Netflix lets you hide titles from your account in two ways: removing them from your continue watching list, or rating them so low that Netflix stops recommending them
Netflix does not have a built-in "block" or "do not show" feature that permanently hides a title from your entire account. What you can do instead is remove a show or movie from your continue watching row, or give it a thumbs-down rating so Netflix learns not to recommend it to you. If you want to prevent someone else on your account from watching certain content, you can set up a PIN that locks mature ratings.
The method you choose depends on what you are trying to do: stop seeing a show you started but do not want to finish, prevent recommendations for something you dislike, or restrict what other people on your account can watch.
Key Takeaways
- You can remove a show from your continue watching list by hovering over the title and clicking the X icon, which hides it from that row but does not block future recommendations.
- Rating a title with a thumbs-down tells Netflix not to recommend it to you, though it may still appear in search results or genre categories.
- A parental PIN set in your account settings can lock content rated TV-MA or R, preventing other account users from watching without entering the code.
- Removing a show from continue watching does not delete your watch history; Netflix still knows you watched it and may use that to shape other recommendations.
Removing a show from your continue watching list
The continue watching row is the first thing you see when you open Netflix on most devices. To remove a title from this row, hover your mouse over the show or movie thumbnail until a menu appears, then click the X icon in the corner. On a phone or tablet, tap and hold the title until options appear, then select remove.
This action only removes the title from that row on your home screen. It does not hide the show from Netflix's search function, genre pages, or recommendation rows elsewhere. If someone else searches for the title or browses the same genre, they will still see it. Your watch history remains intact in your account settings, so Netflix continues to use it to recommend similar content to you.
Rating titles with a thumbs-down to reduce recommendations
Netflix shows a thumbs-up and thumbs-down icon next to most titles in the app. Click or tap the thumbs-down to tell Netflix you do not want to see recommendations for that show or movie. Netflix uses these ratings to adjust what appears in your recommendation rows and search suggestions.
A thumbs-down rating is more effective than removing something from continue watching because it signals to Netflix that you actively dislike the content. However, the title will still appear if you search for it by name, and it may still show up in genre categories or "trending now" sections. The rating is tied to your profile, so other people on the same account will not see your thumbs-down unless they look at your ratings history.
Setting up a parental PIN to restrict mature content
If you want to prevent other people on your account from watching certain content, you can set a PIN that locks titles rated TV-MA, R, or NC-17. Go to your account settings, select parental controls, and create a four-digit PIN. Once the PIN is active, anyone trying to watch a locked title will need to enter the code.
This method does not hide the titles from the account; they still appear in search results and recommendation rows. It only requires a PIN to play them. The PIN applies to the entire account, so anyone who knows it can bypass the restriction. If you want different restrictions for different people, you will need to set up separate profiles with their own parental control settings.
Using separate profiles to keep content separate
Netflix allows multiple profiles on a single account, and each profile has its own watch history, recommendations, and parental control settings. If you want to completely separate what one person sees from what another person sees, create a new profile for them and set parental controls on that profile alone.
Each profile builds its own recommendation engine based on what that person watches. If you create a profile for a child and set parental controls to restrict mature content, that child will not see R-rated or TV-MA titles on their home screen or in recommendations, even though the titles exist elsewhere on the account. Other adults on the account can still watch whatever they want on their own profiles.
What happens to your watch history when you remove or rate content
Removing a show from continue watching or rating it with a thumbs-down does not erase it from your watch history. Your account settings still show that you watched it, and Netflix still uses that information to recommend similar titles. If you want to actually delete a title from your watch history entirely, go to your account settings, select viewing activity, find the title, and click the X next to it.
Deleting from your viewing activity is different from removing from continue watching or rating it down. Deletion removes the title from your history completely, which means Netflix will not use it to shape future recommendations. However, this does not prevent the title from appearing in search results or genre pages.
Why Netflix does not have a full block feature
Netflix's design assumes that most people on an account want access to the full catalog, and that the main problem is too many recommendations rather than content being completely hidden. The company focuses on letting you control what you see recommended to you, not on removing content from the platform itself.
If you are trying to prevent a child from accessing mature content, parental controls and separate profiles are the intended tools. If you are trying to stop seeing recommendations for something you dislike, thumbs-down ratings work better than removal. Netflix does not offer a way to permanently block a title so that it never appears anywhere on your account, because the company treats blocking and hiding as separate from the recommendation system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block a show so other people on my account cannot see it at all?
No. You can set a parental PIN that requires a code to play mature-rated content, but the titles still appear in search and recommendations. To completely separate what different people see, create separate profiles and set parental controls on each one individually.
If I rate something with a thumbs-down, will it stop appearing in recommendations?
Usually, yes. Netflix uses thumbs-down ratings to reduce how often a title appears in your recommendation rows and search suggestions. However, it may still show up in genre categories or if you search for it by name. The rating is specific to your profile.
Does removing a show from continue watching delete it from my watch history?
No. Removing it from the continue watching row only hides it from that specific row on your home screen. Your watch history still shows you watched it. To actually delete it from your history, go to account settings, select viewing activity, and click the X next to the title.
Can I block content by rating or genre?
You cannot block an entire genre, but you can set parental controls to lock content by rating (TV-MA, R, NC-17, etc.). This prevents anyone without the PIN from playing titles in those rating categories, though the titles still appear on the account.
What is the difference between a thumbs-down and removing from continue watching?
Removing from continue watching hides the title from that one row on your home screen. A thumbs-down tells Netflix you dislike the content and reduces how often it appears in recommendations across your entire account. Thumbs-down is more effective if you want to see less of something.