Peacock not working with VPN? How to EASILY fix! (September 2023)

Is Peacock not working with VPN? Don’t panic. There’s an easy way to fix it.

What’s likely happened is Peacock has managed to identify the IP address your VPN has given you and has blocked it.

It has managed to do this because the measures your VPN uses to stop all of its IP addresses from being blocked by Peacock are no longer working, or it doesn’t have these sorts of measures in the first place.

The good news is fixing the problem is easy. All you need to do is follow this article, and you’ll be able to fix Peacock not working with VPN in no time.

The best VPNs for Peacock

Peacock not working with VPN: Quick Fixes

Why is Peacock not working with VPN?

The reason your VPN isn’t working with Peacock is because the IP address it has given you has been blocked by the streaming service.

Although Peacock is different to other streaming services like Netflix, it still blocks VPNs. Peacock is owned by the US telecommunications conglomerate Comcast and it only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US. Comcast has paid a lot of money for these rights and it protects its investment by enforcing geo-restrictions with Peacock. This is why Peacock is not available outside of the US. 

Because someone using a VPN could gain access to Peacock outside the US, the streaming service has adopted VPN blocking techniques to prevent that from happening. If it didn’t do this it could face severe financial repercussions for breaching copyright and licensing agreements.

If you’re trying to access Peacock with a VPN and you’re coming across errors like – Peacock not working with VPN – your VPN either doesn’t have measures to get around these blocks, or the measures it does have aren’t working. And Peacock has managed to identify and block all the IP addresses your VPN can currently provide.

Does Peacock work with a VPN?

Yes, Peacock works with a VPN, I’ve been watching Peacock in New Zealand for years without running into Peacock not working with VPN issues.

The trick is you need to use a VPN that’s good enough to get around Peacock’s VPN- blocking techniques. This means you need a VPN that’s incredibly fast, secure and that has a significant amount of IP addresses based in the US.

From our tests, we’ve found the best VPNs for Peacock are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).

Both of these VPNs work well with Peacock because they have fast servers based in the US and they have measures in place to ensure they always have an IP address that works with Peacock.

They do this by playing a game of Cat and Mouse with the streaming service, in which if an IP address gets blocked by Peacock, they’ll close it and open a new one that hasn’t been blocked.

Although this measure sounds simple, it’s incredibly expensive and not many VPNs have the infrastructure to be able to do this. Fortunately both  ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have these measures in place, so you’ll be able to watch Peacock reliably anywhere in the world without running into Peacock not working with VPN issues.

Can I watch Peacock with a free VPN?

Subscribing to a free VPN can be enticing however, from our tests we’ve found that free VPNs don’t work very well with Peacock. This is because they don’t meet certain criteria that we deem to be mandatory when using a VPN.

These are speed, security, servers and the ability to stay one step ahead of Peacock’s VPN blocking techniques.

Firstly, a lot of free VPNs limit the features that you can use. They throttle speeds, impose data restrictions and more. We’ve found that in order to watch Peacock with a VPN reliably you need to use a fast VPN.

Secondly a lot of free VPNs aren’t secure. From our DNS tests – which test how well a VPN keeps your online connection private and anonymous – most free VPNs failed to ensure a fully anonymous connection. To make matters worse, a significant amount of free VPNs have been found logging users data.

Third, free VPNs often have limits on the amount of servers you can use. In order to fix Peacock not working with VPN, you need a VPN with enough servers so you can switch between them if one isn’t working.

And lastly, free VPNs simply can’t keep up with Peacock’s VPN blocking techniques. They don’t have measures to ensure you can get around them and watch Peacock reliably worldwide.

The best VPN servers (September 2023)

Additional steps to fix Peacock not working with VPN

Nine times out of ten, changing to a different US server will fix Peacock not working with VPN. If not though, here are some additional fixes you can try:

1. Delete Cookies: Deleting Cookies is a good place to start. Cookies often interfere with VPN connections and will tip off Peacock that you’re using a VPN to access the service. To ensure this isn’t happening, try deleting your Cookies.
2. Change Protocol: VPN protocols are the set of rules a VPN uses to encrypt your data and divert it through its own server. If you’re coming across Peacock not working with VPN issues, check and see if your VPN supports multiple protocols. You might be coming across Peacock not working with VPN errors because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service.
3. Reinstall your VPN: If all else fails, we recommend resorting to a tried-and-true fix. Reinstalling your VPN will give you a fresh installation of the software and this will get rid of any bugs or errors you may have inadvertently picked up.

Is watching Peacock with a VPN legal?

Yes, watching Peacock with a VPN is perfectly legal, however it’s important to know that it may go against Peacock’s terms of use.

The Peacock terms of use state “The Peacock Services are for viewers in the United States (including its territories and possessions). You may not access or use the Peacock Services, or the applicable portion thereof, if you are outside of the United States (including its territories and possessions) or are barred from receiving the Peacock Services under these Terms.” And “We have the right to suspend your account for any reason, including due to a violation of these Terms.”

What this means is if Peacock figures out you’re using a VPN to watch the streaming service outside the US, then they can block and possibly ban your account.

With that said there are many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, like online privacy and anonymity. It’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Peacock (and other streaming services) to enforce.

In theory, if you’re trying to watch a streaming service (that you pay for) in a region where it does not traditionally operate, you risk having your account banned. However, as VPNs use military-grade encryption, it’s impossible for streaming services to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.  And there’s one final thing to note on the subject: Peacock has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.