If you’ve got a red bar under a show you want to watch on Netflix, this means that the show has already been seen on that Netflix profile.
Whether you were the one who watched the show or someone else, you’ll want to get rid of that watch progress in order to rewatch the show—and we’ll show you how.
Why Should You Reset Watch Progress on Netflix?
The red bar under a show you or someone else has seen on a Netflix profile is called watch progress. It’s a convenient indicator to let you know where you last left off, so you don’t need to memorize which episode or timestamp you were on.
However, if you’re rewatching a show or watching a show someone else has seen, you might end up getting confused as to which episode you last watched. Or worse, you’ll resume in a later episode and get spoilers.
Watch progress is a feature that’s supposed to help you, but if it’s not in sync with your actual progress, it becomes an inconvenience.
If you want a smooth viewing experience without needing to memorize which episode you last watched, you’re going to need to reset your watch progress on Netflix.
How to Reset Watch Progress on Netflix
Resetting a show that’s already been seen on a Netflix profile is something that you can only do in a browser. You can use your TV’s browser or your phone, but it’s easiest on a computer. Follow along so you can learn how to reset a Netflix profile’s watch progress. Don’t worry, this won’t affect the other profiles that aren’t yours.
Step 1: Go to Your Netflix Account
We’re going to be opening Netflix on a desktop browser. If you’re on mobile, you can follow along on your mobile browser. It’ll be easier if you know how to view the desktop version of a website on mobile.
Once you’ve opened Netflix in a browser, select the profile where you want to reset the watch progress of a certain show. To make things easier later on, click on a single episode of that show. This will make sure it shows up as the most recently watched show later.
On the upper right, click on your profile icon > Account. This will open up the page where you can manage your Netflix account settings. While you’re on that page, here are a few Netflix settings you can change to make it better.
Step 2: Access Your Viewing Activity
On your Netflix Account settings page, scroll down to Profile & Parental Controls.
Each Netflix profile will have a down-facing chevron. Click the chevron of the profile you want to reset the show on.
On the list of profile settings, click on Viewing Activity.
Step 3: Remove the Netflix Show From Your Viewing Activity
Once you’re on your Netflix viewing activity page, look for the title of the show you want to reset the progress of.
If you did as we suggested and clicked on an episode, it should be at the top of the list. In our case, we want to remove The Kingdom, not the most recently watched show.
On the right side of the show title, you’ll see a circle with a slash through it. Click on that, and it’ll remove it from your viewing activity.
Doing this will also remove it from your suggestions, so you’ll have to search for the show in order to watch it again. However, you’ll notice that the red bar below the show is gone. If not, you’ll have to wait up to 24 hours, as indicated in the image above.
Reset Your Watch Progress for a Smoother Rewatching Experience
The watch progress feature is there to help you watch a show with ease; to be able to come back to a show without needing to memorize where you last left off. We hope that this guide has helped you take advantage of that feature and prevent you from getting spoilers should you start the show from scratch.