Trying to watch Disney+ using Surfshark, but it’s no longer working? The bad news is the popular streaming service has managed to identify and block all of the IP addresses Surfshark has available.
Surfshark is no longer staying one step ahead of Disney+’s blocking techniques. Don’t stress, though, as there are several fixes you can try to resolve the issue.
This guide will explain how you can fix Surfshark not working with Disney+ so you can watch your favourite Disney movies and shows anywhere in the world again.
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Surfshark not working with Disney+: Quick fixes
Try these fixes in order, if one doesn’t work move on to the next until you’ve resolved Surfshark not working with Disney+.
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Surfshark not working with Disney+ is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. They aren’t dangerous files, but they sometimes contain information regarding your location.
If you only intermittently use Surfshark, then some of these Cookies might hold information about your actual physical location.
If Disney+ sees a discrepancy between the location stored on your Cookies and your actual location, it’ll know you’re using a VPN and will block the connection.
Try deleting your Cookies to see if this resolves Surfshark not working with Disney+.
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Change to a different server
Surfshark has stopped working with Disney+ because the IP address the VPN has provided has been blocked by Disney+.
Fortunately, Disney+ isn’t able to block Surfshark entirely – only its IP addresses.
Changing to a different Surfshark server will give you a new IP address. And if this IP hasn’t been blocked by Disney+, Surfshark will work again.
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Change to a different protocol
VPN protocols determine how a VPN reroutes your online data through its servers.
Surfshark might have stopped working with Disney+ because the protocol you’ve selected is no longer compatible with the platform.
Surfshark supports three protocols: WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
Try switching between them to see if that fixes your issue.
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Make sure Surfshark is updated
It’s always a good idea to ensure Surfshark is up to date.
Often, when Surfshark isn’t working with a particular streaming service, it’s aware of the issue and will release a fix in an update.
One of these fixes may have been released for Disney+ and to make sure you’ve got it, ensure Surfshark is updated to its latest version.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If the above steps don’t fix Surfshark not working with Disney+, then all of the IP addresses Surfshark can provide have been identified and blocked by Disney+.
Disney+ has been able to do this because Surfshark doesn’t have measures in place to stay ahead of Disney+’s VPN blocking techniques or the measures it does have are no longer working.
You could wait for Surfshark to release new IPs that haven’t been blocked by Disney+, however seeing as you’ve run into issues already it’s highly likely you’ll run into the same issues in the future.
To fix the issue properly you need to upgrade to a VPN that is able to get around Disney+’s VPN blocks reliably. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works well with Disney+. We’ve even been using it to watch the streaming service reliably in New Zealand and the UK without issue.
Why does Disney+ block Surfshark?
The reason Disney blocks Surfshark 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 Surfshark 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 Surfshark?
Disney blocks Surfshark using three techniques:
- 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.
- Disney monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- 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, Surfshark is no longer winning these battles, and that’s why you’re running into problems watching Disney+ with Surfshark.
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) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/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 and Private Internet Access 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 to watch Disney+
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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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
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
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.
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2. Private Internet Access 🥈
The BEST low-cost 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
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/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-day 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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3. NordVPN 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 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
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
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
- $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 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.
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
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
- $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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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
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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Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
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
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $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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