You can watch HBO Max (now called Max) on MacBook and iMac directly by downloading the HBO Max app on Mac or streaming HBO Max shows, movies, and episodes on the browsers. However, due to the limitations that only phones and tablets support downloading functions, you can only stream HBO Max using the official way, rather than watching them offline on Mac.

So, this post will help you with how to watch HBO Max on MacBook/iMac and even download them for flexible offline playback.

How to Watch HBO Max on MacBook

Watch HBO Max on macOS using Max App

Only if your MacBook has macOS with an Apple silicon chip like the M1/M2 can you download the Max app on the Apple App Store. When you are eligible to do this, you can follow the simple steps to get the Max app and watch HBO Max on Mac.

  1. Go to the Apple App Store and search for the Max
  2. Select Max and click the download
  3. After installation, launch the Max app and sign in with your Max account. Then, find your desired movies and start watching HBO Max videos now on MacBook.

HBO MacBook 

Note:

However, the HBO Max app does not support the download feature. To tackle this issue, using a third-party tool, like MovPilot Max (HBO) Video Downloader can be a workable solution. This helpful tool can save HBO Max videos in MP4/MKV, while preserving 1080P resolution and original sound quality.

Watch Max Movies on Mac with a Web Browser

If you can’t install the HBO Max app on Mac, you can also get access to HBO Max video via some commonly used web browsers such as Safari and Chrome. As the following four steps are shown, the operation is simple.

  1. Open a supported web browser on your MacBook.
  2. Navigate to the Max website and click the Sign In button in the upper-right corner and input your credentials. If you are new to Max, you need to create your account by filling in the information and following the prompts.
  3. Once you have completed the above operations, you can enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows on Max website on the browser.

Sign In to Max on Its Website

Limitations of Watching HBO Max with Browser

Despite the efficiency of watching HBO Max videos with the official app on Mac or supported browsers, there still exist some obvious limitations as follows:

  • Lack of download function: HBO Max only supports online watching on browsers and Max apps on the Mac without downloading services even if you have subscribed to an ad-free plan;
  • Regional restrictions: Since HBO Max is currently only available in the US, the contents of HBO Max videos they enjoy always change when ad-free users travel abroad for business trips or other reasons, while users with ad-support plans can’t even get access to HBO Max after leaving the US.

For such limitations set by official HBO Max, there will be 2 third-party tools to help you watch HBO Max on MacBook in a more convenient way.

Watch HBO Max Videos on MacBook by Third-Party Tools

Apart from enjoying HBO Max content on the Max app and a browser, third-party tools like MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader and Clicker for HBO Max by DBK Labs offer better ways to watch HBO Max videos on MacBook. What makes them stand out is described below:

MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader

As mentioned above, you can’t enjoy offline viewing the HBO Max shows and movies on Mac in an official way. To solve this annoying downloading problem, we have tested many video downloaders for 8 hours and then, MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader distinguishes itself from the markets.

MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader is an excellent program designed for downloading high-quality HBO Max videos to MP4/MKV on Windows and Mac. It supports multiple Mac devices including macOS X 10.11 or higher systems.

Moreover, downloading HBO Max to local files like MP4 can help you get rid of the time and region limitations for keeping your HBO Max downloads permanently in any country regardless of whether your subscription expires.

Key Features of MovPilot:

  • Downloading HBO Max shows and movies in full HD 1080P with lossless video quality
  • Remove multiple playback limitations like time validity and region limits
  • Support multilingual soundtracks and three types of subtitles
  • Batch download HBO Max videos at 5X faster at least

With a straightforward user interface, the operation process can be completed with ease. You can follow these five steps to get your HBO Max videos downloaded.

STEP 1. Install MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader

After downloading this program, please install it on your Mac. After that, you need to log in to your HBO Max account for downloading HBO Max via MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader.

Log in to HBO

STEP 2. Search for Your Desired HBO Max Shows and Movies

In the upper search bar, copy the URL from the browser address bar or type the keywords of HBO shows and tap the search icon. Then, you can select the videos you want to download.
Search for HBO Movie

STEP 3. Set up Output Format

Navigate to settings in the right corner of the interface which allow the customization of video format, audio language, subtitle language, and subtitle type for HBO video downloads.

Video format: Select MP4 or MKV
Audio language: Select one or more audio languages
Subtitle language: Select one or more subtitle languages
Subtitles are saved as: Select the subtitle type from hard subtitles, soft subtitles and external subtitles.

Select Output Format for HBO Videos

STEP 4. Download HBO Videos to MP4/MKV

After customizing settings, you can choose your favorite episodes and click on the download button to start downloading HBO Max videos on your MacBook. After downloading, you can click History to check your downloaded HBO Max shows or movies.

Finished Downloading HBO Videos 

Clicker for HBO Max

If you don’t mind not being able to watch HBO Max offline, for those who can’t get the HBO Max app on Mac and also don’t want to switch between browser tabs, Clicker for HBO Max, as the best standalone HBO Max app for macOS, will be helpful for you to easily watch HBO Max videos on Mac.

You can simply launch the Clicker for HBO Max from your dock and enjoy its full-screen playback function to watch HBO Max videos on MacBook. Here, the simple steps to watch HBO Max using Clicker for HBO Max are introduced below:

  1. Install Clicker for HBO Max on your MacBook.
  2. After installing, open it from the menu bar or your dock straightforwardly.
  3. It will help you auto-skip the “Who is Watching” step once you select your HBO Max profile.
  4. Then, browse the HBO Max videos you are interested in and you can watch them for fullscreen playback on your Mac.

Cliker for HBO Max

FAQs about Watching HBO Max on Mac

What Browser Works with HBO Max?

There is a wide selection of browsers compatible with the official HBO Max app:

  • The latest version of Chrome or Firefox,
  • The latest version of Microsoft Edge for Windows
  • Safari version 12 or later.

What Can You Watch on HBO Max?

HBO Max has a treasure trove of multiple shows and movies. The following are contents that users can enjoy. You can check more updates on Everything Coming to HBO Max in January 2023.

  • Classic HBO shows
  • New originals (called Max Originals)
  • Shortlisted shows and movies from brands ranging from CNN, DC, Looney Tunes, New Line Cinema to Warner Bros

Conclusion

Overall, in this article, we deliver two ways to watch HBO Max videos on Mac with the official app and the supported Web browsers. To solve some inconvenience (eg. video buffering, region limitations) of using these two methods, we highly recommend you try MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader.

It boasts features such as Full HD quality video download, and batch download at 5X faster speed. With this software, you can download HBO shows and save them to any device for permanent playback.

MovPilot Max(HBO) Video Downloader

Download Max(HBO) Movies and Shows to Watch Offline Easily!

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