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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Netflix codes open hidden genre and micro-category pages.
• Codes work best in a browser, but can work in the app.
• They don’t unlock extra titles outside your Netflix plan.

I’ve used Netflix for decades. I had it back when it still delivered DVDs, so I know how to use the streaming service. I’ve also written a ton about it over the years, like recommending my favorite Netflix codes, tips, and tricks. “Codes?” you might be asking yourself. Yes, there are hundreds of Netflix codes, and I regularly use them to find hidden movies to watch for free.

Netflix organizes its entire library into several genres and micro-categories. Each one has a numeric code associated with it. Some are broad, like action and adventure, while others are weirdly specific, like deep sea horror movies. These codes won’t unlock new movies, paid extras, or content outside my plan. They simply take me to curated pages that Netflix buries.

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They’re great for getting out of Netflix’s recommendation loop and browsing what lies beneath the surface. But it isn’t obvious how to find or use the codes, since Netflix doesn’t advertise them. So, here’s how, plus my favorites.

How to find and use Netflix codes

Before I get into which Netflix codes are worth trying, let’s cover the basics, including how to use them.

My favorite Netflix codes

OK, now that you know how to find and enter codes, here’s my list of Netflix codes I frequently use and why.

1. Oscar Winners and Nominees: 81396365

During Oscar season, Netflix curates nominees in its library on the home screen. But what about the rest of the year? That’s where this code is handy. If you want to watch prestige titles across a range of genres, all tied together by awards or nominations, bookmark this category. Right now, in my results, I’m seeing American Gangster, Pretty Woman, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

2. Book Club: 81511805

This is one of my favorite categories when I want something cozy and literary, without having to dig through every drama on Netflix. In my results right now, I’m seeing Outlander, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Queen’s Gambit, and Matilda the Musical. This category not only curates adaptations but also character-driven films and stories with great plots and emotional impact.

3. Movies Written by Women: 81225828

I like this code because it showcases women filmmakers, and it’s so wide-ranging. There are romantic comedies, horrors, blockbuster action films, and coming-of-age movies, all connected by women writers. In my results, I’m seeing The Boss, 27 Dresses, Jennifer’s Body, 13 Going on 30, and Jurassic World Dominion. I had no idea that last one was written by a woman.

4. Totally Awesome ’80s: 2314106

This category is pure nostalgia, even if it’s more “1980s-adjacent.” In my results, Netflix has Field of Dreams, Steel Magnolias, and The Breakfast Club, as well as Young Sheldon, which is set in the 80s but was not made then. Still, if you want to relive the decade or recapture that late-20th-century feeling, including big hair and neon wardrobe choices, this is a great category to visit.

5. Nostalgic ’90s: 2691941

I’m an 80s baby and a 90s kid, so this is another code I use when I want to fall into a nostalgia hole. My results currently include Dawson’s Creek, The West Wing, and Touched by an Angel. Again, not every title is strictly from the 90s, but the category still has that DNA: stars from that era, network-TV and cable-era shows, and more. It’s total comfort-watch stuff.

6. Alien Sci-Fi: 3327

Did you know sci-fi is a huge, expansive genre? For example, horror is a subgenre of sci-fi. It’s actually my favorite, but aliens are a close second. I’m not necessarily into sci-fi films like Ex Machina, but Independence Day? Yes, please. So, this category gives me exactly that: creatures, invasions, and more. Right now, I’m seeing Starship Troopers, Venom, and Falling Skies.

7. Witchcraft and the Dark Arts: 81552046

Speaking of horror, I love all things supernatural, the occult, and just plain witchy. Not only during Halloween season, but all year long. In this category, I’m seeing Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, The Ritual, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and Castle Rock. This category seems to include anything related to magic, curses, or horror-adjacent stories. It’s broad but spooky.

8. Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 81614959

I love this category because it’s about the internet’s long-running Kevin Bacon connection game, where actors are linked through shared credits. In my results, Netflix has Meet the Parents, Stranger Things, The Lincoln Lawyer, Shameless, and The Closer.

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That last one stars Kyra Sedgwick, Bacon’s wife. The others? No clue why they’re here. But that’s kind of the whole point. It’s a rabbit-hole category where you can have fun trying to figure out the six degrees to Kevin Bacon.

9. British Comedies: 1009

British humor is awesome: the dry wit, the irony, the heavy sarcasm, and the self-deprecation. Who doesn’t enjoy that? Absolutely Fabulous and The Royle Family are probably two of my favorite sitcoms ever, and they’re British. So when I saw Netflix had a British Comedies category, I immediately saved it. In my results right now, I see Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and That Christmas. So British, so good.

10. Mockumentaries: 26

This last code is one you probably wouldn’t ever think to search, and I’ve never seen Netflix highlight it as a category. Think fake documentaries and interviews, awkward realism, and characters who are super serious while everything around them is absurd. I use this code when I want to watch comedies, especially ones that are very deadpan or feel improvised.

In my results, I see Trailer Park Boys, Borat, Cunk on Earth, and Between Two Ferns.