Private Internet Access not working with Disney+? Use these SIMPLE fixes! (September 2023)

If you’re trying to watch Disney+ with Private Internet Access (PIA) and it’s not working, Disney+ has managed to identify and block the IP address PIA has given you.

This can be incredibly annoying, especially if it happens, even if PIA has been working with Disney+ before. That means you can’t watch your favourite shows from the streaming service.

Don’t fret, as there are several ways to fix Private Internet Access not working with Disney+. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick Cookie cleanup.

This guide will help you fix Private Internet Access not working with Disney+, and how you can make sure Disney+ not working with VPN never happens again.

• The best VPNs 2023
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Private Internet Access not working with Disney+: Quick fixes

Try these fixes in order. If one doesn’t work. Move on to the next until you can watch Disney+ with a VPN again.

Why does Disney+ block Private Internet Access?

The reason Disney blocks Private Internet Access is all to do with broadcast rights. Disney+ does not have the rights to broadcast its content everywhere. 

These rights are laid out in the copyright and licensing agreements that Disney has with its content partners. And if Disney breached these agreements and broadcast its content in a country where it didn’t have the rights, it could face severe financial repercussions. 

Using PIA to watch Disney+ could result in Disney breaching its agreements. To prevent that from happening, Disney+ attempts to stop VPNs from connecting to its service. 

How does Disney+ block Private Internet Access?

Disney blocks PIA using three 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.

These techniques are hard to get around, and VPNs are constantly battling with Disney to stay ahead of these VPN blocks. Unfortunately, PIA is no longer winning these battles, and that’s why you’re running into problems watching Disney+ with PIA.

Does Disney+ still work with VPNs?

Yes, Disney+ definitely still works with VPNs. I’ve been comfortably watching Disney+ with a VPN for years. 

The trick is to use a VPN with powerful measures to stay ahead of Disney’s blocks. 

The best VPN for getting around Disney’s blocks is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). This is because it plays a game of cat and mouse with Disney+

When an IP address provided by this VPN is blocked, ExpressVPN will close that IP and open a new one. This will allow you to reliably watch Disney+ anywhere in the world without issues.

The best VPNs of Disney+

1. ExpressVPN 🥇

Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023

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 ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.

ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. 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 prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.

Check out our full ExpressVPN review.

2. 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.

3. Ivacy

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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.

4. CyberGhost

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

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

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.