The error you're seeing is related to the Silverlight plugin, which Netflix uses to play movies and TV shows on your computer. This error is usually caused by one of three things: A computer setting preventing Silverlight from storing files it needs to play your movie or TV show An issue with the Silverlight plugin itself An issue with the content you're trying to play To fix this error, follow the steps below for your Windows or Mac computer. Steps for Windows The Netflix.com player runs on the Microsoft Silverlight platform. Microsoft provides a free Fix It tool that you can download and run to resolve many Silverlight issues on computers running Windows 7 or later. Netflix recommends using the Microsoft Fix It Tool to resolve this error. Fix it If the Fix it Tool didn't clear the error, or if you're running Windows XP or Vista, try the troubleshooting steps below. Use an alternate browser We recommend updating to a browser that supports HTML5 to ensure your computer is optimized for our web player. Please download the latest version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera and try Netflix again. Our web player works best on: Google Chrome on Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later. Mozilla Firefox on Windows Vista or later. Opera on Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or later. Add Netflix as a trusted site in Internet Explorer In Internet Explorer, select the Gear icon () or Tools from the upper-right corner of the window. Select Internet Options. Select the Security tab. Select Trusted Sites, then select the Sites button. Uncheck Require server verification. Delete anything related to Netflix in the Websites: field. If you do not see anything related to Netflix, continue to the next step. Type *.netflix.com in the Add this website to the zone field. Select the Add button. Select the Close button. Try Netflix again. Make sure your Windows user account can access Netflix.com The Microsoft Silverlight player on which Netflix.com runs requires that your Windows user account have administrative rights. To confirm your account has admin rights, try the following troubleshooting steps: Run browser as Administrator Quit all open browsers - including this window! You may want to print the following steps. Click on the Start Menu in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. Select All Programs. From the items listed, right-click (or press and hold on touchscreen devices) on your preferred browser icon (Netflix supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome). Select Run as Administrator. If prompted, select Allow. Use this newly opened window to play your movie or TV show again. Attempting to play again from the original browser window will likely result in the same error. If these steps allow you to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix.com, your account does not have administrative rights. Talk to your computer manufacturer/administrator to add administrative rights to your account. Log in as another Windows user If you are able to play your movie or TV show, the new user account has the needed permissions to use the Silverlight player. Uninstall and Reinstall the Silverlight Plug-in You may be running an outdated version of the Silverlight plug-in, or the plug-in may have become corrupted. To uninstall the Silverlight plug-in: Windows 8 Quit all open browsers - including this window! You may want to print the following steps. Swipe from the right edge of the screen, then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, then click Settings.) Select Control Panel Underneath Programs, select Uninstall a program. Locate and select Microsoft Silverlight Select Uninstall Windows 7/Vista Quit all open browsers - including this window! You may want to print the following steps Click on the Start Button Select Control Panel Set the View by in the top right to Category Under Programs select Uninstall a program Locate and select Microsoft Silverlight Select Uninstall Windows XP Quit all open browsers - including this window! You may want to print the following steps. Click on the Start Button Select Control Panel Select Add or Remove Programs Locate and select Microsoft Silverlight Click Remove To install the latest version of the Silverlight plug-in: Navigate to the Watch Instantly home page and click play on any title. Follow the prompts to download and Install Silverlight on Your Windows PC. See our Netflix system requirements for HTML5 Player and Silverlight to make sure Silverlight is compatible with your computer. Steps for Mac Use an alternate browser We recommend updating to a browser that supports HTML5 to ensure your computer is optimized for our web player. Please download the latest version of Google Chrome or Opera and try Netflix again. Our web player works best on: Google Chrome on OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later. Opera on OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or later. Uninstall and Reinstall the Silverlight Plug-in You may be running an outdated version of the Silverlight plug-in, or the plug-in may have become corrupted. To uninstall the Silverlight plug-in: Quit all open browsers - including this window! You may want to print the following steps. Click the Finder icon from the Dock at the bottom of the screen. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, select Go then Computer. Click the Macintosh HD icon. Select Library. Select Internet Plugins. Drag Silverlight.plugin to your trash. Once you have emptied your trash, Microsoft Silverlight un-installation is complete. To install the latest version of the Silverlight plug-in: Navigate to the Watch Instantly home page and click play on any title. Follow the prompts to download and Install Silverlight on Your Mac. See our Netflix system requirements for HTML5 Player and Silverlight to make sure Silverlight is compatible with your computer. Some members may encounter the message "Silverlight.dmg cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer" when attempting to install Silverlight. This is fairly common for applications that are not downloaded from the Mac App store. If you encounter this message, continue with the following steps to complete your Silverlight installation. Right-click or hold Control on your keyboard and click on Silverlight.pkg. Click Open on the pop-up menu. Click Open on the prompt that says "Silverlight.pkg" is not from the Mac App Store. Are you sure you want to open it? Opening "Silverlight.pkg" will always allow it to run on this Mac. Follow the prompts to complete installation.
