12 Hulu tips and tricks to improve your streaming experience and make the most out of your subscription

• Hulu is a popular video-streaming service with thousands of movies and TV shows, including original Hulu content.
• The platform is easy to use, but there some tips, tricks, and add-ons worth exploring to improve your streaming experience.
• Special features include Hulu Watch Party, which lets you stream and watch content simultaneously with friends, and Hulu Kids Profiles, which let you restrict and monitor your child's viewing activity.

With more streaming services you can shake a remote at, it's admittedly difficult to keep track of all the detailed features that each streaming service offers, Hulu included.

Since it's launch in 2007, Hulu has become a major player in the streaming world thanks to a spate of critically acclaimed original TV shows and the addition of its live TV service.

If you're looking to be entertained, we got you covered with the best movies on Hulu and the best Hulu Original TV shows you can watch right now.

But if you're looking to get the most out of Hulu, here are a few of our favorite tips to make your streaming experience even better.

1. Personalize your experience with profiles

People you share your account with are bound to have different tastes in movies and TV. Luckily, Hulu allows you to create up to six separate profiles so your family and friends (plus kids!) can enjoy a streaming experience tailored to their preferences and viewing history.

Depending on whether you use your computer, mobile device, or smart TV, the method for creating a new profile will look slightly different.

On the web, you can create a profile by hovering your cursor over your profile in the top right corner of the screen and selecting "Manage Profiles." From there, click "(+) Add Profile" and fill out the required fields. For mobile and TV-connected devices, you can create a profile by accessing your Account page.

You can edit or delete a profile at any time, and Hulu makes it easy to switch between profiles seamlessly.

Creating a Kids Profile

If you wish to create a profile for a child, there is an option to toggle the "Kids Mode" on when creating a profile. A Kids Profile gives children access to Hulu's "Kids Hub," and prohibits access to mature content.

2. Track your favorite content with My Stuff

"My Stuff" is exactly what it sounds like. Whether you want to be notified about new episodes, save a film to watch for later, or catch something before it leaves Hulu, adding content to "My Stuff" allows you to keep track of shows or movies you're interested in.

To add a show or movie to "My Stuff," all you have to do is visit the details page of the show or movie and click the "+" icon near the play button. If you're fond of a particular television network, you can add it to "My Stuff" as well.

It's important to note that if you're using a device that only supports the older version of Hulu — what's billed as the "classic" Hulu app — you'll see a feature called "Watchlist." The main difference between the two is that "Watchlist" tracks everything you watch, while "My Stuff" tracks what you've added manually, which makes for a more curated experience.

3. Get better recommendations

If you're not happy with the recommendations Hulu offers, you can help the platform learn your tastes by using the "like" and "dislike" system.

How it works is simple: When you "like" a show or movie, Hulu tweaks its suggestion algorithm to recommend similar content. And when you "dislike" something, Hulu will stop suggesting it on the home screen and other areas in the app.

Using this "like/dislike" system will look slightly different depending on which device you're using, but in general, just look for the "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" icons. If you ever want to undo your sentiment, you'll just need to tap it again.

4. View and manage your watch history

Embarrassing content in your watch history? We're not judging. But if you ever want to remove any titles from your watch history, Hulu makes it easy.

Your watch history is located within the "Keep Watching" collection, which you can access from the home screen. You can remove a single show or movie from your history, or clear your entire Hulu watch history once. Learn how to clear your watch history on Hulu.

5. Know the compatible streaming devices

The latest Hulu app is supported on a number of viewing platforms, making it easy for you to watch your favorite Hulu content on any device.

• Smart TVs: You can watch Hulu on many different kinds of smart TVs, such as Apple TV, Fire TV, and Samsung TV. The Hulu app is often built into these devices.
• Streaming sticks: Hulu is also available on most streaming sticks and devices, such as Chromecast, Roku Stick, and Fire TV Stick.
• Gaming consoles: You can even download and watch Hulu on your gaming console, such as Xbox and PlayStation.
• Phones and tablets: To watch Hulu on any phone or tablet, simply download the Hulu app from your device's app store.

Note that if you only have access to the older version of Hulu, or the Classic Hulu app, you have fewer options for compatible streaming. You can view the full list of compatible devices on Hulu's website.

6. Host a virtual viewing party

Hulu Watch Parties are a great way to connect with friends or family when you're far apart. Watch Parties allow you to watch movies or TV shows simultaneously with others from each of your respective devices, while chatting about what's going on in a sidebar next to the video.

To create or join a Hulu Watch Party, you must have the ad-free subscription level of Hulu and you must be watching in a web browser on your computer or tablet. Also important to note: Watch Party only allows up to 8 people viewing from different devices.

7. Set the best video quality

UHD, also known as 4K, is short for ultra high definition video quality. Think HD (high definition), but better. For the uninitiated, 4K provides an image resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is about four times as much as HD videos.

If you have a device that's compatible with 4K content, such as the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, you can access and watch 4K content on most streaming services.

To watch 4K content on Hulu, you must have one of five kinds of devices that Hulu allows you to stream 4K on. Even if you have one of these devices, Hulu only offers 4K viewing for some of its original shows, such as The Handmaid's Tale and Marvel's Runaways. All told, when compared to other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu's 4K offerings are sparse.

8. Download content to watch offline

As with other streaming apps, Hulu lets you download shows and movies to your mobile device to watch offline. But, with Hulu, you must have an ad-free subscription package to access this feature, which can come in handy if you're on an airplane or in a remote area without access to Wi-Fi.

Not all Hulu content is available for offline viewing, but you can easily search for downloadable content by choosing the "Downloadable" category on the Hulu search page, which is only available on the mobile app. You can have up to 25 titles downloaded at a time across 5 different devices, and each download expires after 30 days.

Learn how to download Hulu content for offline viewing.

9. Change the language

The majority of content on Hulu is in English, but there are a few options for Spanish speakers (or anyone who wants to improve their Spanish skills).

You can change the language of subtitles on some shows or movies. However, Hulu only offers subtitles in Spanish or English, and while English subtitles are available on any show, Spanish subtitles are only available on some shows.

Hulu does offer Spanish language versions (where the audio itself is dubbed in Spanish, rather than just the subtitles) of some extremely popular shows, such as Community en Español or Desperate Housewives en Español.

Unlike Netflix, Hulu does not let you change the language of the website or app itself, only the language of subtitles on select shows.

10. Format closed captions for better visibility

If you prefer to watch content with subtitles, or closed captions, Hulu lets you add English subtitles to any show, and Spanish subtitles to some shows.

You can even customize the appearance of subtitles by changing the font, color, size, opacity, and more. Here's how to customize and turn off, or on, subtitles on Hulu on your desktop or mobile device.

11. Add a premium subscription

Hulu partners with other streaming services to offer a variety of subscription packages that can greatly expand your library of content.

In addition to including premium add-ons like HBO Max, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, and useful feature add-ons like Unlimited Screens, here's a quick overview of the most popular plans and add-ons:

For more information on plan costs and subscription tiers, visit Hulu.

12. Cancel or pause your Hulu subscription

You can cancel your Hulu subscription at any time, and your access will continue until the end of your current payment period. If you're thinking about cancelling your subscription, or, say, just going on an extended vacation, you can also pause your subscription at no charge for up to 12 weeks. If you choose to resume your Hulu subscription, you can reactivate it without losing any of your preferences.

If you'd like to change your Hulu plan, there are several ways you can do so. If you're signed up through Hulu itself, you can only make changes on Hulu's website, not on the mobile app. But, if you're subscribed to Hulu through a third party billing app like Disney+ or Spotify, you'll need to make changes directly through that service's site.

The bottom line

After over a decade of updates and expansion, Hulu has become one of the most popular and preferred streaming services out there. No matter what you watch on Hulu, you can bet on a vast library and an always-improving interface that's simple to use.

And if you're thinking about a Hulu subscription, the streaming service makes the decision easy. Every service Hulu offers begins with a free trial, which you can cancel at any time.