Unblocking YouTube videos with NordVPN is the simplest, most efficient, and hassle-free way to access restricted YouTube content.
You may need to unblock YouTube videos if your ISP, school, employer, government, or the video creator(s) have partially or completely blocked access to them.
This guide provides concise, easy-to-follow, and cost-effective methods to legally unblock YouTube videos in your country, school, workplace, or anywhere else.
Easiest Way to Unblock Any YouTube Video (Best Approach)
If you want the best and fastest way to unblock YouTube videos, here it is:
Use a Virtual Private Network Service (VPN)
You might already have a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for enhanced internet privacy.
If the VPN is from a reputable provider, you can use it to unblock YouTube videos safely from any location.
I prefer the VPN method over others on this list because it offers the most hassle-free, convenient, and cost-effective approach to watching blocked YouTube content, with a minimal learning curve.
Here’s how to unblock YouTube videos with a VPN:
- Step 1: Download a VPN of your choice. I recommend NordVPN.
- Step 2: Install the VPN and set up your account.
- Step 3: Connect to a server location where the YouTube video is unblocked.
- Step 4: Reload YouTube and search for the previously blocked content.
- Step 5: The content should now be unblocked. Enjoy.
I’ll explain why I chose NordVPN below.
You can also explore other great VPNs for streaming if you want more options.
In the meantime, you should know where a blocked video is available so that you can select that server location to unblock it with a VPN.
For that, use this service: [https://polsy.org.uk/stuff/ytrestrict.cgi].
Enter the YouTube video address in the provided address bar and click “Submit.”
The tool will show you if the video is restricted – and if it is, which countries it’s available in.
This way, you can always connect to the correct server to access the content you need.
PS: If you’re unable to unblock the video on the first try, check this guide to change your IP address with a VPN successfully.
5 Tips for Choosing the Best YouTube VPN
I recommended NordVPN earlier, not because it was the first VPN that came to mind.
Here are the criteria I considered when choosing the best YouTube VPN for you:
#1 Multiple Server Locations
To watch a blocked YouTube video, you need to connect to a supported server location.
If your VPN provider doesn’t offer those server locations, that won’t be possible.
Fortunately, NordVPN has over 5300 servers in 60 countries.
Many of these servers are in the US, UK, Canada, and other countries where most YouTube and internet content is uncensored.
#2 Speed
It’s well known that VPNs can impact your internet speed, but some are optimized for better speeds than others.
The last thing you want after unblocking a YouTube video is to watch it in low definition or with buffering and lag.
Fortunately, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we tested and continues to hold that title.
#3 Multi-Platform Support
You might choose to stream YouTube on your phone, laptop, PC, or even smart TV.
You could even start streaming on one device and continue on another device.
A multi-platform VPN can bypass Youtube restrictions on multiple device types simultaneously.
You can install NordVPN on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
The VPN also works on Android and iOS devices and supports Android TV units.
You also get NordVPN add-ons for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox browsers.
The best part is that you can connect up to 6 devices on one account, so you don’t have to log out of one unit to use your VPN on the other.
#4 Data Security and Privacy
The last thing you want is for your ISP, school, or government to know that you’re circumventing their firewall by gaining access to YouTube.
This can happen since your ISP can see everything you do on the internet, including the sites you visit and what you do on those sites.
Using a VPN with robust data security and privacy divorces your person from your internet activity, making it almost impossible to tie anything back to you.
Every NordVPN install brings obfuscated servers to offer you an advanced form of data privacy and protection.
The VPN provider also provides split tunneling support, enabling you to unblock YouTube while simultaneously surfing local content.
NordVPN even has a Threat Protection feature that protects you from ad trackers and cookies, further ensuring that advertising information can’t be used to track you.
Combined with a strict no-data logging policy, NordVPN is genuinely a no-brainer here.
#5 Great Customer Care
While NordVPN promises to have one of the best and fastest support channels, I didn’t take their word for it.
Looking at what almost everyone has to say about their fast and friendly support on social media, though, you can see they’re not making empty claims.
With that, NordVPN takes the crown for me.
Alternative Methods to Unblock YouTube Content
While using a VPN to unblock YouTube is the fastest and most convenient method, there are other approaches to watching blocked YouTube content from anywhere.
I’ve tested and listed some methods that you can explore below:
Method #1 – Install Unblocker Plugins in Google Chrome
If you watch YouTube in your web browser and use the Google Chrome Browser, you can install unblocker plugins to access blocked YouTube content.
I recommend the Unblocker for YouTube browser extension in this case.
The dedicated Unblocker for YouTube connects with a single click and will enable you to watch videos not supported in your country or blocked for other reasons.
I’m not fond of this method because ads and throttling are common issues with free products.
With Unblocker for YouTube, you don’t get access to fast streaming speeds, and you can only watch in standard video quality unless you pay for the Pro plan.
Not to mention that all videos you watch under the free plan are watermarked, adding an extra level of distraction into your streaming experience.
Method #2 – Use a Proxy Server
Most internet users confuse a VPN for a proxy server, but it is not.
This comprehensive guide to VPNs explains how proxy servers differ from VPNs.
The confusion between these two comes from the fact that:
- A proxy server and VPN both allow you to change your IP address.
- A proxy server and VPN both allow you to unblock content.
- A proxy server and VPN both enable you to bypass firewalls.
Perhaps the most significant difference between the two is that a proxy server doesn’t encrypt your internet data.
You can unblock your YouTube videos on proxy servers, but your data is subject to hackers and online snooping.
Anyone who knows what they’re doing can still see your internet activity, and your data isn’t divorced from your person.
If you don’t mind these and only want to unblock a few YouTube videos, go ahead with proxy servers.
If you care about your privacy and data security, use a VPN instead.
Here’s a helpful video on setting up proxy servers in less than 3 minutes:
Method #3 – Try SmartDNS
SmartDNS also shares some similarities to VPNs and proxy servers that I explained above.
With SmartDNS:
- You can change your IP address to unblock content.
- You can get faster internet connections than with proxy servers.
- You can bypass minor restrictions.
SmartDNS is faster than proxy servers because it doesn’t use encryption, so your internet traffic isn’t routed.
Remember that you can get faster speeds with NordVPN and still enjoy its security package on top.
NordVPN also offers a SmartDNS service with any subscription.
All that and the multi-year NordVPN package are a better value for money than SmartDNS alone.
Likewise, SmartDNS will only work for unblocking minor restrictions from your organization or school.
If the government or your ISP set the YouTube restriction, you’d only have luck with a good VPN server.
If you’d still like to try SmartDNS, check the helpful video guide below:
Method #4 – Stream via TOR Browser
The Tor Browser acts like a proxy service wrapped inside a browser.
You don’t need to connect to any proxy servers when using the Tor browser since that is automatically enabled.
Besides using the Tor browser to get better privacy and internet data security, you can also watch YouTube videos with the platform.
Every connection you initiate on the Tor browser is layered over servers in different countries.
When the server is changed to a country where the video is unblocked, you get to watch the video openly.
For all that Tor might bring to the table, there are a series of downsides to consider, such as:
- Slow internet connection due to the multiple server connections.
- Not being able to easily choose a dedicated server with Tor.
- Complicated setup.
- Creating a slower connection for other Tor users when streaming YouTube.
Find a complete guide to using Tor here.
Method #5 – Use Google Translate
Using Google Translate is a free and neat trick that you can use to unblock a video, but it takes some getting around.
I’ve distilled the process below:
- Step 1: Open the YouTube app or web platform.
- Step 2: Use Google Translate to get the search query for the video in another language.
- Step 3: Search for video using the foreign language query.
- Step 4: If the video is in another language, use Google Translate to change the video details to your language. If available for the video, you can also generate subtitles/closed captions.
This method is reliant on having a translated version of the video available.
It will also only work if that translated version is available without censorship.
I have to admit that this is a trial by error approach, and your IP will most likely block your access to such videos.
Likewise, this approach won’t work when your government or ISP is responsible for the censorship.
Method #6 – Try the HTTPS YouTube Version
This method shouldn’t be your primary YouTube unblocking approach since it won’t work most of the time.
The best use case for this method is when the censorship is from your employer or school.
If the government or your ISP is responsible, there is a much slimmer chance (to none) of this working.
HTTPS is the more secure version of HTTP websites.
If your employer, school, or organization blocked access to YouTube, chances are that the network admin typed the web address in by hand.
Thus, they might’ve used the HTTP version of YouTube [http://www.youtube.com] instead of the HTTPS version [https://www.youtube.com].
In that case, typing the HTTPS version into your browser should bypass the restriction.
Another reason this might not work is that most browsers and content blockers are smart enough to block both non-HTTPS and HTTPS traffic.
It doesn’t hurt to try anyway since it’s a straightforward method that doesn’t take more than 10 seconds.
Method #7 – Switch Internet Networks
If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is behind the YouTube content blocking, changing to another provider solves the problem.
Note that when you browse via the internet in your school or at work, your school or employer becomes your ISP.
That is why they can limit the kind of internet (not only YouTube) content you see.
In this case, you can try any of the following tips:
- Change your ISP to one that allows you to stream YouTube.
- Connect to a mobile hotspot network instead. You can create a mobile hotspot from your smartphone to share with other devices to stream YouTube.
- Connect to another Wi-Fi network that allows you to stream YouTube.
You should now have access as long as the next ISP you connect to isn’t restricting YouTube.
PS: Even if you solve the ISP issue, you might still face geo-blocking that prevents you from seeing select YouTube videos.
Refer to other methods on this list to get around that.
Method #8 – Download the YouTube Video
Downloading the YouTube video might be a safer bet when all else fails.
However, I’m not too fond of this method because:
- It doesn’t allow you to binge stream content as you’d like.
- You use up your device’s storage space.
- It doesn’t work on smart TVs since you can’t download content to them.
- It doesn’t allow you to preview videos to see if you’d like to watch the entire thing first.
- You end up using too much of your data plan.
My reservations aside, the best tool to download YouTube videos directly over the web remains SaveFrom.
Here’s how to use the tool properly:
- Step 1: Go to savefrom.net or www.ssyoutube.com [redirects to the same website].
- Step 2: Enter YouTube and look for the unavailable video you’d like to watch.
- Step 3: Copy the video URL from YouTube.
- Step 4: Paste the video URL into the SaveFrom/SSYoutube website and click “Download.”
- Step 5: The tool fetches the video and allows you to choose different download quality formats.
- Step 6: Click on “Download” near the chosen format to start your download.
- Step 7: Your video download starts for offline viewing.
It’s that simple.
Navigate to your downloads folder on your mobile phone, PC, or Mac to watch the video.
Why Is YouTube Blocked for You?
YouTube can either be partially restricted or entirely blocked for you, depending on several factors.
If you find out that you have some or all YouTube videos banned, the following might be the culprits:
- Your ISP: If your internet network provider doesn’t allow access to YouTube, try another ISP or any of the unblocking tips on this list. Your ISP can also be your school or employer.
- Broadcasting rights restrictions: YouTube and other content platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime block certain content based on region. While you can get access to other content, a handful of content won’t be available to you.
- National Censorship: Some countries like China, North Korea, Iran, and Sudan place nationwide firewall bans on YouTube. No matter which ISP you choose or your location within these countries, you don’t have access to any YouTube content.
- Content creator settings: YouTube allows eligible creators to block certain countries from seeing some or all of their content. This doesn’t have to be based on broadcasting rights but other reasons best known to the creator.
You can use a VPN to get around the situation in any of these cases.
Some of the other methods suggested in this piece will also work depending on the exact problem.
As a precursor, make sure YouTube isn’t down and that you have an active internet connection.
This is important if you usually had access to YouTube before and randomly lost access.
FAQ
Is Unblocking YouTube Legal?
It isn’t illegal to circumvent a network firewall set by your ISP, school, or workplace so that you can stream YouTube.
In some countries where YouTube is banned, unblocking YouTube may be considered illegal only if there is a standing law against using YouTube’s services.
Unblocking region-restricted videos due to broadcasting rights might be illegal if you collect the video for distribution or sharing.
Otherwise, watching the video on the YouTube platform alone isn’t illegal.
How to Know What Location YouTube Videos Are Playing In?
A safe bet is to go with the US and UK server locations since they have the most extensive library of YouTube video access combined.
Go to [https://polsy.org.uk/stuff/ytrestrict.cgi] and enter the video URL in the search box for a more narrowed approach.
This tool tells you the restriction status of the video and where it’s available in the world.
Are Free YouTube Unblockers Safe?
Free YouTube unblockers do not encrypt your internet traffic, leaving you vulnerable to data snooping and theft.
Most free unblockers are also supported by ads, making them unsafe since malicious ads can be served via their server.
If you’re unblocking YouTube from a censored country, free unblockers expose your identity to your ISP and the government.
This data can be used to track you or continue monitoring you via browser fingerprinting and other methods.
Conversely, the fee you pay for premium solutions like NordVPN is negligible compared to what they offer you.
How Do I Get YouTube Unblocked at School?
Unblock YouTube videos at school by connecting to another server location where the YouTube video is playing with a VPN.
The VPN app also bypasses any limitations to YouTube servers from your school’s internet service.
Suppose the Youtube video restriction is strictly from your school’s internet provider.
In that case, you can also access YouTube videos by switching to your mobile network or connecting to another Wi-Fi network that doesn’t block YouTube.
Does Every VPN Change Your Location on YouTube?
Some free VPNs won’t change your IP address (hence, your location) effectively, which makes it possible for YouTube’s systems to still determine where you’re connecting from.
The latter scenario can happen due to DNS leaks and poor encryption protocols from the VPN you’re using.
This is another reason to only opt for recommended VPNs for streaming YouTube.
Can You Unblock YouTube Videos with Any VPN?
You can only unblock Youtube videos with VPNs offering multiple server locations, advanced encryption protocols, DNS leak protection and are optimized for speed.
This shows that not all VPNs are good for accessing YouTube.
Always choose recommended and reliable streaming VPNs to unblock YouTube safely and securely from anywhere.
What Next After Unblocking YouTube?
One of the methods in this guide will work for you.
If you choose to go with a VPN, you now have a robust privacy and internet security tool that does more than unblock YouTube videos.
To get the best out of your VPN, you should also check out:
- How to use a VPN for torrenting safely and anonymously;
- How to stay safe when browsing with a VPN;
- How to avoid tracking when using VPNs; and
- The business benefits of a VPN if you run your own business.
Those guides set you on a track to get a better value for money on your purchase, and you’d wonder why you didn’t start using a VPN earlier.
If you haven’t used a VPN before, install the beginner-friendly NordVPN and enjoy fast content unblocking, advanced privacy tools, and improved internet data protection.
