Note: You need a Mega or Ultimate Fan plan to download on Crunchyroll, and it's mobile-only (no PC). Downloads expire after 7 days (if unplayed) or 48 hours after you start watching. The biggest problem? You can't download on a PC. I use KeepStreams for Crunchyroll to save episodes to my laptop permanently.
When I want to download a few seasons of Crunchyroll videos to my laptop. I opened the Crunchyroll app on my PC, and there is no download button. A quick search confirmed my fear: Crunchyroll's download feature (Offline Viewing) doesn't work on PC. It's mobile-only.
Besides this restriction, I also found some other Crunchyroll download limits, which I have listed in this article.
Plan Limits: Can Your Plan Even Download?
Note: Only Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan subscribers get the download feature. Free and basic Fan plans do not.
Before we talk limits, let's see who gets the feature. Crunchyroll gates downloading behind its premium tiers.
The "No-Download" Plans: Free & Fan
If you're on the Free (ad-supported) or the basic "Fan" plan, the download button simply doesn't exist for you. It's one of their main selling points to get you to upgrade.
The "Download" Plans: Mega Fan vs. Ultimate Fan
This is where "Offline Viewing" is enabled. Both plans have the exact same download rules and limits. The only real difference is that the Mega Fan plan lets you download on up to 4 devices, while the Ultimate Fan plan bumps it to 6.
The Official Crunchyroll Download Limits
Note: Your downloads expire. You have about 7 days to watch an unplayed episode and only 48 hours to finish it once you press play.
This is the information you'll find on their help page. These are the rules designed to keep content locked within their app.
The 7-Day Ticking Clock (If Unplayed)
This one is tough. Once you download an episode, it can only stay on your device for about 7 days if you don't watch it. This is much shorter than other services. After that, it expires, and you'll have to reconnect to the internet to "renew" the license (assuming the show is still available).
The 48-Hour Viewing Window (Once Played)
This is the part that makes me so angry. A new countdown starts when I click "play" on a show I saved. I can watch the show for 48 hours before it ends.
It was said on Reddit, "I wanted to watch the show I downloaded today, but I wasn't fast enough to watch it." The 48-hour window is annoying. This is bad for extended vacations or places where you might not have internet for more than two days.
The Hidden Limit: How Many Episodes Can You Actually Download?
Note: Crunchyroll doesn't state an official episode limit (only device storage), but many users report that downloads start to fail or bug out after they hit 100 episodes.
This is the most confusing question, and the one that brought me here. The official answer is "it depends on your device storage." But that's not the whole story.
The "100-Episode Myth" (Is It True?)
While Crunchyroll doesn't state a number, many users on Reddit and other forums report that downloads start to fail consistently after they hit about 100 episodes. This doesn't seem to be a hard limit, but it's a very common bug or a syncing issue with their system. If your downloads keep failing, this might be why.
Why Your Downloads Might Fail (Besides Storage)
Sometimes, an entire series will become "unavailable" for download overnight. This isn't a "limit" in the traditional sense, but it means your downloaded content can vanish without warning because of licensing changes.
The Biggest Limit: Why Can't I Download Crunchyroll Videos on My PC or Mac?
Note: The biggest frustration is that the download feature is mobile-only. You cannot download episodes to a PC or Mac computer using the official app.
This is the real deal-breaker for me and many others. You pay for a premium feature, but you can't use it on your laptop.
The "Mobile-Only" Straightjacket
The Crunchyroll app for Windows and macOS does not have a download function. Period. They've built this feature exclusively for their iOS and Android apps. This is likely due to stricter DRM (Digital Rights Management) control on mobile platforms, but it's incredibly inconvenient.
Who This Hurts Most
This is a major pain point for commuters who want to watch on a larger laptop screen, students in dorms with bad Wi-Fi, or anyone who simply wants a permanent backup of their favorite shows on their computer.
How I Solved the PC and Expiration Problem on Crunchyroll?
Note: I use a tool called KeepStreams for Crunchyroll. It lets me download episodes directly to my PC or Mac as permanent MP4 files that never expire.
After all that frustration, I knew the official app wasn't going to work for me. I needed my downloads on my PC, and I didn't want them to expire. That’s when I started looking for alternatives and found KeepStreams for Crunchyroll.
It's a simple software for PC and Mac. You log into your (paid) Crunchyroll account inside the tool, and it lets you download episodes directly to your computer. It's not a screen recorder, and it saves the actual video file, not a temporary app-locked file.
For me, the one-time cost was worth it to escape the official app's limits and finally watch anime offline on my laptop. A quick comparison shows the official app is restrictive (mobile-only, expires), while a tool like KeepStreams offers permanent downloads on any computer. I made this quick table to show the differences that mattered most to me.
| Feature | Crunchyroll Official App | KeepStreams for Crunchyroll |
| Download to PC/Mac | No (Mobile & Switch) | Yes (Saves as MP4/MKV) |
| Do Downloads Expire | Yes (7 days unplayed, 48 hours after play) | No (Permanent file) |
| Episode "Limit" | Vague (Storage-based, plus ~100 episode bug) | Only limited by your hard drive space |
| Offline Viewing | Inside the locked Crunchyroll app | Any video player or device |
| Storage Limit | Limited by internal device storage | Unlimited (HDD/SSD/External) |
| Batch Download | Manual | Yes |
| Subs Extracting | No | Yes |
| Requires Subscription | Yes (Mega Fan or Ultimate Fan) | Yes (Any paid Crunchyroll plan) |
Here is how to bypass the Crunchyroll download limits and download videos from Crunchyroll directly to your computer:
1. Install and Launch: Download KeepStreams and install it on your PC.
2. Use the Built-in Browser: You can choose Crunchyroll from the list of VIP services. Use the built-in browser that comes with KeepStreams to log in to your Crunchyroll account.
3. Play a Video: After you choose the movie you want to download and click "Play," KeepStreams will look at the URL on its own.
4. Customize Output and Download: Select resolution, audio, subtitles, and click Download Now for a single episode or Add to Queue to grab the whole season at once.
!
Safety note: The tools recommended in this article have been personally tested and are safe during installation or use. Please download from the official websites to ensure the security of your device.
My Final Take
The official app is fine if you only watch on your phone and finish your episodes in less than 48 hours. The only real way to get around Crunchyroll's time constraints or watch on your laptop is to use a downloader. Using a tool like KeepStreams was the way I could actually get the "offline viewing" experience I thought I was paying for in the first place.
FAQs
Q1. Do I still need a Crunchyroll account to use KeepStreams?
A1. Yes, absolutely. Sign in to your Crunchyroll account to access the Crunchyroll content. KeepStreams is not an illegal DRM remover. You still need a valid account to access the streams initially.
Q2. Why do my official Crunchyroll downloads disappear randomly?
A2. This is almost always due to licensing. The show's rights may have expired in your region, which makes the download invalid, even if it's already on your phone. This is another reason downloading videos with KeepStreams into a permanent MP4 file is so useful.
Q3. Is it legal to download anime from Crunchyroll with KeepStreams?
A3. U.S. Copyright Act (DMCA) § 1201 prohibits the circumvention of copyright protection measures. KeepStreams is meant to help you make a copy of material you have legally accessed, and the person who uses it is fully responsible for following all laws. Learn more by reading the KeepStreams Copyright Compliance.
Q4. Do Crunchyroll downloads expire if I download them from the Crunchyroll app?
A4. Yes. This is the hidden timer many users miss. Once you download an episode, it expires in 7 days if you stay offline. Worse, once you press "Play," you have only 48 hours to finish watching it before it locks up. You need a Crunchyroll video downloader to save Crunchyroll videos into the MP4/MKV format, which won't expire.
NOTE: Content available on Crunchyroll™ is protected by copyright. Unauthorized redistribution of this content may violate copyright laws in the United States and other countries.
KeepStreams is an independent company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Crunchyroll™ or its parent company. The information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement of KeepStreams products by any third party.
KeepStreams is an independent company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Crunchyroll™ or its parent company. The information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement of KeepStreams products by any third party.
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