It can be a real bummer when you encounter messages like “This content is not available in your country.” It might not be the exact wording, but the meaning is the same – you are facing geo-blocking, meaning your location prevents you from accessing certain content.
So, what can you do to bypass these restrictions? Here’s the quick answer: Use a VPN.
In this article, we will explain how to use a VPN, and we’ll also cover whether VPNs are safe and legal, and the key benefits of using a VPN. Simply jump to the section you’re interested in:
- How to Use a VPN to Unblock Geographically Restricted Content?
- What Is a VPN and What Does It Do?
- Is It Safe Or Legal to Use a VPN?
How to Use a VPN to Unblock Geographically Restricted Content?
Some services are only available in certain regions. For example, the Hulu service is only available in the US, so if you have a Hulu subscription but you’re traveling somewhere outside the US, you would need a VPN to obtain a US IP address and watch the show.
Simply put, when you’re streaming online, your IP address reveals your location and a VPN allows you to change your IP address to a different one so you can access geo-blocked sites and content that were not available to you previously.
There are many reliable VPNs to choose from, such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, PureVPN, etc. If you want a fast service, we recommend NordVPN, but if you’re looking to save money, you may want to try Surfshark, which only costs less than $2.50 a month.
Now we’ll show you how to use a VPN service step by step:
- Go to the NordVPN official website.
- Click Get NordVPN to choose your plan.
- Set up your account and go to the NordVPN Download page.
- Click Download App.
- Wait until the download process is complete. Then, double-click on the downloaded file and follow the onscreen instructions to install it on your PC.
- Log into your account.
- You can click the Quick Connect button to automatically choose a server that suits you best. Or you can opt to connect to a server in a specific country.
You can connect to a specific server using the Search connections box. Simply type in a country and select the result you want.
Everything seems pretty straightforward so far, right? Next up, you need to check whether you have access to the contents that are geographically blocked. If you do, then congrats; if you don’t, make sure you’ve connected to the correct server in the required areas.
For more details on how to set up and use NordVPN on other platforms such as Android and iOS, please refer to the NordVPV’s official tutorial. Easy peasy!
All right, so here’s how you can cope with the unpleasant issue of “This Content is Unavailable in Your Country.” If you’re interested in more information about VPNs, move on to the sections below.
What Is a VPN and What Does It Do?
VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. It serves as a safeguard for your internet data, including browsing history, IP address, etc. Note that some of this information can be quite private and even has a bearing on your money and personal safety.
For instance, guess how hackers get their hands on your location? By your IP address. You might think it’s not a big deal, and your IP address won’t leak out so easily. But the truth is, anyone with the necessary know-how can trace back to your geographical location from your IP address, as long as they do know that piece of information.
So, you might wonder – is it hard to get someone’s IP address online? Sadly, not at all. The only way you can shut those prying eyes out is not participating in any online activity – even browsing a single webpage – and this is apparently impossible. You need to know that when you send emails to others, visit websites, or do anything interactive, your IP address will be unveiled to those who interact with you, whether they’re companies, institutions, or individuals.
Sounds creepy? Well, it’s actually not illegal to see someone’s IP address so you should just pray that no one (especially those with nefarious intentions) cares about your geographical location or bothers to find it.
Then it’s time to explain what a VPN service can do to shield your online privacy:
1. Encrypt your internet traffic
When you’re using public WIFI, such as the one in a coffee shop which you may not fully trust, VPN can give you an extra layer of protection to your online privacy.
Public WIFI, highly vulnerable to hacking, may leave you at risk of information leakage. This is particularly dangerous when you’re checking your bank accounts or making transactions via a public network because cyber criminals can easily intercept your WIFI traffic and then steal your credentials, contacts, etc. But if you use a VPN, hackers won’t be able to access your data, as it will be encrypted by the VPN server.
I’m not suggesting VPN is 100% perfect in protecting your privacy, but at least it’s far better than no protection at all (and makes your devices far more difficult to hack in). However, if you really need a perfect solution, maybe you should just avoid using a public network.
2. Hide your real IP address
As I said, the IP address will give away your geolocation so what VPN does here is to cover your real IP address with a “veil,” making it seem like you are located somewhere else. In this way, it’s impossible to track you down merely from your IP address and – voila! You won’t lose any sleep over this safety problem anymore.
On another note, you can take advantage of this feature to bypass geographical restrictions on some video streaming websites, such as Netflix and Hulu. This is actually our focal point here, for you’re probably wondering how to get rid of the “this content is unavailable in your country” issue. Usually, your IP address will be sent directly to the website servers to let them judge where you come from and whether to enable you access to the geo-blocked content. If you are, unfortunately, in a country where the content is unavailable, then you’ll be prevented from viewing it.
But if you use a VPN, then this problem can be solved quite easily. With a VPN, you can connect to any servers around the globe (only those provided by the VPN servers of course, but that’s already a large number) and pretend that you’re located elsewhere.
Here’s how it works: first, you send your access request for a specific site (alongside your online information) to one of the VPN servers outside your country; once the VPN server receives that, it transfers your request to the website server you want to visit; lastly, the website server will think you actually “come from” the country where the VPN server locates and allow you access to the geo-blocked content. If you still don’t have a clear idea of how VPN works – never mind, just leave it to the VPN server. It’ll do everything it can to change your location and protect your online privacy.
IMPORTANT: Some video streaming websites, such as Netflix, don’t allow their users to use VPNs. Take Netflix as an example. Most VPNs cannot get through its ban so when the website suspects you’re using a VPN, you’ll get an error message that stops you from watching the video.
Luckily, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are still available to use on Netflix as of 2025. Check them out and unblock your favorite online videos!
3. Protect your identity
This part should be easy to understand based on the two paragraphs above. For people who are privacy-conscious, a VPN seems essential because it can protect their personal information from leaking out.
Just think about it: for one thing, your IP address will be changed once you connect to a foreign VPN server so no one can track you down through your IP address; for another, with your data encrypted by the VPN, even if a hacker did succeed to intercept your online information, they could hardly decrypt it. Even those who legally receive your data (e.g. website servers) cannot find out who you are and where you come from. But bear in mind that a VPN doesn’t make you invisible online – it just makes you more anonymous and safe from the prying eyes.
In addition, as both NordVPN and ExpressVPN firmly stick to the no logs policy – which means they won’t collect or store your online data such as browsing habits – you can rest assured that your privacy won’t be disclosed to these VPN providers, too. But if you opt for other VPNs, don’t forget to check whether they have a no-logs policy first.
Is It Safe Or Legal to Use a VPN
Well, regarding the former question, it depends on what VPN you’re using. VPN providers like NordVPN and ExpressVPN are reliable to count on, but those free VPN providers… I won’t say they are all bad but more often than not, you’ll leave your personal information at risk while using them.
As for the second, the answer varies from country to country. In China, Russia, and some other countries, VPNs are prohibited from using. Also, you should never use a VPN to do illegal things, such as distributing copyrighted material without permission.
Here’s more for explanation:
1. Don’t use a free VPN
Never use a free VPN. Also, be extra careful when you decide to pay for a VPN that’s much cheaper than other brands. As the phrase goes, “If You’re Not Paying For It, You Become The Product.” VPN providers are not charitable organizations; they have to make money in some way, if not asking you to pay for their services.
So how can a free VPN or a low-priced VPN earn profits from you? It’s not that hard to imagine – they may collect your personal data and sell it to third parties, squeezing a profit from what they should’ve promised to protect. Besides, your bandwidth and IP address may be shared with people in other countries, just as Hola VPN (a free VPN) does to its users.
You may wonder, “what would happen if I share my bandwidth and IP address with others?” The answer is simple: a) your Internet speed may be affected and b) cybercriminals can do bad things via your ISP connection, potentially making you a victim of their illegal activities. That sounds extremely rare, but does exist sometimes. Nobody would want to get involved in an unexpected investigation, right?
Worse still, some of the free VPNs are literally scams for they contain adware, trojan, and other types of malware that spy on your private information and even do harm to your computers.
2. VPN cannot be used as freely as you want
As I mentioned above, VPNs are illegal to use in some countries. So if you happen to live in those countries, think twice before you decide to go for a VPN because that may cause you dire problems such as certain legal consequences.
Besides, some video streaming websites (such as Netflix) and video games (including WoW, Fortnite, etc.) do not allow you to utilize VPN or proxy services. They have their own reasons to do so, and it’s your call whether to break such rules. If you’re caught using a VPN, the worst thing that would happen is your account getting banned permanently. In other cases, you may not be punished in a very harsh way.
Final Thoughts
VPNs are powerful tools for accessing geo-blocked content and protecting your online privacy. Just remember – avoid free VPNs and check legality in your region.
Hope this post guided you in the right direction towards solving “This content is not available in your country.” If you have any questions or need help, just drop a comment below. Thanks for reading!
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