How to change your region on Netflix

If you’re sick of the offerings on Netflix in your home country, there is a way to trick Netflix into thinking you’re in a different region than you are.

Officially, you can only change your region on Netflix if you move, but you can work around this by using a VPN.

The content available on Netflix differs by region, so for example what is offered on Netflix U.S. varies from what is offered on Netflix UK.

Using a VPN will trick Netflix into thinking you’re in a different country and you’ll be able to access the content of that country. A VPN is a virtual private network that routes your internet activity through the VPN’s own servers, so your IP address will be the country of your choice.

How to change Netflix region:

1. Make sure you have an active Netflix account

2. Decide whether you want to pay for a VPN or use a free Netflix VPN

Both get the job done, but paid VPNs tend to be faster and are available in more locations. Free VPNs often don’t ask you to sign up for them so they can help you maintain anonymity, but they also may sell your data and be bundled with spyware. If you’re lost on what VPN to choose, check out Mashable’s roundup of the best VPNs.

3. Subscribe to a VPN service and download it to your Mac or PC

4. You can also do this on your phone/tablet.

5. Open your VPN and pick your territory

We’ll show you how to do this using PIA as an example.

On iOS it is pretty self explanatory. Open up the VPN and either select “VPN Server” and choose from the VPN servers offered or select from the “Quick Connect” options.

To connect to a VPN server select “VPN Server” or choose from the “Quick Connect” options.
Credit: screenshot: PIA

To connect to a VPN server on OSX select the status menu icon shaped like a lock. When you click the lock shaped menu icon there will be a pull down menu where you can search for and select the country you want.

Select the lock icon to access the drop down menu.
Credit: screenshot: PIA

A green dot appears next to the lock icon when you’re connected to the VPN.

The green dot indicates you’re connected to the VPN.
Credit: screenshot: pia

6. Open Netflix and choose what to watch from the new selection

Enjoy exploring the world’s Netflix content.

Often Netflix will attempt to block VPNs by banning their IP address, so you may run into some difficulty. PIA, for example, has specific servers labeled “Streaming,” so you may want to try those out first.