We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how there’s a simple button that can make Netflix’s music quiet and dialogue loud.
And now, it turns out there’s an easy way to find exactly what you’re in the mood for on the streaming site ― it’s a matter of secret codes.
While Netflix’s homepage is great at recommending shows in groups like “BAFTA winners” and “feel-good sitcoms”, it can be harder to sort your shows into the specific sections you want when you log in.
But Netflix themselves say that “Amongst the films and TV series for your viewing pleasure, there’s a trove of secret category codes — a list that dates back to the earliest days of the company and already tops 36,000 (yes, really!) and is always growing, a treat for fans who either know exactly what they want to watch or want to try something entirely new.”
How do I use them?
The codes, which date back to the company’s DVD-distributing days, work when you paste them where the Xs are on the following link: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/XXXX.
You can get codes for everything from 90-minute movies (81466194) to gentle British reality TV (81240711) and nostalgic ’90s (2691941).
There’s even a code for shows you can finish in one weekend (3182735).
Here’s a list of just a few (not all 36,000, obviously) codes ― enjoy! And if you want to find more sections, check out Netflix’s site.
TV shows
- 52117 (British TV Shows)
- 46553 (Classic TV shows)
- 26146 (Crime TV shows)
- 74652 (Cult TV shows)
- 72436 (Food & travel)
- 27346 (Kids’ TV)
- 67879 (Korean TV shows)
- 25804 (Military TV shows)
- 4814 (Miniseries)
- 9833 (Reality TV)
- 52780 (Science & nature)
- 1372TV (Sci-Fi & fantasy)
- 10673TV (Action & adventure)
- 10375TV (Comedies)
- 10105TV (Documentaries)
- 11714TV (Dramas)
- 83059TV (Horror)
- 4366TV (Mysteries)
Rom-coms
Documentaries
- 3652 (Biographical documentaries)
- 9875 (Crime documentaries)
- 5161 (Foreign documentaries)
- 5349 (Historical documentaries)
- 4006 (Military documentaries)
- 90361 (Music & concert documentaries)
- 7018 (Political documentaries)
- 10005 (Religious documentaries)
- 2595 (Science & nature documentaries)
- 3675 (Social & cultural documentaries)
- 2760 (Spirituality documentaries)
- 180 (Sports documentaries)
- 1159 (Travel & adventure documentaries)
- 6839 (Documentaries)
Dramas
Kids and family movies
- 5507 (Animal tales)
- 67673 (Disney)
- 10659 (Education for kids)
- 51056 (Family features)
- 52843 (Kids Music)
- 27346 (Kids’ TV)
- 10056 (Movies based on children’s books)
- 6796 (Movies for ages 0 to 2)
- 6962 (Movies for ages 11 to 12)
- 6218 (Movies for ages 2 to 4)
- 5455 (Movies for ages 5 to 7)
- 561 (Movies for ages 8 to 10)
- 11177 (TV cartoons)
Action and adventure
- 43040 (Action comedies)
- 1568 (Action sci-fi & fantasy)
- 43048 (Action thrillers)
- 7442 (Adventures)
- 77232 (Asian action movies)
- 46576 (Classic action & adventure)
- 10118 (Comic book and superhero movies)
- 9584 (Crime action & adventure)
- 11828 (Foreign action & adventure)
- 20541 (Hijacking movies)
- 8985 (Martial arts movies)
- 2125 (Military action & adventure)
- 10702 (Spy action & adventure)
- 7700 (Westerns)
Classic movies
- 47147 (Classic SF & fantasy)
- 46553 (Classic TV shows)
- 46576 (Classic action & adventure)
- 31694 (Classic comedies)
- 29809 (Classic dramas)
- 32392 (Classic musical comedy)
- 31273 (Classic romantic movies)
- 46588 (Classic thrillers)
- 48744 (Classic war movies)
- 47465 (Classic westerns)
- 52858 (Epics)
- 7687 (Film Noir)
- 53310 (Silent movies)
- 31574 (Classic movies)
Comedies
- 9302 (Anime comedies)
- 869 (Dark comedies)
- 4426 (Foreign comedies)
- 89585 (Horror comedies)
- 1402 (Late night comedies)
- 26 (Mockumentaries)
- 13335 (Musical comedies)
- 2700 (Political comedies)
- 5475 (Romantic comedies)
- 4922 (Satires)
- 9702 (Screwball comedies)
- 10256 (Slapstick comedies)
- 5286 (Sports comedies)
- 11559 (Stand-up comedy)
- 3519 (Teen comedies)
- 6548 (Comedies)
You’ll be able to find many more codes here.