When Netflix removed its A–Z sorting and release-year filters, subscribers were left frustrated by an increasingly restricted interface. As my colleague Rory Melon noted when covering the sudden removal, viewers suddenly had fewer tools for finding what to watch next and were forced to rely on nebulous algorithms.
But you don't have to settle for a cluttered home screen. After reading about the issue, astute Tom's Guide reader Joey Robert Parks reached out with a clever workaround that completely bypasses the platform’s worst UI update.
Here is how Netflix broke its browsing experience, and how this reader-submitted hack restores full control over what you stream.
What Netflix changed (and why it sucks)
Sorting on Netflix used to be straightforward. You picked a genre, sorted by release date or title, and picked a movie. Now, those basic controls are gone on desktop and smart TVs.
Netflix replaced them with algorithmic categories designed to keep you scrolling through whatever titles they want to highlight that week, making it surprisingly difficult to see what is actually in the library.
The simple reader hack that fixes it
While Netflix took the physical filter buttons off the menu, the website’s direct category links still work perfectly behind the scenes. Every category, from broad themes like Comedies or Horror down to niche sub-genres, has a hidden numerical code.
By adding these codes directly to Netflix's standard category web address in any browser, you bypass the homepage algorithms and land straight on clean, unfiltered category lists.
Setting this up on your computer or mobile browser takes under two minutes. Start by opening Netflix in a web browser like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Next, type the category link into your address bar using (https://netflix.com/browse/genre/ followed by your chosen category number.
You can use standard broad codes like Comedies (6548), Horror (8711), Sci-Fi & Fantasy (1492), or Anime (7424). If you want to drill down into ultra-specific sub-genres like Nordic Noir, Space Operas, Cozy Mysteries, or Found Footage Horror, Joey points out that you don't need to memorize them.
Instead, as highlighted in his comment, you can look up thousands of these hidden IDs on Netflix's own Tudum Secret Codes Guide or search through the What's On Netflix ID Bible database. Once your unfiltered list loads, bookmark your favorite category URLs so you can jump straight to them with one click next time.
