10 ways to fix HBO Max Not Working

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Emma
August 5, 2024

HBO Max, launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, is an American subscription video on demand (SVOD) service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. With HBO Max, you can stream all of HBO together with a collection of classic TV favorites, even more blockbuster movies, and new Max Originals. HBO Max is your home for Warner Bros-made movies and TV shows like The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and Harry Potter franchises, Lego and the DC Comics superheroes, and a big back catalog of classic shows – including Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Rick and Morty and South Park.

To see what’s on HBO Max, download the HBO Max app or go to HBOMax.com. You don’t need a subscription to see what’s available on HBO Max. You can also go to HBOMax.com/series and HBOMax.com/feature to see featured TV shows and movies.

HBO Max is available on TV, computer, game console, mobile and tablet. If HBO Max is not working on your device, there are several possible solutions to fix it. 

Troubleshoot HBO Max Not Working on your computer

1. Check your internet connection

If you got below error, it means your internet connection is weak. Connect to another strong Wifi. You can open a new browser window and search for ‘Internet speed test’ to run a speed test. To stream HD video, you need a minimum download speed of 5 Mbps. 

2. Try another browser

The following browsers are supported:

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

3. Update your browser

Update your browser to the latest version.

How to update Chrome

  1. In the menu bar, click Chrome – About Google Chrome.
  2. Click Relaunch.

How to update Safari on Mac

  1. From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
  2. Click Software Update or App Store.
  3. Install any updates or upgrades shown. The most up-to-date version of Safari is included with the latest version of macOS.

How to update Microsoft Edge

By default, Microsoft Edge automatically updates when you restart your browser. To make sure your browser always stay up to date:

  1. In the browser, go to Settings and more  > About Microsoft Edge (edge://settings/help). 
  2. Turn on any available toggles “Download and install updates automatically” or “Download updates over metered connections”.

Note that turning on Download updates over metered connections might incur charges if you’re connected to a cellular network.

4. Sign out and restart your computer

  1. Go to HBOMax.com, choose your profile (upper right) and then choose Sign out.
  2. Close the browser window and restart your computer.
  3. Go to HBOMax.com and sign in, then try streaming again.

5. Clear the cache

  1. Clear your browser’s cache. To find out how to do this, search for ‘clear cache’ in your browser’s help.
  2. Close and reopen your browser.
  3. Sign in to HBOMax.com and try streaming again.

Delete cache and cookies in the new Microsoft Edge

  1. Open Microsoft Edge, select Menu (3 dots icon on top right corner of the browser) > Settings > Privacy & services.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear.
  3. Select “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data” check box and then select Clear.

How to clear Safari cache on Mac?

  1. Launch Safari browser on your Mac.
  2. Select Safari -> Preferences….
  3. Click the Advanced tab and check the box next to Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. Select Develop from the menu bar -> Empty Caches.

How to clear cache in Firefox?

  1. At the top-right of the Firefox window, click the History and Saved Bookmarks menu button. 
  2. Click “History” – “Clear Recent History…”.
  3. Make sure “Cache” is checked, and then click “OK.” 

How to clear cache in Chrome?

  1. At the top-right of the Chrome window, click the three-dot menu button. 
  2. Click “More Tools” – “Clear Browsing Data…”
  3. Set time range and click “Clear data”.

Troubleshoot HBO Max Not Working on phone or tablet

1. Test your connection speed

 If you’re using a cellular data connection, try connecting to a wireless network.

  • Android: Download an Internet speed test app from the Google Play Store and test your connection speed.
  • iOS: Download an Internet speed test app from the Apple App Store and test your connection speed.

2. Update HBO Max

  • Android: Open the Play Store on your Android device and search for HBO Max. If an app update is available tap Update.
  • iOS: Open the App Store on your iOS device and search for HBO Max. If an app update is available tap Update.

3. Reinstall HBO Max

Delete the HBO Max app from your phone or tablet and install it again from the app store. Then open HBO Max, sign in, and try streaming again.

4. Sign out and sign back in

  1. Sign out of HBO Max. To do this, tap the Profile icon Profile icon (bottom edge on phones, left edge on tablets) –  Settings icon Settings icon (upper left), and then scroll down and tap Sign out.
  2. Force quit HBO Max app.
  3. Reopen HBO Max, sign in, and then try streaming again.

5.  Restart your device

  1. Hold down the power button until you’re prompted to power off your device.
  2. Wait 10 seconds and then turn your device back on.
  3. Open HBO Max, sign in, and then try streaming again.

6. Clear cache and data

There are several ways to clear the cache on HBO Max. 

On Android phone or tablet

  1. Go to Settings on your Android device.
  2. Tap Apps & services – Apps.
  3. Choose HBO Max from the list.
  4. Tap Storage & cache or Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Open HBO Max, sign in, and then try streaming again.

On Amazon Fire tablet

  1. Go to Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications.
  2. Choose HBO Max from the list of apps.
  3. Tap Force Stop.
  4. Tap Clear Cache.
  5. Tap Clear Data.
  6. Open HBO Max, sign in, and then try streaming again.

You can’t clear the cache for an app like HBO Max on an Apple device, so the easiest way to resolve a potentially corrupted cache is to uninstall the app and then reinstall it. 

How to play HBO Max movies and TV shows with other video player?

If you often encounter errors with HBO Max web player or app, you can try playing your favorite HBO Max movies and TV shows with other video player like VLC, QuickTime Player, Windows Media Player. This is easy with Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader as it allows you to download any HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4/MKV on Mac and Windows. With a built-in HBO Max search engine, all you need to do is enter the movie/TV show title, choose output format/quality and then start downloading. What’s more, it even allows you to download movies and TV shows with ad-supported HBO Max account. The downloaded movies and TV shows will never expire and you want watch them on any devices offline, even after cancelling HBO Max subscription.

This way you can watch HBO Max when you don’t have a network connection.  Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader is developed to download 1080p movies and TV shows from HBO Max to MP4/MKV on Mac and Windows. After that, you can watch the HBO Max MP4 downloads on any device without HBO Max app. What’s more the downloads will never expire.

Steps to download HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4

Step 1: First, you need to install the software on the device whether it is Mac or Windows. After launch the software, it will redirect to the screen where you have to log in your HBO Max account.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 2: After logging into your account, type the show or movie you want to download in the search field and click the search icon.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 3: Click the gear icon on the top right corner to select the video format, codec, audio and subtitle languages, output folder, etc. 

HBO Max to MP4

Step 4: After doing all the changes, simply click on the download button. For movie, the downloading starts immediately. For TV show, you will be presented with all episodes. Select the seasons and episodes you want to download.

download HBO Max to MP4

Further, if required you can change the subtitle and audio track by clicking on the gear-like icon.

To see all the downloaded items, go to the History tab.

download HBO Max movie to MP4