Last updated on 2024-09-08, by Lumi

How to Download and Save HBO Max Shows to MKV Format

Watching TV shows on streaming platforms like HBO Max is now a very everyday thing for us. Such platforms are full of great movies and TV shows with subtitles and dubbing in different languages for different countries and regions. However, if we watch a series online, it may consume a lot of traffic. And if we are in a place where the WiFi network is not very stable, it is not suitable for watching online. The best option at this time is to save HBO Max shows first and watch them offline. If you want to enjoy the best video quality, the MKV format may be a better choice because it compresses the video file less and has less effect on the original clarity. That said, if you don’t know how to do it exactly, follow our next guide. We will lead you in exploring the feasibility of downloading HBO Max videos and introduce you to each of the two available methods. Three top HBO video downloaders will be recommended to you. If you don’t know how to choose, please refer to the table we have given you. In it, we will compare the parameters of the three tools in detail.

Part 1: Can You Download on HBO Max

Can you download shows on HBO Max? Of course, it’s possible. Users may want to watch their favorite TV shows on a long trip or want to kill time on an airplane. And in this environment, people are unable to find stable WiFi or even connect to any network. So many people will tend to download the serials to their devices at home first and then enjoy them slowly. As one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world nowadays, HBO Max certainly won’t ignore such a big demand. That’s why it introduced the offline download feature a long time ago. To use the HBO Max download feature, though, you may have to subscribe to a higher-level paid plan. Other than that, there are some great third-party downloaders that you can choose to use as well. They are generally less restrictive and more versatile.

Part 2: Two Methods to Download HBO Max Videos

1. Download HBO Max Shows with Max App

Downloading videos directly from within the Max platform is the most straightforward way. However, it has more limitations. Currently, the most basic With-Ads program does not support video downloads and offline viewing. If you upgrade to the Ad-Free plan, you will be able to download 20 videos per month. The most advanced Ultimate Ad-Free plan now supports 100 video downloads per month.

If you want to download on HBO Max, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Max app on your device first. Sign in with your account.

Step 2: Please make sure you have subscribed to the Ad-Free plan or Ultimate Ad-Free plan. Then, search for the video you want to download.

Step 3: You will find a download icon next to the episode you want to get. Click on it. If you do not see this icon, then the video may not be available to download.

Step 4: The download progress will be shown to you. To find the HBO Max download shows, you can open the Max app and tap on the Download icon.

2. Download HBO Max Shows with Third-Party Video Downloaders

As we’ve mentioned above, if you want to go with the officially offered download method, you’ll have to upgrade to a more expensive subscription plan. And even the most advanced plan still has a limit on the number of downloads. If you want to download a relatively long series, this number is not enough. In this case, third-party tools are a better choice. In this section, we will recommend three of the best HBO Max downloaders and show you their features in a table.

1. CleverGet MAX Downloader

First of all, we would like to recommend CleverGet MAX Downloader to you. It is able to download all types of HBO Max videos for you, including movies, series, shows, sports programs and so on. With it, you can not only adjust the output format and clarity of the videos but also make batch downloads. Once you find a particular season of a series, it will retrieve the whole season for you, and you can download all of them with a single click. Users can choose to save the video in MP4 or MKV format when outputting and selecting subtitles and dubbing according to their own language. Of course, you can also download the subtitles separately in SRT or SUP format. In addition to these essential functions, you can also see the many cleverly designed details. For example, when the download process is finished, it will automatically shut down and will not take up any memory space on your device.

2. SameMovie

SameMovie is an all-in-one video downloader that covers almost all popular video viewing platforms, including Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max and more. It has a wide range of adaptations, and as long as your device is equipped with Windows 7,8,10,11 or macOS 10.15 or above, you can download and install it. Its stable and efficient performance is the reason why many users trust it. Besides being able to download movies & TV shows on HBO Max at high speed, it also supports users to save all available subtitles and audio up to Dolby 5.1 sound. You can experience a theatre-like audio-visual experience at home. When you subscribe to the With-Ads program, you are bound to encounter annoying ads while watching online. If you use SameMovie to download videos, its powerful ad-filtering feature will help you remove all the parts that will disturb your viewing. You don’t need to upgrade to a higher plan to enjoy ad-free service. When you encounter any problems during use, you can contact their official customer service. They will provide you with free assistance in time.

3. FreeGrabApp

The last downloader we would like to recommend is FreeGrabApp HBO Downloader. It’s a free HBO Max video downloader, and to use it, you just need to make sure that you have a subscribed HBO account and that you can open the videos you want to download properly. It will automatically parse the videos on the page and provide you with download options. Its page design is effortless and clear, so you can control the entire download process and pause and resume the task at any time. Like the above two tools, this downloader also supports you in choosing the saved subtitles and dubbing and saving the subtitle file. However, the formats it supports are TTML and SRT. Now, the FreeGrabApp downloader has gained the trust of many users, with ratings as high as five out of five. On its official page, you can see very intuitive step-by-step instructions and accompanying pictures. Please feel free to use it.

If you want to see a more visual comparison of these three downloaders, please refer to the information inside this table. You can decide how to make your choice by combining the information in this section with your own needs.

	CleverGet MAX Downloader	SameMovie	FreeGrabApp
Output Quality	720p	HD quality	1080p
Output Format	MP4 and MKV	MP4 and MKV	MP4
Download Speed	Very quickly with GPU hardware acceleration	Smooth	Good
Resume Interrupted Downloads	√	√	×
Price	41.96/Year	49.95/Year	Free

Part 3: How to Save HBO Max Shows to MKV Format

If you are using the official download method provided by HBO Max, then you will only be able to watch the files you saved in the app. And you can’t open them using another player. If you want to edit your saved videos or watch HBO videos offline on other devices, you can choose to use a third-party downloader, like CleverGet MAX Downloader, to export your videos in MP4 or MKV format. After downloading, you can freely modify various elements of the video, such as the audio track, subtitles, etc. The reason why most downloaders support MP4 and MKV is that these two video formats are the most widely available options. Comparatively speaking, MP4 is the most frequently used, although MKV tends to offer higher video quality. If you want to see the difference between the two more visually, please refer to the table below.

	MKV	MP4
Quality	Offers a better quality with lossless compression	Average quality
File Size	Large	Smaller, suitable for sharing
Compatibility	Widely used	Less than MKV
Use Case	Store movies and shows	Sharing and downloading

If you want to download HBO Max videos in MKV format with CleverGet MAX Downloader, follow the step-by-step guide below.

Step 1: Download and install CleverGet MAX Downloader on your computer.

• 

• CleverGet MAX Downloader

  – The simplest solution to save HBO Max videos for offline playback.
  – No restrictions on downloads. No expired deadline. No whatsoever.
  – Downloads HBO Max videos to MP4/MKV with up to 720p resolution.
  – Allows downloading all seasons and episodes in batch that are associated with the playing videos.

  DownloadDownload

Step 2: Enter the HBO Max platform within the app. And sign in with your account.

Step 3: Search for the video you want to download and play it on the web page.

Step 4: CleverGet MAX Downloader will parse the video. Then, you will see a blue download button appear on the page. Click it to launch the Download window.

Step 5: Choose the output quality, and select MKV in the drop-down menu next to Output.

Step 6: Finally, click Download to start the downloading progress.

Part 4: Conclusion

After reading the above, I believe you have learned how to download HBO Max videos locally for offline viewing. The official download method provided by HBO Max requires you to upgrade your account to Ad-Free and above, and you will still face a limit on the number of downloads. The download settings you can make are also minimal. Your saved files can only be viewed within the app. To solve this problem, we recommend you use a professional third-party downloader like CleverGet MAX Downloader. With their help, you can not only change the output format to MKV but also download episodes without ads without upgrading your account. This is undoubtedly very cost-effective.