How to Download TV Series and Store on My External Hard Disk (2024)

Here’s a step-by-step process of how to download TV series episodes and store and store them on your external hard disk.

Binge-watching has become a favorite pastime for many in the era of digital entertainment. But while most people opt for streaming services, they are not always convenient. First, there are lots of them, which means that your favorite shows can be distributed across several – and you’ll need a subscription for each. Second, they typically require an internet connection, which may not always be convenient.

This leaves the good old option – downloading your favorite TV shows. However, they come in up to 4K nowadays. So you may need an external drive as the internal storage may not be enough (or you may need to watch on different devices). If this is you, this guide will show you how to download TV series and store them on your external hard disk.

1. Choose a Reliable Source

Before you can download TV series episodes, you first need to know where to get them. There are several TV streaming options you can opt for, both official and non-official:

• Streaming platforms: While these won’t let you download to a hard drive. They offer options to download various titles and watch them offline. Note that you will need a subscription even when watching offline.
• Digital Stores: Besides streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video. There are also digital marketplaces for various movies and TV shows. These include the likes of iTunes, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Video, and you can either purchase or rent a title. However, note this method is usually quite expensive.
• Free Streaming Websites: There are thousands of free streaming websites that host movies and TV series. Most of them also allow you to download videos in HD without having to pay. However, using such a method requires high levels of caution to avoid legal issues, as some of the files hosted there are not really in the public domain. To stay safe, ensure that you encrypt your online activities with a reliable VPN such as Surfshark.
• Torrent Websites: Torrent websites offer tons of content. Including virtually all TV series episodes. These sites also don’t charge for the content they provide, but they are quite controversial when it comes to legality. If you decide to download any content from them, ensure you use Surfshark as it supports torrenting and is super-secure.

To select a source, consider the requirements, ease of use, as well as the quality of videos.

2. Install Downloading Software

Unless you are using a streaming service or digital marketplace, you will need a downloading software. These are apps designed to allow you to effectively retrieve your files from online sources, and they also make the download process faster.

If you are using one of the best streaming sites for TV shows, the most popular downloading software is Internet Download Manager (IDM). A free and open-source option is JDownloader, and both will even detect download links when there’s no download button.

If you are downloading from a torrent site for TV shows, you will need a BitTorrent client. The most popular options are uTorrent and qBittorrent, and they are what facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing. They will also let you manage your bandwidth management and prioritize some torrents.

Best Torrent Sites in 2024

3. Find & Download the TV Series Episodes You Want

Once your software is ready, all you need to do now is download the files you want. For this, you will need to do a simple search for the TV series. If you are using a free streaming site, the process will depend on whether it has a download button. If it has, you can click on it when you select a title, and you will be able to choose the quality. For sites that don’t have the button, play a video, and your downloader will capture the link automatically. You will still be able to choose the quality.

For torrent files, search for the name of the TV show and select an episode that has a good number of seeds. The more seeds it has, the faster it is to access. You can then copy its magnetic link and paste it on the download page of your client. You can also click on it and allow the link to open on your download client.

4. Transfer to Your External Hard Disk

Now that you’ve downloaded the files you want, you only need to transfer them to your hard disk. First, connect the external hard disk by plugging it into one of your computer’s USB ports. Ensure it has been recognized and you can access it.

For organizational purposes, it’s advisable that you first create the destination folder. Probably with the name of the TV series and the season. You can then go back to your download location and copy or cut the videos you want by right-clicking them and then choosing “Copy” or “Cut” from the context menu. Alternatively, you can use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + C for copy, Ctrl + X for cut).

Head to the destination location in your hard disk and paste them by right-clicking and selecting “Paste.” You can also paste with your keyboard using “Ctrl + V.” Monitor the transfer copy process to ensure everything has been transferred successfully. After the process is over, you can also open the folder on the hard disk and check that the files are present and intact.

From there, you can safely eject your hard disk. You have successfully downloaded your TV series and stored it on the hard disk.