How to Unblock Netflix With a VPN

trying view latest hit Netflix traveling overseas , want watch Netflix provides globe , you is ‘re tough time .   VPN service   little persistence , you is be able want watch . We is ‘re .

Netflix is Is Different Netflix Abroad

It’s easy to assume the video streaming services we watch are the same everywhere, but that’s not true. What’s available can vary wildly from country to country, as streaming services like Netflix make different agreements with the studios in specific markets. A good example is Rick & Morty: It used to be available on Netflix in the US, but now you need a Hulu or Max account to follow their misadventures due to local licensing deals between the streamers and Warner Brothers. However, people in Australia and several other countries can still enjoy their hijinks on Netflix.

Netflix subscribers can only watch libraries customized to the country they’re connecting from. The company reads the IP address of your connection, determines your location via the location of that IP address, and presents a library filled with region-specific content. Each region has different deals with different studios, meaning no two Netflix libraries connecting from opposite ends of the world will be the same.

Left to right: Japanese Netflix, American Netflix (Credit: Netflix/PCMag)

While those libraries will often share many shows, there will be just as many they don’t share. The only way to ensure consistent access to your favorite shows, no matter where you’re connecting from in the world, is to spoof your location using a VPN.

course , engineers is thought Netflix thought workaround , . Netflix is blocks blocks VPN detects , company ways . easiest is is look patterns traffic . group is examine IP addresses server farm connect hours day , Netflix is examine examine traffic determine belongs individual customer VPN . system detects IP address block belonging VPN service , block banned Netflix altogether . alternative is having having VPN access quarantined Limited library , explain detail .

The Best VPNs for Watching Netflix in the US

In writing this article, we considered two possible use cases for a VPN and Netflix. In the first case, you’re traveling overseas and can’t continue watching a show you started in your home country. That’s a real problem, but we imagine just as many of you (if not more) are more interested in the second case—accessing Netflix content unavailable in their home countries.

This does raise a thorny question of ethics. Using a VPN for Netflix (or any other streaming service) and watching content the streamer already paid to license in another country is different from downloading copyrighted content without paying for it. After all, you are paying Netflix . Regardless feel about it, watching content that’s unavailable in your home region still breaks the rules—even when it isn’t available in your country at any price.

How We Test Netflix on VPNs

For testing, we installed each VPN and attempted to access Netflix while connected to different servers. In these tests, we connected to VPN servers in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US. While these are far from the only countries serviced by Netflix, we chose them due to the population of each respective market and the differences in their content licensing agreements.

VPN service , we is used unblocking tools desktop application supports . We is started started Chrome browser signed single Netflix account loaded new Incognito window time VPN connected new location . VPN given attempts load content specific location , different IP address time . , this is meant meant switching different server location . , it is meant meant trying entirely different location country . VPN provides servers specifically streaming , we is tried tried .

What Is Blocked, Open, and Limited Streaming Access?

In testing, we found Netflix returned one of three different results. The first state is as if we are connected normally within a given country. We can see all the content available in that region’s library and stream it without being blocked. We call this state Open.

second state , trying stream content generates error message , Blocked .  

state is is kind limbo stream subset movies shows , Netflix Originals . options is find offered homepage change depending region , searching , we is find find selection Originals . We is denote denote state Limited .

Comparing our results from previous years with this year’s, it’s interesting to note that VPNs are now rarely Blocked outright; 20 of the 23 VPNs we evaluated were either Open or Limited in every region we tested. We found this to be the case most frequently on either Australian or Japanese VPN servers. Conversely, many of the VPNs we tested were Open in the US, the UK, and Canada.

While frustrating for people trying to access region-restricted content in Australia or Japan, this is an improvement for most customers trying to get around local Netflix restrictions. Netflix seems to be acknowledging it can’t stop people from using VPNs outright and is instead choosing the lesser of two evils, giving you a reason to keep your monthly subscription going with enough Originals to choose from.

How Does a VPN Affect Netflix Playback?

Streaming video can take up some serious bandwidth, especially if you want HD quality or better. To get 4K video, Netflix recommends a connection that can sustain a 15Mbps download at minimum, while 1080p needs at least 5Mbps.

To get the speed results in the chart above, we recorded the percentage change between speeds without the VPN connected on an Intel NUC 13 Extreme Kit (‘Raptor Canyon’) benchmark PC and those with the VPN turned on. Note that your results will likely differ from these, as every VPN provider reports different bandwidth peaks depending on where you’re connecting from, trying to connect to, and even the time of day.

Recommended by Our Editors

example , seen peak speeds tests , that is ‘s likely VPN providers host servers Manhattan , test . , wanted stream NYC available UK , data is hop want stream hop UK makes device . Added distance is means means slower speeds , results reflect expect local connection high – population centers .

How to Unblock Netflix With a VPN

If you want to try this for yourself with the highest chance of success, you have a few options. The first is simply to use one of the servers the VPN provider has marked for streaming. VPN companies know their subscribers want to stream content, and several offer servers built specifically for streaming access in popular regions. These are the most likely to return Open libraries on the VPN’s network.

The second is to purchase a static IP address. Instead of your IP address being obfuscated to whichever IP address is assigned to the VPN server, you’ll have the same IP address every time you switch on your VPN. The downside is that you’ll lose some anonymity. The static address is yours, and only yours, so savvy observers could easily correlate online activities to you directly. But because Netflix has an easier time banning IP access in blocks, a static IP could go much longer without being Blocked or Limited by the streamer. These can be pricey, though, so it’s a bit of a risk if you’re only concerned about streaming online content.

(Credit: NordVPN/PCMag)

found right server type , simply enable VPN device access Netflix normally .

We should take a beat to say that accessing Netflix through a VPN is always, ultimately, a moving target. What works today could be banned tomorrow, and the only way to know for certain is to try it yourself. We recommend using a short-term subscription for VPNs, or better yet, a free trial, to test things out first. Just about every VPN offers steep discounts for long-term commitments, but if you start at least with a month-to-month plan, you can test how well it unblocks Netflix in the regions you want to watch from before locking in to a more expensive subscription.

comes free VPNs , these is are worst offenders gaining Netflix access . free servers usually popular choice network VPN offers , high usage patterns is stand stand like sore thumb Netflix . They is use use IP addresses blocked early , likely wo representative unblocking experience access paid servers offered VPN provider .

Editors’ Note: Max Eddy contributed to this article.

Like What You’re Reading?

SignSecurityWatch newsletter for our top privacy and security stories delivered right to your inbox.

newsletter is contain contain advertising , deals , affiliate links . Subscribing newsletter indicates consent Terms Use Privacy Policy . You is unsubscribe unsubscribe newsletters time .

About Chris Stobing

Senior Analyst, Security

I’m a senior analyst charged with testing and reviewing VPNs and other security apps for PCMag. I grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley and have been involved with technology since the 1990s. Previously at PCMag, I was a hardware analyst benchmarking and reviewing consumer gadgets and PC hardware such as desktop processors, GPUs, monitors, and internal storage. I’ve also worked as a freelancer for Gadget Review, VPN.com, and Digital Trends, wading through seas of hardware and software at every turn. In my free time, you’ll find me shredding the slopes on my snowboard in the Rocky Mountains where I live, or using my culinary-degree skills to whip up a dish in the kitchen for friends.

Read Chris’s full bio

Read the latest from Chris Stobing