Disney+ not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (August 2022)

If you’ve been watching Disney+ with your VPN and it’s no longer working, your VPN is no longer compatible with the streaming service.

Why? Because not all VPNs are equal.

If you want to watch Disney+ reliably with a VPN, you’ll need a VPN that plays ‘Cat and Mouse’ with Disney. This will ensure you can watch the streaming service reliably with your VPN.

The reason your VPN is no longer working is because it doesn’t implement this simple measure. Fortunately there are some fixes you can try to resolve this issue. See below

See also:

• How to watch Disney+ Hotstar in Australia: The EASY way! (August 2022)
• ExpressVPN not working with Disney+? Try these EASY fixes! (August 2022)

Disney+ not working with VPN? Fixes

Why isn’t Disney+ working with my VPN?

If you’re coming across errors when trying to watch Disney+, it’s a sign that the streaming service has blocked the IP address your VPN has given you.

Disney+ blocks VPNs because it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content internationally.

If you’re using a VPN to watch Disney+ in a country where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content, it could result in Disney+ breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners. These sorts of breaches could result in the streaming service being financially punished.

To prevent that from happening, Disney+ blocks VPNs from accessing its service.

How does Disney+ block VPNs?

Disney+ blocks VPNs using three main techniques:

1. The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Disney+ sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it. 
2. Disney+ monitors for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
3. Disney+ teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Disney+ will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.

Lesser VPN struggle to get around these blocks, and subsequently, all of their IP addresses get blacklisted by Disney+. This is what has most likely happened to your VPN.

Does Disney+ still work with VPNs?

Disney+ still works with VPNs. However, you need to use a VPN that can stay ahead of Disney+’s VPN blocks. 

VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) are very good at this. These VPNs work reliably with Disney+ because they play a game and cat and mouse with the streaming service. 

Inevitably Disney+ will sometimes identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month); however, when these IP addresses are blocked,  ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close them and open a new unblocked one. 

This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to stream Disney+ from anywhere in the world reliably. 

The best VPNs for Disney+

1. ExpressVPN

The fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022

Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes ExpressVPN is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video etc. ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites (apart from BBC iPlayer). Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites. Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered. The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently. With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevent its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.

2. Private Internet Access

The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming! Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speeds: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1 million paying customers. This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends. If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-days money-back guarantee. From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).

3. NordVPN

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers. It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations. Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.

4. Ivacy

The great budget VPN option

Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option. This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease. The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer. For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.

5. CyberGhost

Number of servers: 6,000+ | Speeds: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 200 in 90 countries | Devices supported: 7 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well. From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed. That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either. Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.

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