unable to play a downloaded movie purchase on macbook

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Level 1

26 points

unable to play a downloaded movie purchase on macbook

I recently purchased a number of movies through Apple TV.

from what I’ve read, it’s safer to download and have backups of purchased movies to ensure if they ever got removed from Apple that you still had them.

This is what I’ve been trying to do but no success so far which seems odd.

I am using my MacBook Air M1. I’m all logged in and MacBook is authorised. I have tried deauthorising and reauthorising a number of times but still no luck.

settings for downloads are the default (compatibility up to 1080p).

i choose download and it downloads the file. It downloads as a .m4v file.

once downloaded, I press play and black window briefly for half a second loads and disappears again. Nothing will play. I’ve tried downloading various movies and all have the same outcome. If I delete and press play it plays fine again via streaming.

is there actually a way for MacBook to successfully download the purchased movie and actually be able to play it after so that I can keep backups of my purchased movies?

I’ve also tried what others suggested across various forums such as safe mode booting etc and same issue, just will not play the downloaded file.

also tried loading the m4v file in QuickTime and just get an error about it being protected so cannot play.

anyone been able to get these to work?

I did try the High Quality setting which used a different format (HLS I believe) and these do download and play but noticed that some movies do not download in this format and still download in m4v and therefore still get the issue with multiple purchases.

thank you

Posted on Sep 28, 2025 4:04 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Marcus_PK

Level 1

26 points

Sep 28, 2025 4:30 AM in response to Daveyboy1234

Hey there Daveyboy1234,

Thankyou for sharing your issue in a detailed explanation. You’re running into a very common issue with Apple’s digital purchases, Apple lets you download purchased movies, but they remain FairPlay DRM-protected.

Which means:

They can only be played inside Apple’s own apps (TV app on macOS, iOS, or Apple TV, or iTunes on Windows).
They can’t be freely backed up and played outside of those apps.

If Apple ever removed the movie from its catalog, you might lose access — unless it’s already downloaded on an authorized device.

Why Your Downloaded .m4v Files Don’t Play

.m4v files you download from the TV app are encrypted with FairPlay DRM.
QuickTime, VLC, or any third-party player can’t open them.
They should still play inside the TV app on your Mac — so if they aren’t, that’s likely a software or DRM authorization glitch.

Troubleshooting Steps follow below.

1. Full Sign-Out / Sign-In Cycle

Open the TV app → Account > Sign Out
Quit the TV app completely.
Reboot your Mac.
Open the TV app → sign back in with your Apple ID.
Re-download one movie and try playing.

2. Reset DRM / FairPlay Authorization

Sometimes DRM keys get corrupted but if you follow these steps may help the issue further.

Open the Music app (yes, Music handles authorizations too)
Go to Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer.
Then go back and choose Authorize This Computer again.

Try playing your downloaded movie again.

3. Check HDCP & Display Setup

Apple movies won’t play on displays that don’t support HDCP.

If you’re using an external monitor (especially a projector, USB-C dock, or non-HDCP screen), disconnect it and try playing on the MacBook’s built-in display.

4. Try a Clean User Profile

Create a new macOS user account (System Settings > Users & Groups).
Log into your Apple ID in that account, open TV app, and download/play a movie.
If it works there, your main macOS user account might have a corrupted TV app cache.

5. macOS & TV App Update

Make sure your MacBook Air M1 is on the latest macOS (Settings > General > Software Update).

Some early versions of macOS Monterey had bugs with TV app downloads that were fixed in Ventura and Sonoma.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple-supported way to get an unencrypted copy of your purchased movies.

Even if you download them, they are locked to your Apple ID and can only play on devices authorized with that Apple ID.

This means:

You can keep them offline (as .m4v in your Movies folder).
You can’t play them in VLC / Plex / QuickTime — only in Apple TV app.
You can’t freely back them up for use on another platform — unless you keep using a Mac/PC with your Apple ID authorized.

If you want truly DRM-free backups, the only options are to Buy Blu-ray discs (and optionally rip them yourself for archival).

Or purchase from a platform that sells DRM-free media (rare — e.g., some indie films on Vimeo On Demand or certain music on Bandcamp).

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Answer 2

Daveyboy1234 Author

Level 1

26 points

Sep 28, 2025 4:47 AM in response to Marcus_PK

Thank you so much for detailed and quick response.

ive already signed out and signed back in but didn't reboot inbetween signing out and back in so will give this a go.
I’ve done the authorisation reset via Apple TV but not via music. So will give that a go (does this sometimes work by doing it via music as well?)
not applicable as only running on MacBook and not external screen or device.
Will try this if all else fails but if it does work. What do I do regarding my main profile etc?
software is already up to date.

is this quite a common issue?

I actually only signed in to Apple TV for first time on MacBook once I had made the purchases via iPhone to solely download the movies for backup.

I am fine with DRM and running through Apple TV app but that’s only fine if it actually works. That’s why it would be interesting to know if others have faced this same issue when downloading to MacBooks etc?

thanks again

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Answer 3

Sep 28, 2025 5:33 AM in response to Daveyboy1234

No problem thankyou for your response. It can be hard sometimes when these types of issues arise but with regards to a Authorisation reset via apple tv it may work with apple music but not guaranteed unfortunately.

Regarding your main profile just make sure to back it up to the cloud so your data etc doesn't get lost. It is a common issue i have seen my friends for example have this issue but it is fixable.

if you face any further issues feel free to get back in touch,

Kind regards

Marcus

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Answer 4

Daveyboy1234 Author

Level 1

26 points

Sep 29, 2025 2:38 AM in response to Marcus_PK

Thanks again. Not had chance to look yet at it but if it’s quite a common occurrence why haven’t apple fixed as it’s stopping people playing back the content they’ve purchased.

streaming is unaffected though, after authorising which it did ask the first time I tried to stream a movie, it played fine yet when I download and then try and play it fails.

also, why does the HLS files (when choosing high quality) work without issue and play fine but the m4v files all won’t play (which we assume is due to DRM authorisation)?

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Answer 5

Daveyboy1234 Author

Level 1

26 points

Oct 3, 2025 3:42 PM in response to Daveyboy1234

Ok, I’ve tried all of these suggestions. Nothing works.

tried creating a new profile and logging in and won’t play still.

done the logging in and out and restarting and deauthorising and reauthorising but still will not playback a downloaded file but streaming plays fine.

any further ideas as at a complete loss as to why my MacBook will not play back an apple purchase.

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