If you’ve been using YouTube with a VPN to watch blocked videos, and it’s no longer working, your VPN is no longer getting around YouTube’s VPN blocking techniques.
You’ll know your VPN is no longer working if you’re coming across the “video isn’t available in your country/region” error.
This has happened because your YouTube has blocked the IP address that your VPN has given you.
Don’t panic, though. There are several fixes you can try to fix this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix YouTube not working with VPN and how you can prevent these issues from happening again.
See also:
- YouTube TV not working with VPN? There’s an easy FIX!
- Surfshark not working with YouTube TV: Try these FIXES!
YouTube not working with VPN: Quick Fixes
-
Delete Cookies
Cookies are small files used by YouTube to make your online experience faster and more streamlined.
They aren’t dangerous files; however, they can cause issues when using a VPN.
In order to make your online experience better, some Cookies contain information about your physical location. YouTube can potentially access this information to determine your location regardless of if you’re using a VPN or not.
If you’re trying to watch a YouTube video that isn’t available in your location, YouTube will be able to figure out you’re not in the right country by accessing your Cookies.
To fix this, delete your Cookies.
-
Change to a different server
YouTube isn’t working with your VPN because it has managed to block the IP address that your VPN has given you.
This doesn’t necessarily mean it has blocked all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
If you change the server on your VPN, you’ll be given a new IP address, and if this one hasn’t been blocked by YouTube, your VPN will work again.
-
Reinstall/update your VPN
A good way to get rid of issues arising with your VPN is to reinstall your VPN.
This ensures you have the latest version of your VPN software, including any bug-fixing updates that may have released.
It also means you’ll have a fresh installation of the software, so any errors or bugs you may have picked up will be erased.
If you inadvertently picked up some errors causing issues when using your VPN with YouTube these will be erased and your VPN might work again.
-
Change to a different protocol
Check to see if your VPN supports multiple protocols and change between them.
Protocols are a set of rules that define how your VPN reroutes your data through its servers.
Some protocols are faster than others, some are more secure, but they’re all different.
YouTube might not be working with your VPN because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service.
Try changing protocol to see if that fixes the issue.
-
Upgrade to a VPN that works with YouTube
If changing to a different server and deleting your Cookies didn’t fix the problem, then YouTube has managed to block all of your VPNs IP addresses.
This has happened because your VPN can no longer get around YouTube’s VPN blocking techniques.
The best way to fix YouTube not working with VPN is to upgrade to a VPN that’ have effective measures in place to stay ahead of these VPN blocks.
The best VPN for this is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has fast servers all over the world, and most importantly, it has measures in place that will stop all of its IP addresses from being blocked by YouTube.
When an IP address is blocked by YouTube, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) closes that IP address and opens a new one ensuring you can use the VPN to watch YouTube reliably wherever you are.
This will prevent you running into the same problems you’re coming across with your current VPN.
Why has YouTube stopped working with my VPN?
YouTube is available in almost every country in the world, however not all of the content uploaded to YouTube has the rights to broadcast its content worldwide.
As you know, if you’re in a country where the uploader doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its video, you’ll come across the “video isn’t available in your country/region” error.
VPNs are a good way to get around this error. However, if your VPN isn’t working, YouTube has managed to find out that your IP address is a VPN IP address, and it has blocked the connection.
YouTube does this because it doesn’t want to breach the terms of use and the broadcast agreements that the uploader has defined. If it did, then it could face severe fines. And to prevent this from happening, it blocks VPN connections.
How does YouTube block VPNs?
YouTube blocks VPNs 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 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 YouTube 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.
- YouTube monitors for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- YouTube teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, YouTube will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.
Lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, struggle to get around these blocks. Eventually, for VPNs like this, all of their IP addresses will get blocked, and the VPN won’t work.
This is what has most likely happened to your VPN. The good news is there are VPNs out there that do have methods to get around YouTube’s blocks.
Does YouTube still work with VPNs?
YouTube still works with VPNs. However, you need to use a VPN that can stay ahead of YouTube’s VPN blocks.
VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) are very good at this. These VPNs work reliably with YouTube because they play a game and cat and mouse with the app.
Inevitably YouTube will sometimes identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month); however when these IP addresses are blocked, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close it and open a new one.
This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to use YouTube anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs for YouTube
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
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
Is watching YouTube with a VPN legal?
Yes, watching YouTube with a VPN is legal.
The only time it’s not allowed is if you’re using a VPN in a country where VPNs are banned. These are China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you’re outside these countries, using a VPN to watch YouTube is perfectly legal.
