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How to fix Disney Plus Error Code 39 on your streaming device

Disney Plus app and library
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

  • If you see Disney Plus Error Code 39, it generally means there's a problem validating your digital rights permission.
  • You can try changing your HDMI cable or moving HDMI ports if you're on a game console or computer. 
  • Read on for the top five ways to troubleshoot and fix Disney Plus's Error Code 39.
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While Disney Plus usually "just works" by streaming TV shows and movies to your devices without a problem most of the time, things can go wrong, sometimes with obscure error codes. You might, for example, see the Disney Plus Error Code 39, which is typically related to a problem with digital rights management. 

Disney Plus Error Code 39 looks deceptively generic. When you experience the error, you will see this: "We're sorry, but we cannot play the video you requested. Please try again. If the problem persists, contact Disney Plus Support (Error Code 39)." But the message has a pretty specific meaning. You'll see this error if Disney Plus thinks that your device doesn't have proper permission or a secure connection to play back content that's managed by digital rights

Here are the most common ways to solve Error Code 39.

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Try to play the video again

A surprising amount of the time, streaming errors are intermittent and go away if you simply try again. Give the video a second shot — it's possible it will play properly a short while later. If it still doesn't work though, or it starts playing, then stops and displays Error Code 39 anyway, try the other troubleshooting tips. 

Restart the app or the entire device

Sometimes a simple software glitch, such as a corrupted data cache, can interfere with the video playing properly. This can happen on any device, so restart the app or, if you prefer, the entire device. 

The technique to close an app varies depending on what device you are using, but here is how to close apps on Android and how to close apps on iPhone. Likewise, restarting every kind of device is a bit different, but here is how to restart an iPhone. On Android, you can generally swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Power icon. Have an Xbox One? Here's how to restart that console.

Force restarting an iPhone.
One of the first things you should try is to restart the device that's having trouble playing the Disney Plus video. Dave Johnson
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Use a different HDMI port, or change HDMI cables

If restarting your device didn't fix the problem, the next most likely culprit is often the HDMI connection. If you are trying to play a video using a device that's connected via HDMI — like an Xbox to a television or a computer to a monitor — then HDMI might be to blame. 

There are two variables here to test: the cable itself and the HDMI port it's plugged into. If possible, troubleshoot both. Start by swapping the HDMI cable. It should be HDMI 2.1 compliant, and for best results, use a short cable that isn't visibly damaged. If that doesn't solve the problem, plug your cable into a different HDMI port on both your device and display. 

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Try a different streaming device

You can learn a lot by trying to stream the video on a different device. If it's not working on your Xbox, for example, try watching the video on your phone or in a browser on your laptop. If one works and the other does not, you have probably narrowed down the problem to a specific device, and can try to further troubleshoot the problem another day, and watch the content on the device that actually works. 

Log out of Disney Plus on other devices

Finally, it's possible that you are logged into too many devices. To eliminate this possibility, log out of Disney Plus on as many devices — computers, game consoles, phones, and tablets — as possible and try to watch the content with only a single device logged into Disney Plus. 

Disney Plus in Chrome.
Make sure that you haven't exceeded the allowable number of devices by signing out of Disney Plus everywhere but where you are trying to watch the video. Dave Johnson
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The problem is at Disney Plus

If you try all these troubleshooting tips and the video still won't work, it's likely the problem is with Disney Plus. The content might have been made available in your region by accident, for example, but Disney doesn't have the rights to play it there. Or there is some other technical rights issue. This isn't a problem you can solve, but you can check in again later and see if it's fixed. 

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