Home VPN How to change Netflix region: The EASY way! (May 2022)

How to change Netflix region: The EASY way! (May 2022)

May 1, 2022

If you’re trying to change Netflix region so you can gain access to different libraries around the world, unfortunately there isn’t an “official” way to do it on the Netflix app. Netflix’s terms and conditions state “The country on your account can’t be changed unless you move to a new one.”

This can be frustrating especially if you’re in a country where Netflix doesn’t have half the content it does in other areas.

The good news is there is a way to change your Netflix region without having to move to a new country. All you need is a reliable VPN.

The best VPNs will allow you to access any Netflix library in the world so you can increase the amount of content available on your Netflix subscription ten-fold.

This article will explain how to change Netflix region and how you can ensure you can reliably access any Netflix library in the world.

How to change Netflix region: Quick Guide

To change Netflix region follow these four simple steps:

Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).
Download and install the new VPN app
Select a server in a country of your choosing
Gain access to a different Netflix library

Why can’t I change Netflix region?

Netflix doesn’t allow you to change your region because it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast all of its content all around the world.

Netflix as a platform is available worldwide, but the content it has the rights to broadcasts varies from country to country. Although Netflix might have the rights to broadcast certain content in the US, it doesn’t mean Netflix has the rights to do so all around the world.

This is because film and television studios enforce copyright and licensing measures in regard to where and how their content is broadcast. Netflix has to buy these geographic rights in order to stream that content in these locations.

The easiest way to think of it is each country’s Netflix is a different entity. Netflix US is different to Netflix UK, Netflix UK is different to Netflix Australia, and so on.

If you were able to change your Netflix region, you would be able to watch Netflix content in a country where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast said content. This could result in Netflix facing severe financial punishments.

Obviously, it doesn’t want this so it prevents it by not allowing customers to change region.

How does a VPN work?

Although not an “official” method, the good news is you can easily change Netflix region. All you need is a reliable VPN. We recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).

Whenever you go online you’re given a unique IP address. This IP contains geographic information that discloses where you’re located. You must have an IP address in order to connect to Netflix, there’s no way of turning it off.

Netflix uses the information stored on your IP address to determine where you’re based and subsequently which Netflix library you can access. If you’re in Australia, Netflix knows this and provides you with the Australian Netflix library.

NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) allow you to change your IP address to a different location. The process is easy, all you need to do is decide which Netflix library you want to access, go to your VPN, select a server in the country of your choosing and you’ll be given an IP address based in that country.

Now when Netflix scans your IP address, it will think your in the location that you chose and you’ll have access to the Netflix library from that country.

It’s that easy.

Will any VPN work?

In order for a VPN to work reliably with Netflix, it needs to have measures in place to get around Netflix’s VPN blocking methods.

Yes, Netflix tries to block VPNs. It does this to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing infringement punishments.

The good news is Netflix cannot block a VPN in its entirety, the bad news is it can block the IP addresses a VPN provides.

The bad news is lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs often struggle to get around Netflix’s blocks.

This is because free VPNs have a massive amount of customers and they cannot provide enough IP addresses so each customer has their own individual IP address. When this happens, lesser VPNs force their customers to share IP addresses.

Netflix knows this and uses it to its advantage. It monitors for an “abnormal,” amount of connections coming from the same IP address. A normal amount of connections coming from the same IP address is usually anything below 10. Because lesser VPNs force customers to share IP’s often hundreds of customers connect to Netflix via the same IP address. This is deemed abnormal by Netflix and the streaming service will block that connection. This means the VPN won’t work with Netflix and even worse it could result in you wasting money on a VPN that won’t work.

What VPNs work with Netflix?

The VPNs that work with Netflix are the ones that meet three key criteria. First they need to have a lot of IP addresses so there’s less chance you’ll share an IP with another customer. Second, they need to have reliable servers around the world you can connect to and thirdly and most importantly they need to have measures in place to get around Netflix’s VPN blocks.

Even the best VPNs have their IP addresses identified and blocked by Netflix from time to time. It’s how they react to this that sets them apart from lesser VPNs.

NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) play a game of cat and mouse with Netflix. When an IP address provided by these VPNs is blocked by Netflix, they’ll close that IP address and open a new one. This will allow you to reliably watch any Netflix region. They also have a lot of IP addresses and some of the fastest servers on the market.

The best VPNs to change Netflix region

1. NordVPN

The BEST VPN of 2022

Pro

Fast servers
No logs
Thousands of IP addresses
6-simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store

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$3.49/month for 2-years
$6.99/month for 1-year
$11.95/month for 1 month

NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And its 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 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 tunnelling 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.

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2. Ivacy

The BEST low-cost VPN

Pros

Fast servers
Thousands of IP addresses
Dedicated streaming servers
5-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

Only 5 devices
Sometimes runs slow
Occasionally blocked by streaming sites

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$1.16/month for 5-years
$3.50/month for 1-year
$9.99/month for 1 month

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.

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3. ExpressVPN

A very reliable and fast VPN

Pros

Fast servers
Thousands of IP addresses
10-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

Expensive

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$6.66/month for 15 months
$9.99/month for 6 months
$12.95/month for 1 month

ExpressVPN is still one of the best VPNs you can buy. However, we’ve got it ranked in the number three spot for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s the most expensive VPN on the market. This was understandable when it was also the fastest and most reliable VPN too. But now it’s not. NordVPN is. ExpressVPN has recently been struggling to unblock some big streaming sites – BBC iPlayer and BeIN Sports – too. 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.

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4. Private Internet Access

The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming!

Pros

Fast and reliable servers
Thousands of IP addresses
10-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

Only 48 server locations

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30-day money-back guarantee

$2.19/month for 3-years
$3.33/month for 1-year
$11.95/month for 1-month

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).

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5. CyberGhost

Pros

1-day free trial
Reliable servers
Thousands of IP addresses
7-simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

Expensive
Average speed scores

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$2.75/month for 3 years
$3.69/month for 2 years
$5.99/month for 6 months
$12.99/month for 1 month

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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