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How to watch a video that is unavailable in your country?

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  • 3 min read

YouTube is a global video streaming platform and one of the most popular ones available. However, for several reasons, many videos often get geo-restricted, causing a much wider audience who’s not in that particular geographical location to miss out.

In this article, we’re taking a look at how to watch videos that are unavailable in your country. 

Also read: YouTube Music sleep timer: Everything you need to know


Watching unavailable videos

Here are a few methods that you can try out.

Use a VPN

Using a VPN is one of the most common methods to get around copyright and geolocation restrictions. A VPN makes it look like your device’s traffic is coming from somewhere else. You can set this region to be wherever the video you’re watching is available, and you’re good to go. 


Use a video downloader

Another thing you can do if a VPN doesn’t sit well with you is to use an online downloaded to download the video and watch it locally. The process is as simple as copying and pasting the video URL in the downloader, and you’ll have the video downloaded on your device in no time. 

Check out our list of the top five YouTube downloaders here

Modify the URL

Sometimes, slightly altering the video URL will allow you to get past the geo-restriction. All you have to do is head over to the video you want to watch on YouTube and change the URL from watch?v= to /v/. 

How to watch a video that is unavailable in your country?

Now when you reload the page with this URL, you should access the video. 


Use a proxy

Just like a VPN, proxy sites also alter your IP to make it look like you’re visiting the site from some other place. You can change this area to be where the video is not restricted, and it should play just fine.

Do keep in mind, though, that proxies aren’t precisely very reliable and often have bad UIs riddled with ads, so tread with caution. 


Use a third party service

Although we don’t recommend it, using a third-party service linked to YouTube like Clipzag, VideoHub or Utreon can also help you find the video you’re looking to find. Remember that these sites often have bad UIs and are riddled with ads, so be careful when using them. 

How to watch a video that is unavailable in your country?

Also read: How to stop YouTube from asking: ‘Are you still watching’?

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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