What internet speed do you need for Netflix?

Netflix recommends a stable connection of 3 Mbps for HD (720p), 5 Mbps for Full HD (1080p) and 15 Mbps for 4K Ultra HD, per stream. Those figures are download speeds. Netflix doesn't list a separate standard-definition figure. If two people watch at once, add their numbers together.

Plan for every screen at once

The figures are per stream, so the total depends on how many people watch at the same time. Your Netflix plan also sets a ceiling. According to Netflix's plans page, Standard allows two devices at a time in 1080p, and Premium allows four devices in 4K with HDR.

Household	Netflix need	With 25% headroom (estimate)
One Full HD stream	5 Mbps	about 7 Mbps
Two Full HD streams (Standard plan maximum)	10 Mbps	about 13 Mbps
One 4K stream	15 Mbps	about 20 Mbps
Four 4K streams (Premium plan maximum)	60 Mbps	about 80 Mbps

The headroom column keeps a quarter of the line free (the need divided by 0.75). That's a rule of thumb, not a Netflix figure, and it leaves room for phones, updates and anything else using the line. A home with four simultaneous 4K screens is better served by something like 100 Mbps. One or two viewers are covered by much less. Is 25 Mbps good shows what a smaller plan handles.

4K needs more than speed

A fast line alone won't get you 4K. Netflix also requires:

• the Premium plan;
• a 4K-capable TV or streaming device, connected to a 4K-capable screen;
• a title that's actually available in 4K.

If any one of these is missing, Netflix plays in HD however fast your internet is. Netflix's video quality checklist walks through each one.

"Stable" is the important word

Netflix adjusts quality as it plays. If your speed dips below the rate for the current quality, the picture softens first, and if the dip lasts, playback pauses to buffer. So a connection that averages 40 Mbps but drops to 8 Mbps in the evening will struggle with 4K at 8 p.m. A single morning test won't show that.

Test where and when you actually watch:

1. Run a speed test on a device in the same room as the TV, in the evening.
2. If you can, test the TV's own connection too. Many streaming devices have a network test in their settings.
3. Compare the result with the per-stream figures above, multiplied by everyone watching.

SpeedMetric measures to a nearby Cloudflare server. Netflix streams from its own servers, so the two results won't match exactly, but a big shortfall in either points to the same home network or line problem.

How much data Netflix uses

At exactly 15 Mbps, an hour of 4K would be 15 × 3,600 ÷ 8 = 6,750 MB, or about 6.75 GB. That's an upper estimate based on the recommended speed, not a measured Netflix figure. Actual use is usually lower because bitrates vary from scene to scene. If your plan has a data cap, Netflix lets you limit how much data it uses in your account settings.

When Netflix buffers but your speed looks fine

• Weak Wi-Fi at the TV. TVs often sit far from the router, behind other furniture. A Wi-Fi speed test in that spot shows what the TV really gets. Ethernet, or moving the router, fixes most cases. See how to boost your Wi-Fi signal.
• Something else filling the line. A game download or cloud backup in another room can push a 4K stream below 15 Mbps.
• Your provider limiting video. If streaming is slow but other tests aren't, read about ISP throttling. Netflix suggests lowering your video quality setting for steadier playback when your provider limits speed.