Summary: How to Unblock Videos on YouTubeCan’t watch a video because of a YouTube block? Your video might be blocked due to copyright restrictions or censorship. The best way to still access these videos is to use a VPN connection. This is very easy:
- Subscribe to the VPN provider of your choice. You might choose one of the excellent VPN providers from our top 5 or check out our recommendation below.
- Download the VPN software from your VPN provider’s official website.
- Log in with your account.
- Select a server in a country of your choice and enable the VPN.
You’ll now be able to access the internet as if you were in the country of your chosen server. By selecting servers in locations that do have access to your blocked video, you can easily watch that video.
For unblocking YouTube videos we recommend the fast and secure provider NordVPN:
Want to know more about lifting Youtube blocks? Read the rest of this article below for more information.
If you spend a lot of time on YouTube, the following message might look familiar: “This video is not available in your country“. Not all videos on YouTube are available worldwide. Often, this is due to censorship or copyright. Both governments and collecting societies can make YouTube, or certain content on YouTube, inaccessible.
Fortunately, there are tons of easy ways to watch blocked YouTube videos. From using a VPN, all the way to downloading videos, you can do a lot of things to circumvent regional restrictions on YouTube videos.
Why are Some YouTube Videos Blocked?
There are several reasons why you might not be able to watch a particular video on YouTube. Here are the most common explanations:
- Your network settings prevent you from accessing YouTube. This often happens when you use your work or school network. YouTube might often be off-bounds to improve productivity.
- There is a technical problem with the video or platform. This one’s pretty rare, but it’s not unheard of. Make sure there’s no YouTube outage before you try to do anything else.
- Due to restrictions on broadcasting rights, the video isn’t available in your location. This happens, for example, when a video contains images owned by an organization that hasn’t given permission to broadcast the content in your country. Often YouTube is the one to put up these restrictions.
- The uploader of the video has indicated that the video isn’t allowed to be viewed in certain regions.
- National censorship set up by the government prevents you from accessing (parts of) YouTube. If this happens, often the entire website tends to be inaccessible. This happens in countries such as China and North Korea. Scroll to the bottom of this article for an overview of countries that are known to have blocked YouTube.
In many of the above cases, there’s a quick way to watch your desired YouTube videos anyway.
How Do I Bypass a YouTube Block?
Whether you’re at school, at work, or abroad, you’ll never have to worry that you won’t have access to YouTube. There are several ways to bypass or avoid both national and local YouTube blocks. Out of all these options, the use of a VPN is the most reliable one to unblock YouTube videos.
1. Unblock YouTube videos with a VPN
The safest way to get around YouTube blocks is by using a VPN. A VPN connection will encrypt your internet traffic and redirect it through an external server. This means you’ll be assigned a different IP address, which will also change your virtual location. In other words, by using a VPN you can make it seem as if you’re in a different country.
Most VPN providers have servers all over the world. The server you choose will determine your IP and virtual location. If you use this smartly, you could, for example. pretend to be in the USA while you’re actually in China. This way, you’ll be able to visit websites that would otherwise be blocked – including YouTube.
A VPN unlocks YouTube videos from all over the world, but also comes with other benefits, such as increased online anonymity and security. If you’re not sure which one to pick, we recommend NordVPN. It’s a great service, it’s pretty affordable, and it has a good track record with unblocking YouTube.
- Excellent protection and a large network of servers
- Nice and pleasing application
- No logs
If NordVPN doesn’t fit your needs, check our best VPN section below. Also, keep reading if you want more ways to unblock YouTube videos.
2. Use HTTPS to unblock YouTube
Many companies and schools manually set up restrictions within their network. This means that a YouTube block is typed in by hand, generally resulting in entries such as “http://www.youtube.com”. If you add an “s” to the “http”, chances are that the website will become available to you anyway. After all, the HTTPS version of the platform isn’t on the list of blocked websites.
To put it simply, HTTPS is the more secure version of a website. It’s possible that this version is not included in the block list, so you’ll still be able to watch YouTube at school or work. The chances of this method working, however, are slim. After all, technology keeps getting smarter, and the systems used to block websites within a network might automatically restrict access to both the HTTP and the HTTPS version of a site. Even so, it’s still worth a try: you’ll know whether it works in a matter of seconds.
3. Connect to a mobile hotspot
Small, local restrictions can also be bypassed by connecting to a mobile hotspot. To do this, either watch videos on your phone while using your data (so without connecting to a Wi-Fi network) or turn on the hotspot of your mobile phone and connect your computer connect to it. Now you’ll be able to access all websites that are blocked by the Wi-Fi network you were using before.
Of course, this solution does mean you’re using your mobile data, which can be pretty costly. Always keep this in mind when you try to get around a YouTube block. Although this trick doesn’t work for nationwide censorship, it can be a solution for bypassing restrictions on networks in schools and offices.
4. Unblock YouTube Videos with a proxy server
Instead of a VPN, you could also use a proxy server to get around a YouTube block. A proxy server allows you to change your IP address to that of the proxy. The internet is full of proxy sites. If you want to use one of these, you can simply plug in the link to the blocked YouTube video onto a website and you’ll be redirected to a page where you can directly watch the video.
Although proxies are similar to VPNs in some ways, the two are not the same. A VPN protects your internet connection and ensures your data can’t be read by others. A proxy server won’t provide you with the same level of privacy and security. Moreover, (public) proxy servers tend to become overloaded fairly quickly, so they can become slow or stop working altogether. A VPN will generally end up performing much better and give you unlimited access.
Unfortunately, proxy sites generally have a hard time unblocking YouTube. If you want to use a proxy, don’t forget to check our best proxy roundup. There you’ll know exactly what service works with YouTube, so you don’t waste any time.
5. Download videos to circumvent geographic restrictions
If you have the storage space, you can also download the videos you want to watch, but aren’t available in your country. Here’s how you do that:
- Go to a third-party YouTube downloader like Loader. (Be careful not to click on any ads you might see.)
- Paste the link to the video you want to watch in the text field. The platform will convert it to a downloadable .mp3 or .mp4 file.
- Press “Download” to save it to your device and watch it.
If the process still seems a bit unclear, read our full guide on how to download YouTube videos.
Unfortunately, unblocking YouTube videos through downloading has a big downside. You can only download a video if you already have access to the link to a restricted video. Unfortunately, if you’re simply browsing YouTube, the platform won’t display restricted videos, so you won’t be able to find their links as easily.
For example, if you’re watching a playlist of videos, and some of them are restricted in your region, YouTube might just pretend they’re not there. With a VPN, on the other hand, you’ll be able to watch them from the get-go.
6. Browse YouTube with Tor
Tor is a special browser that people usually associate with the dark web. You can indeed use Tor to access the dark web, but that’s not its only feature. The Tor browser is also a very secure program that offers its users triple-layered encryption. This means, among other things, that your IP changes when you use Tor. As a result, to YouTube, it will appear as if you’re browsing from a different country, allowing you to unblock videos.
Unfortunately, Tor isn’t a perfect solution. First of all, Tor will still send your connection through three nodes, so you’re sacrificing a lot of speed, especially when compared to a VPN.
Moreover, it’s pretty complicated to choose which country Tor uses for your IP. If you’d like to try it anyhow, you can use the guide below, though we only recommend this to those who are already very familiar and comfortable with Tor.
- Open the Tor Browser folder in your programs and files. Make sure you’ve opened Tor at least once before completing this step.
- Open the “Browser” folder.
- Right-click on the torcc configuration file. Open it in Notepad.
- Make sure that both the EntryNodes {} StrictNodes1 and ExitNodes {} StrictNodes1 strings are present in the document at the end of the text. If they’re not, paste them from this article.
- Find your desired country’s two-letter code. There’s a directory here where you can check “Country codes” and then fill in the country you’re looking for.
- Paste the country code in between the columns of your Entry and Exit nodes.
Tor should now connect through nodes from the countries you specified. Here’s what the code will look like if you want to connect through a node in Britain, and change your IP to one from the US:
EntryNodes{gb} StrictNodes1
ExitNodes{us} StrictNodes1
Which VPN is Best For YouTube?
The best and easiest way to unblock YouTube videos remains a VPN. Many independent VPN providers have services that you could use. However, not all of them are of the same quality. Some services are unsafe or won’t be able to unblock restricted content. That’s why we chose three VPN providers that definitely work with YouTube. If you aren’t sure which VPN to choose, feel free to pick one of the options below.
1. NordVPN: unblock countless platforms
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPNs of this moment. This provider is known for its many unblocking features. With NordVPN’s many thousands of servers, you’ll be able to watch YouTube to your heart’s content. Moreover, it can unblock content on many other online platforms, such as the American version of Netflix.
With NordVPN you’ll be able to watch YouTube videos from all over the world. In addition, this service is very secure, so your online anonymity and safety remain intact. Moreover, NordVPN is relatively cheap. Check out their website by clicking the button in the banner below.
- Excellent protection and a large network of servers
- Nice and pleasing application
- No logs
2. ExpressVPN: watch YouTube without lag
If you’re afraid your VPN might negatively affect your internet speed, you might want to try ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN has consistently proven to be one of the fastest VPN providers around. Aside from that, it has a large server network, although not quite as big as that of NordVPN. Even so, your YouTube videos won’t have to load long with ExpressVPN.
The big advantage of ExpressVPN is that it excels on almost all fronts. This provider is fast, easy to use, has fantastic customer service, offers thousands of servers, works with numerous online services such as Netflix, and is incredibly secure. Unfortunately, this also means it comes at a price: compared to other providers, ExpressVPN is definitely more expensive. Still, their service is undeniably good. If you want quality, we wholeheartedly recommend ExpressVPN.
- Very easy to use VPN
- Perfect for anonymous browsing, downloading, and streaming (i.e. Netflix)
- 3000+ servers in 94 countries
3. Surfshark: saves you money
A third good option when you want to watch blocked YouTube videos is Surfshark. Surfshark is a relatively new VPN provider that has quickly become one of the best services we’ve tested so far. The biggest advantage of this provider is that it has very cheap subscriptions. For just a couple of euros a month you’ll be fully protected and have the opportunity to unblock online content.
Surfshark’s server network is not (yet) as large as that of ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Still, you’ll probably find just what you need with this provider. They have servers all over the world, so you can unblock almost any YouTube video. Moreover, you can use Surfshark on an infinite number of devices: your whole family can go online safely with just one cheap subscription.
- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
- Cheap with many extra options
How Do I Install a VPN?
Installing a VPN is very easy. VPNs often have software that you can easily download from their official website. Once you’ve installed that, you’re almost done already. If you want to know exactly how to do this, follow the steps below:
- Create an account with a good VPN provider. We recommend NordVPN.
- Download the VPN software from their official website.
- Install the VPN software. Often all you have to do is follow the steps of an installation wizard.
- Open the VPN app and log in with the account you created in step 1.
- Select a server in a country of your choice.
- Enable the VPN by clicking connect.
Now you’re ready to watch YouTube safely and freely! For more information on how to install a VPN on different devices, such as your Google Chromecast or iPad, click here.
Why Do Countries Block YouTube Videos?
If you come across a YouTube video that’s blocked in your location, you can unblock it with a VPN. However, you will need to know in which countries this video isn’t blocked in order to watch it. After all, you’ll have to select a VPN server in one of these countries to watch your video. In some cases, using a VPN such as Hotspot Shield can help you unblock YouTube videos.
There are several websites you can consult to find out which server to use. An example is Unblockvideos. Type or paste the link from a YouTube video into the bar and the website will show you a world map showing where the video is available, as well as where it isn’t. By means of example, this is what that map looks like when you search the official music video of the song Danza Kuduro, to be found on Don Omar’s channel:
As you can see, this music video isn’t available in many countries in Europe. This may have to do with broadcasting rights. Because the video is available in the United States, you will be able to access it with a VPN server in the United States. This also goes for servers in any other countries that show up in green.
Countries that block YouTube completely
YouTube has over a billion users and gives those users the freedom to upload all kinds of videos. That’s the reason for some countries to take measures to censor this free content. Countries such as China, North Korea, and Iran are known to impose blocks on the use of the platform altogether.
The decision to block YouTube often comes from an attempt to control and influence the mindset of citizens. The governments of some countries feel that the platform is spreading illegal messages, for example. YouTube is seen as a threat because everyone can share their thoughts on it. That’s why it’s mostly totalitarian regimes that choose to block YouTube. You can find out more about this kind of censorship in our “Censorship” category.
The table below lists the countries that are known to be using YouTube restrictions at this moment. It also lists why those blocks have been set up in the first place.
| Country | Reason for restriction |
|---|---|
| China | Unknown |
| Eritrea | Possible bandwidth considerations |
| North Korea | Prohibited by law |
| South Sudan | According to the government, YouTube showed “anti-Islamic” content |
| Tajikistan | Attempt to keep people from seeing a video in which the president sings out of tune at his son’s wedding |
| Turkmenistan | Safety considerations |
| Uzbekistan | Unknown |
Final Thoughts: Free Access to All Videos on YouTube
There are many local and national YouTube restrictions due to limitations on school and work networks, censorship, and restrictions on broadcasting rights. However, there are several ways to get around these blocks. Some solutions, such as using a proxy server or mobile hotspot, don’t always work. Other options tend to be more successful.
A VPN is a solution that works without fail, even with national restrictions on YouTube. Setting up a VPN connection only takes a couple of minutes and will give you increased online anonymity, security, and freedom. You won’t just be protected on YouTube, but on any other website or online service you visit. You can even unblock and use Spotify anywhere in the world with a VPN.
NordVPN is a great VPN, especially for YouTube. However, there are other excellent VPNs to choose from. With the right VPN, you will always be able to watch videos on YouTube, wherever you are in the world.
Do you have questions about this article or about YouTube blocks in general? We’ll answer them for you. Check our FAQ below and click on a question to see the answer.
Sometimes, you’ll see the message “this video is not available in your country” on YouTube. You might even find that the platform doesn’t work altogether. This can have several causes:
- Your network administrator has blocked access to YouTube.
- There’s a technical problem with your video.
- The video contains content that can’t be shown in your country due to broadcasting rights.
- The uploader of the video has indicated that the video shouldn’t be broadcast in your country.
- Censorship on a national level blocks (parts of) YouTube.
With a good VPN, you can bypass these blocks and still watch the videos you wish to see.
There are different ways to unblock (videos on) YouTube:
- Use a VPN to connect to a server in a country of your choice.
- Type in the HTTPS version of YouTube.
- Use your mobile hotspot to access YouTube instead of a Wi-Fi network.
- Visit YouTube through a proxy server.
- Download videos from YouTube to watch them on your device.
- Browse YouTube with the Tor browser.
For more instructions on how to unblock YouTube, check out our article on YouTube blocks. Of all these options, a VPN is the most reliable. A VPN changes your IP address, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions and watch blocked YouTube videos.
We recommend NordVPN for unblocking YouTube videos. NordVPN is a reliable and fast VPN provider that gives you access to all videos on YouTube in no time. You can read more about this provider in our detailed review of NordVPN.
A VPN is the best way to unblock YouTube. Good VPN services like NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer Android and iOS applications, so you can use them on your phone as well. Just subscribe to a good VPN service, download their mobile application, and enjoy YouTube videos without any restrictions!
If you want to find out more about unblocking YouTube videos, and what VPNs are best, read our article here.
Unblocking a YouTube video with a VPN works on all browsers, but Chrome might throw some obstacles your way. There are reports of Chrome keeping cache data even after connecting to a VPN server or switching to incognito mode. This will prevent you from unblocking videos, even if you successfully changed your IP. So if incognito doesn’t work, clear your cache data and try again.
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