 2011 needed to play Netflix.
If you find this article helpful and are interested in other ways to stream on your Mac, you may also want to check out our guide to the best Mac compatible TV tuners.
Below then are the most common Netflix streaming problems on Mac and ways to fix them.
1. Netflix & Safari 12 Problems
If you’re on a Mac that was made before 2011, then you probably got a nasty shock when you updated to Safari 12. In 2014 Netflix started switching from using Microsoft’s Silverlight plugin to HTML5 to stream video. However, Macs made before 2011 (except a select few) can’t use HTML5 for streaming but could still keep using Silverlight to watch Netflix in 1080p. You need a Mac from 2012 onwards to be guaranteed of being able to stream Netflix in HTML5.
Unfortunately for security reasons, Apple decided to stop supporting Silverlight in Safari 12 which means if you’ve got an older Mac, you can no longer watch Netflix in Safari. Usually Netflix will keep prompting you to install Silverlight but Safari can’t install it anymore.
If you’re not sure whether your Mac is new enough to handle HTML5 streaming, you can check by going to the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen and selecting About This Mac. If it says your Mac is at least from early 2011 and you’re running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later, you should be able to stream Netflix in HTML5.
If however your Mac is from 2010 or earlier, you’ve got these options:
2. Use HTML5 To Stream Netflix
If you’re using a Mac made in 2011 and still using Silverlight to stream Netflix, you should definitely switch to HTML5 to solve any playback problems. Silverlight causes a multitude of problems streaming on Macs and as you’ll see, half of this troubleshooting article covers ways of fixing them.
Since 2014, these problems were eliminated when Netflix moved to using HTML5 to stream movies in full 1080 HD.
To ensure that you’re watching Netflix using HTML5, follow these instructions:
1. Newer Macs: Upgrade to the latest version of macOS Mojave and use Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Opera
If you’re already running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or above, Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Opera automatically support Netflix streaming in HTML5. To upgrade though, you must have a 2011 Mac onwards and the latest version of your browser so make sure you’ve updated macOS and your browser to the latest version (currently Mojave). If your Mac is from late 2011 or onwards, you can upgrade to the latest version of macOS by simply opening The Mac App Store in your Dock and going to Updates in the top Menu.
2. Older Macs: Switch to Google Chrome
If you’re still using an older version of OS X (from OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard onwards) Google Chrome allows you to stream Netflix in HTML5 on older versions of OS X although you must “force” it to do so. Simply open Netflix in Google Chrome, go to Netflix Playback Settings and select Prefer HTML5 player instead of Silverlight:
Close Chrome and then reopen it and you should find Netflix plays using the HTML5 player instead of Silverlight.
For more, you can see the full system requirements on Mac for streaming Netflix in HTML5 here.
3. Activate Auto-Play In Safari
If you’re sure Safari is using HTML5 to stream Netflix but still having problems, make sure that video Auto-Play is activated for websites.
To do this go to Safari > Preferences and select the Website tab across the top. Make sure that Auto-Play is enabled.
It’s also worth checking nothing is blocking Netflix under the Content Blockers options too. When you’ve done, reload the page to see if Netflix starts working again.
4. Clear Your Netflix Browser Cookies
If your cookies are outdated or corrupted then Netflix won’t play on your Mac. It’s easy to fix this however. Simply go to netflix.com/clearcookies and Netflix will automatically clear your cookie cache and sign you out of Netflix. Then just sign-in again to Netflix to start watching a movie or TV show.
5. Use A Netflix Streaming Device
If you regularly have problems streaming Netflix on your Mac, you may want to consider getting a dedicated box to stream Netflix or a USB TV stick such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
These plug into your Mac’s USB port and are far more efficient at streaming Netflix than your Mac. You’ll also get other benefits such as access to Hulu (Limited Offer: $5.99 per month), ESPN and HBO Now.
6. Netflix Display Errors In Safari Using HTML5
While Silverlight is the main culprit for problems with Netflix, HTML5 isn’t without its problems sometimes. One common problem is that when you try to watch Netflix in Safari with two monitors connected to your Mac, HTML5 may not work.
Some users report experiencing a “Please ensure your monitor is HDCP compliant and is not mirrored using airplay” error when trying to play Netflix videos using Safari in HTML5 mode.
It seems to mostly affect those using a Thunderbolt-VGA adapters and although there is no official solution or fix for this problem, there are a few tricks that have worked for some. They are:
The in the Develop menu in Safari, select an older version of Safari:
This basically makes Safari revert back to an older version that Netflix works properly with. Note that if you open a new tab, you’ll have to do this process again. Other fixes include:
If you’ve got a newer MacBook Pro, it has two graphics cards – an integrated HD Graphics 4000 card and a more powerful discreet Nvidia GT 650M card. Your Mac switches between the two silently in the background depending on the demands of your Mac. Silverlight will not work if your Mac is using the discreet graphics card which it often switches to if you plug-in an external monitor.
To fix this, all you have to do is close down all other apps (including your browser) and unplug the external monitor to make your Mac switch to the default Integrated graphics card. Restart your browser and open Netflix and start watching a movie or show. You can then re-attach the external monitor and it will work. You can download a useful app called gfx which tells you which graphics card your Mac is using and allows you to force your Mac to use either the integrated or discreet graphics card (although not if you’ve got an external monitor attached).
7. Ads Or Popups When Streaming Netflix
If you’re getting ads and popups when streaming Netflix on your Mac, then it’s possible adware or malware is installed on your Mac. Adware and malware can get installed on your Mac when you accidentally click on malicious ads or install an application which is bundled with adware or malware.
Fortunately, it’s easy to get rid of adware on Mac by using Malwarebytes for Mac. You can read more about how to remove adware on Mac here.
8. Force Netflix To Play In HD On Your Mac
Netflix automatically chooses the bitrate to play videos on your Mac based on your connection speed and even if you have a fast connection, it doesn’t always select HD by default. Voxel sniper download for mac.
To force Netflix to play in HD on a Mac simply click on the video window to make sure it’s selected, hold down the Control+Shift+Option+S keys at the same time and Netflix will manually switch to HD.
9. Run Windows On Your Mac
One solution to Netflix playback problems on Mac is to run Windows on your Mac using software such as Parallels. This enables you to use the Netflix Windows app to watch videos.
You can find more details here on the the best ways to run Windows on a Mac as there are various options available to do so.
10. Use An Unofficial Netflix App
There is no official Netflix app for macOS but there are some unofficial Netflix apps. However, in general we don’t recommend them because they basically have all the same problems as using a browser.
Although there is no official Netflix app for Macs there is an official Netflix app for iPad and iPhone which allows you to watch Netflix movies and TV shows within the app.
The iOS app also allows you to watch Netflix offline on your iPad and iPhone:
11. Fix Silverlight Netflix Issues On Older Macs
If you’re using a pre-2011 Mac you’ll still have to use Silverlight in Chrome, Firefox or Opera to stream Netflix. If you’re having playback problems then it’s almost certainly because of the troublesome Silverlight plugin.
Silverlight is a plugin by Microsoft which Netflix used to deliver video to users although as we’ve already made clear, it’s now been replaced by the more reliable HTML5 standard on Macs made from 2011 onwards. Note that there’s no version of Silverlight for PPC Macs and no way to make Netflix work on a non-Intel Mac. Even if you can find an old version of Silverlight to install on your PPC Mac, Netflix will request you to upgrade to an Intel Mac before it will play anything so it’s not even worth trying.
The first thing to do is to make sure you definitely have Silverlight installed by going to the Silverlight test page. If Silverlight is installed on your Mac, you should see something like the following result on the Silverlight test page. If you can see the installed version is lower than the current version, then you need to update Silverlight.To update it, you must download the latest version of Silverlight for Mac from Microsoft. If you haven’t got it installed at all, you can download it from Microsoft or simply try to play a video in Netflix which will prompt you to perform the installation automatically. Netflix also provides full instructions how to install Silverlight on a Mac here.
If you’re installing Silverlight for the first time, you may receive the message “Silverlight.dmg cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer“. This is a security measure in the latest versions of macOS to prevent applications being installed that have not been verified by Apple on the Mac App Store. To bypass this Right-click or Ctrl click on “Silverlight.pkg” and then click “Open” and select the option that reads: “Silverlight.pkg” is not from the Mac App Store. Are you sure you want to open it? Opening “Silverlight.pkg” will always allow it to run on this Mac. Installation will then continue as normal
If you’ve already got Silverlight installed and it’s fully updated, then it’s likely something has gone wrong with the plugin. The real problems start when this plugin starts to malfunction so if you’re experiencing problems with Silverlight, there are various fixes and solutions you can try described below. Signs that something is wrong with Silverlight on Mac are errors such as:
If you’re experiencing any of the above, here is a complete list of steps how to fix them. There are also specific problems with Netflix in Firefox on Mac, which we’ve gone into more detail further down.
12. Safari Problems With Silverlight
If you’re using Safari 11 or earlier, you must ensure that Safari isn’t blocking Netflix access to the Silverlight plugin. To do this:
Dolphin emulator download for mac. If none of this works, then it’s probably a more fundamental problem related to your Silverlight plugins folder for which the only solution is to completely uninstall Silverlight.
The problem is that Silverlight is notoriously hard to remove properly on Mac and you need to perform some manual removal.
Next we show you a few ways to make sure that Silverlight has bee completely uninstalled on your Mac.
13. Uninstall Silverlight On Mac Automatically
Now download and reinstall Silverlight again. If you receive the warning “Silverlight.dmg cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer” it’s simply because it wasn’t downloaded from the Mac App Store and Apple has not certified it. You can still install it however by right-clicking or holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on Silverlight.pkg. Select Open on the pop-up menu and then click Open on the prompt that says “Silverlight.pkg” is not from the Mac App Store. Are you sure you want to open it? Opening “Silverlight.pkg” will always allow it to run on this Mac.” You can then complete the installation of Silverlight on your Mac and Netflix movies should now play as normal.
14. Uninstall Silverlight On Mac Manually
15. Silverlight Problems In Firefox
Firefox can be particularly fussy when it comes to Silverlight on Mac. If you’re seeing an error page or a black/blank screen when trying to watch Netflix on your Mac then again, it’s probably due to a problem with the Silverlight plugin.
This can be due to various issues but often it’s because Silverlight is not updated properly and Firefox automatically disables the plugin for security reasons.
Make sure that Silverlight is Enabled in Firefox by going to the Tools menu and selecting Add-Ons. Click on Plugins and make sure that Silverlight is enabled.
If Silverlight is enabled and Netflix still doesn’t work, follow this checklist to fix the problem:
The Silverlight installation file will be downloaded onto your Mac. Double click on it to launch the Silverlight for Mac Browser Plug-In installer.
When installation is complete, wait for around 15-20 seconds and a test video should start playing if the installation has been successful.
If you can see the video, Silverlight for Mac is working correctly in Firefox and you should be able to watch Netflix in Firefox.
If none of the above fixes Silverlight, try the following solutions:
We hope these tips have got Netflix working again on your Mac.
If you want to know how to record Netflix on Mac, you might also be interested in our article on how to capture Netflix videos on Mac.
For any other issues or problems you are having with Netflix on your Mac, let us know in the comments below.
Safari for MacSilverlight On A Mac
Safari is included with your Mac operating system.
Updating Safari
To keep Safari up to date for the version of macOS you're using, install the latest macOS updates.
Amazon Prime Video
The most recent version of macOS includes the most recent version of Safari. For some earlier versions of macOS, Safari might also be available separately from the Updates tab of the App Store.
Reinstalling SafariSilverlight
If you deleted Safari and don't have a Time Machine backup or other backup, reinstall macOS to put Safari back in your Applications folder. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove data from your computer.
Before reinstalling, you might want to use Spotlight to search for Safari on your Mac. If you find it, but it's no longer in your Dock, just drag it to the Dock to add it back.
Safari for WindowsMicrosoft Silverlight For Mac
Apple no longer offers Safari updates for Windows. Safari 5.1.7 for Windows was the last version made for Windows, and it is now outdated.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |