If you’ve been watching The CW with a VPN and it’s suddenly stopped working, don’t panic. There are several fixes you can try to resolve this problem.
In this article, I will explain how you can fix The CW not working with your VPN, so you can get back to watching The CW anywhere in the world.
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The CW not working with VPN: Fixes
To fix The CW not working with your VPN, try these simple fixes. Follow them in order. If one fix doesn’t work, move on to the next one until The CW works with your VPN again.
Total Time: 2 minutes
Delete Cookies
You may have noticed that some websites ask you to accept cookies. These aren’t malicious files. They’re designed to make your online experience more streamlined.
To do that, cookies store information about your location. The CW can access this information to determine your location when connecting to its service.
If it finds you’re outside of the US it will block your connection even if you’re using a VPN.
A good place to start to fix The CW not working with your VPN is deleting your cookies.
Change to a different US server
If your VPN was working with The CW and has suddenly stopped working, it may be because The CW has identified the IP address your VPN has provided you and blocked it.
Just because the CW has blocked this IP address, it doesn’t mean it’s blocked all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address. If this IP hasn’t been identified and blocked by The CW, your VPN will work with the streaming service again.
Upgrade to a better VPN
If deleting your cookies or changing to a different server doesn’t work, The CW has managed to identify and block all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
To fix this, you can wait for your VPN to release more IP addresses that The CW hasn’t blocked, but that could take a long time. Also, if your VPN doesn’t have measures in place to stay ahead of The CW’s blocks, then eventually, those new IP addresses will be blocked, and you’ll run into the same problem.
The best way to fix this issue is to upgrade to a VPN that has measures in place to get around The CW’s blocks. We recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month). These VPNs have many IP addresses and have measures in place to make sure that The CW doesn’t block all of their IP addresses. These VPNs will allow you to watch The CW reliably from anywhere in the world.
Why does The CW block my VPN?
The reason The CW blocks your VPN is all to do with broadcast rights and international licensing.
The CW only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US. The CW blocks anyone outside the US from using its service to protect itself from potential licensing issues.
VPNs are a well-known way of watching US streaming services outside of the States. The CW knows this, and it tries to block VPNs from accessing its service. Your VPN isn’t working with The CW because it hasn’t managed to get around these blocks.

How does The CW block my VPN?
The CW can’t block a VPN in its entirety, but it can block the IP addresses it provides.
It does this using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When The CW 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.
- The CW monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- The CW teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, The CW will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.
What VPNs work with The CW?
The VPNs that work with The CW are the ones that can provide IP addresses that the streaming service hasn’t blacklisted.
For lesser VPNs, this can be an issue because IP addresses are expensive. You could wait for your VPN to purchase IPs that The CW hasn’t blocked but that could take a long time.
The best VPNs to watch The CW have measures in place to get around its VPN blocking techniques. NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) have very good methods to get around these blocks.
First, they have many IP addresses, so the chances of you sharing an IP with another customer are less. Secondly, and most importantly, when an IP address provided by NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) gets blacklisted by The CW, these VPNs will close that IP and open a new one.
This cat and mouse game keeps you one step ahead of The CWs blocks, and it allows you to reliably watch The CW from anywhere in the world without running into issues.

The best VPNs to watch The CW
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
SPECIAL OFFER – $3.49/month
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
SPECIAL OFFER: 7-DAY TRIAL ($0.99)
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 3-MONTHS FREE!
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
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 82%!
30-day money-back guarantee
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
30-day money-back guarantee
What is The CW?
The CW is a US-based television network created as a joint venture between CBS and WarnerMedia.
The streaming service targets viewers between the ages of 18-34, and features shows such as Friends, Scrubs, Arrow, Smallville, The Flash and a lot more.
The CW includes both acquired programming and original programming with its service.
How much does The CW cost?
The CW is free on demand. No subscriptions, all you need to do is download the app.