YouTube is one of the most popular media platforms for watching movies, television shows, and music videos. You can find just about any video you can think of. The amount of media on YouTube is quite staggering. You can learn how to make a quiche one minute before enjoying a comedy standup routine the next. But in some countries YouTube is blocked, but it doesn’t mean that the users won’t be able to watch videos.
Some people get the dreaded “This video is not available in your country” message. Viewers want to watch blocked YouTube videos. People don’t know how to access it. If you live in a country where censorship is the norm, or you go to a school that has blocked access to the platform, don’t get discouraged. Viewers have options to get access to these videos. You need to know how to get to them.
Why is the platform telling me the video is not available?
Create an account and log into YouTube
Yes, it is that easy to watch unblocked content. Because some videos on YouTube are age-restricted, you need to have your own YouTube account. Anyone 17 years old and over can create an account without parental permission. The age restriction doesn’t stop a lot of young people from making an account.
Once you have made an account and logged into YouTube, you can try watching the blocked video. This is the method many students used to unblock the platform at school. If you already have a valid Google account, you can log in for free at any time. Start by creating a Google account and logging into YouTube that way.
Download a VPN to watch blocked content
If the first method doesn’t work, try downloading a VPN in order to watch a blocked video. This is the most dependable way to unblock content because this software can change your location and encrypt your data traffic. You should be able to find a free VPN that will work with the device you are trying to watch the video on, although a paid one will provide you with more privacy protection.
Once you have downloaded the VPN to your device, select a country with less stringent rules about what you watch and let the VPN load. The VPN tricks your Internet into thinking you are somewhere else and lets you access blocked videos on YouTube. Don’t forget to look at VPN extensions on Chrome and Mozilla. These will eliminate the need to download it to your device.
Edit the URL of the blocked content
Every YouTube video has a URL that indicates whether it can be watched in your country. Your IP address correlates to the country you live in. When you join the URL and IP address, the platform is able to identify whether you can view certain content. By editing the URL of the blocked content, you should be able to bypass this system.
It will be followed by a bunch of characters that you can ignore. Replace “/watch?v=” with “/v/” and try watching the video again. After doing this, you should be able to watch the content. Consider copying and pasting the URL to a text document and changing it before plugging it into your browser.
Note, this method may not work in the YouTube mobile app.
Use a proxy server to watch YouTube unblocked
Like VPNs, there are numerous proxy servers available for you to use to watch blocked content in your country. It works the same way by changing your IP address, so it looks like you are watching from another country. The biggest difference between using a proxy server and a VPN is that the VPN provides additional encryption protection. If you’re not worried about additional privacy and security, a proxy server will work well. Proxy servers are easy to use, and you can find usage instructions on the Internet.
Try downloading the video that has been blocked by YouTube
Most of the time, you can download a YouTube video to your computer or device. If you can’t, there are websites and software that can help you get the content. Download one of these applications and then copy and paste the blocked video URL into the app.
Google, as a proxy, is another way to unblock YouTube online
If the video is watchable in the United States, you can use this method to watch blocked content in your country. Open the Google Chrome browser to the following URL: https://translate.google.com/. Once you have it open, copy and paste the link to the blocked YouTube video into the input box, select your language and then open the link Google generated for you. You should be able to view the previously blocked content.
Use the alternative application Hooktube
If you need to get past regional restrictions or age restrictions in order to watch YouTube, you can use Hooktube. It is a simplified interface that will let you watch YouTube videos without all the features that tend to be annoying. Simply go to Hooktube, paste the YouTube video title in the search bar, hit enter, and then open the video. You can also redirect the video to open in Hooktube by replacing the “you” in the YouTube URL with “hook.”
You are ready to watch YouTube unblocked
Don’t let restrictions stop you from enjoying your favorite videos on YouTube. There are plenty of options to choose from, with VPN being the safest and Hooktube being the easiest. Try these different methods of unlocking video content to see what works best for you.
