Simple Steps to Download Movies + Transfer Them to a USB Flash Drive

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An easy-to-follow guide to downloading free and legal movies and moving them to a USB drive
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Now that streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are so popular, it's hard to find movies available for download. Although some services let you save movies for offline viewing, you can't actually store their files on your USB drive . This wikiHow teaches you how to download movies (legally) from the internet and save them to your removable flash drive .

How to Download Movies onto a USB Drive

Download the movie you want to watch (but remember this is illegal if the movie is copyrighted!), then press “Cmd + C” (Mac) or “Ctrl + C” (PC) to copy it. Plug in and open your USB drive in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (PC), then paste the file into the USB folder using “Cmd + V” (Mac) or “Ctrl + V” (PC).

Steps

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    Unless you find a movie that's freely available in the public domain, it's illegal to download commercial movies from the internet. [1] This means that downloading that free Avengers movie you found on a torrent site could actually result in a fine of $750 to $30,000. [2] That's one expensive movie! Instead, try any of these resources to download movies that won't get you in trouble with the law:
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    The steps to do this depend on the type of site you're using. If you're using the Internet Archive or another non-torrent site, just click the name of the movie and select the Download link. It may look like an upside-down arrow or might contain the video's size and/or resolution. If you're using a torrent site like Vuze or Public Domain Torrents, follow these steps:
    • Install a Bittorrent client if you haven't already. Some popular options are uTorrent and the original BitTorrent .
    • Click the video's title and select the Download link, which may look like a downward-pointing arrow or even a link with the video's size and/or resolution. This will download a file that ends with ".torrent" to your computer.
    • Double-click the downloaded .torrent file in your default downloads folder. This should open your BitTorrent client.
    • If you haven't set up your BitTorrent client yet, you'll usually be asked to select a download location. Your download should begin immediately.
    • You can avoid the steps to copy and paste the file to your USB if it's already plugged in and you select a location on that drive to save the movie file and download directly your USB drive .
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    It should fit into a USB port in your computer's housing.

    Tip: If your computer doesn't have standard USB-A ports, you'll need either a Thunderbolt 3-to-USB adapter or a USB-C flash drive.

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    Click the downloaded movie file, then press Ctrl + C (PC) or ⌘ Command + C to copy it. If you're using a Mac, you can also copy the file by clicking the Edit menu and selecting Copy (movie name) .
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    If you're using a PC, click the search bar, type this pc , and press the Enter key. If you're on a Mac, click the two-toned smiley face icon on the Dock, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
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    If you're using Windows, double-click its icon in the center panel. If you're using a Mac, click it in the left panel.
    • If you're using Windows and don't see anything below the "Devices and drives" heading, double-click the heading.
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    This copies the movie to your flash drive . This could take several minutes if the movie is a large file.
    • If you're using a Mac, you could also click the Edit menu and select Paste .
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    Once the movie file has successfully transferred onto your flash drive, you can safely eject the flash drive. If you're using a Mac, click the upward-facing arrow to the right of the flash drive's name in the left panel. If you're using Windows, click the flash drive-shaped icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen and select Eject .
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    When prompted, you can pull your flash drive out of your computer's port.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I use any USB flash drive to store my movies?
    Chiara Corsaro
    Computer Specialist
    Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).
    Chiara Corsaro
    Computer Specialist
    Expert Answer
    It depends on how much space is on your flash drive and how big your movies are. If you only have a 500 MB flash drive and a movie takes up 1 GB, it won't fit on the flash drive. You may need to get an external hard drive (which is basically a big flash drive) to store your movies.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 8 Helpful 10
  • Question
    Why is it that when I download the movie on the flash drive and I put it on my smart TV it keeps saying "no files" when I look for the movie?
    Community Answer
    Perhaps the video format is not compatible with your TV. For example, .mkv files don't work on mine.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 34
  • Question
    Do you know of a suitable website to download movies from?
    Community Answer
    ExtraTorrent.cc (not dot com). This website is similar to KickassTorrents. Make sure you have a good adblocker like Ublock Origin, and remember to use a VPN to keep your downloading anonymous!
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 10 Helpful 18
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      Tips

      • Make sure you trust the source of the movie before downloading it.
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      • If you're using a popular torrent site like The Pirate Bay, you can check the rating and comments of each torrent before downloading to make sure it is safe. If there are no ratings or comments (or if the ratings are poor), don't download the movie.
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      • When downloading a torrent, you may find extra files in the download that you don't need or want, such as sample pictures or text files. You can usually uncheck the files you don't want when prompted to avoid downloading them.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.riaa.com/resources-learning/about-piracy/
      2. ↑ https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/what-if-i-get-caught-torrenting-or-pirating/

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