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How to Change Location on YouTube TV with a VPN
Our Verdict
To change your location on YouTube TV and access channels from another part of the US, you need to hide both your IP address and geolocation. We found the only way to do this is by using a VPN, like ExpressVPN, as all of its US servers work to unblock YouTube TV and its browser extension spoofs your geolocation data.
YouTube TV offers live and on-demand content from over 100 US television networks.
It’s only available in the US, but the availability of local channels, including news and Regional Sports Networks, changes depending on the state you’re in.
To trick YouTube TV and watch TV broadcasts from other states, including out-of-market NFL games, you’ll need a VPN that can evade YouTube TV’s VPN and proxy detection.
By spoofing your location, you can access sports games that would otherwise require a premium service, such as NFL Sunday Ticket. Simply connect to a VPN server in the local broadcast area and watch the game on a local channel, like CBS or FOX.
Out of 61 VPNs we tested, only 12 were successful at avoiding detection and bypassing YouTube TV’s geo-restrictions and only 3 truly stood out.
Summary: The Best YouTube TV VPNs
Based on our tests, the best VPNs for changing your YouTube TV location are:
- ExpressVPN: The Best VPN for YouTube TV
- Private Internet Access: Cheap Alternative for YouTube TV
- Windscribe Free: The Best Free VPN for YouTube TV
Why Trust Top10VPN?
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How to Change Your YouTube TV Location
The channels you can stream on YouTube TV depend on two factors: your Home Area, which is determined by the ZIP code you provide when signing up, and your Current playback area, based on your IP address and geolocation data.
To trick YouTube TV and access channels from other parts of the country, you’ll need to change your current playback area. YouTube TV doesn’t cap the number of times you can do this.
Unlike many other VPNs, ExpressVPN’s browser extension allows you to hide your physical location.
Unfortunately, this only works on laptops, computers, and Android devices. It’s not possible to change your YouTube TV location on devices that don’t let you alter your GPS location, like iPhone.
Here’s how to change your YouTube TV current playback area:
- Sign up for a VPN that unblocks YouTube TV and includes a browser-based location spoofer: ExpressVPN has always been the most reliable option in our experience.
- Download the VPN browser extension on desktop, or the app from Google Play on Android.
- Enable the location spoofing feature: On desktop, go to the VPN browser extension and enable it. In ExpressVPN, it’s called ‘Spoof your location’. On Android, download a GPS spoofer from Google Play and set it up.
- Change your playback area: In a browser or the app, go to your YouTube TV profile and select ‘Area’. Then, press the ‘UPDATE’ button next to ‘Current playback area’.
- Connect to a VPN server in the state you want to appear to be in: For example, to access KNBC, we connected to a Los Angeles ExpressVPN server.
- Start streaming the geo-restricted content: Select the channel or sports event you want to watch.
If your content doesn’t load, or you see an error message, see our workaround and fixes elsewhere in this guide.
Video Walkthrough
Alternatively, see the video below to see exactly how we used ExpressVPN to access a local LA news channel.
The Best VPNs for YouTube TV Analyzed
You can compare our picks of the best paid and free VPNs for YouTube TV using the table below:
1. ExpressVPN: Best VPN for YouTube TV
Ranked #1 out of 61 VPNs for YouTube TV
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for YouTube TV because it immediately unblocked all region-exclusive channels on every US server we connected to and works to change your current playback area to 17 different US cities.
Unblocks Channels from around the Country
ExpressVPN is the most reliable way to bypass YouTube TV blocks and change your home area location. Using it for years, we’ve never encountered the VPN detected error message.
Importantly, its browser extension also lets you spoof your geolocation to change your playback area. We used this to access channels from other states that were showing sports games that were out-of-market in our location.
We streamed shows like ‘Yellowstone’ on YouTube TV in Full HD using ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN offers servers in 17 cities across 12 US states. Since YouTube TV provides local content based on a combination of your metropolitan area, state, and Designated Market Area (DMA), it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many additional home areas you can access – but the number is significant.
However, ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPNs on the market, costing $4.99 per month. We think the level of performance is worth it, but Private Internet Access remains a sensible budget alternative.
Fast US Speeds
ExpressVPN fast streaming speeds allowed us to stream American shows in Full HD quality without buffering, even from the other side of the country. Connecting to the West Coast from New York, we saw a speed drop of only 10%.
If you’re outside the US, you can still expect excellent speeds. Our tests recorded an impressive average long-distance speed of 85Mbps, which represents a marginal 15% speed loss.
Apps for All Streaming Devices
We enjoyed using ExpressVPN’s user-friendly VPN apps for every conceivable device. We were able to watch watch YouTube TV on multiple devices, including our Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, and mobile devices.
ExpressVPN even has a router app that enables all of your home devices to be connected to the same US server. This way you can stream YouTube TV on games consoles and Roku devices, too.
2. Private Internet Access: Cheap VPN for YouTube TV
Private Internet Access is our 2nd favorite VPN for YouTube TV. It has servers in every US state, making it ideal for changing your Home Area location and accessing different Designated Market Areas (DMAs). However, not every server unblocked YouTube TV.
Servers in Every US State
The fact that PIA has servers in all 50 US states makes it ideal for bypassing Home Area restrictions within the US.
We watched popular US shows on YouTube TV via PIA’s US servers.
If you want to watch local content that isn’t available in your home area, you can simply switch to a different US city or DMA.
Similar Speeds to ExpressVPN But Cheaper
PIA matches ExpressVPN in delivering fast speeds, even over long distances.
When connecting to different locations across the US, PIA maintains impressive performance, with a minor speed loss of around 10%.
PIA is significantly more affordable than ExpressVPN, costing just $2.03 per month on a two-year subscription plan.
Wide Device Compatibility
PIA imposes no device limits, so you can install PIA and stream YouTube TV on as many devices as you want.
However, despite launching a good Apple TV VPN app, PIA trails ExpressVPN in terms of device compatibility since its Smart DNS solution doesn’t work, and there is no router app.
The Best Free VPN for YouTube TV
Paid VPNs deliver the best YouTube TV streaming experience with faster speeds, unlimited data, and excellent unblocking capabilities. However, if you’re looking for a free option that still allows you to unblock YouTube TV and change your home location, there’s 1 good choice.
1. Windscribe Free: Best Free VPN for YouTube TV
Ranked #1 out of 23 free VPNs for YouTube TV
Windscribe Free is the best free VPN for YouTube TV. It works to bypass international and local geo-blocks. With servers spread across multiple US cities, you easily can get around home location restrictions.
The big downside is its 10GB monthly data cap which will prevent you from streaming live content and shows indefinitely.
Servers in 6 US Cities
Windscribe Free offers more free US servers than any other free VPN. This means you can easily change your home location and unblock local channels in the areas of Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Seattle.
We connected to one of Windscribe Free’s US servers and quickly unblocked YouTube TV geo-blocks, making it one of the only free VPNs that can do so reliably — something even our top free VPN for streaming, PrivadoVPN, struggles to achieve.
Windscribe Free is one of the only free VPNs that unblocks YouTube TV.
Free Apps for Multiple Devices
Windscribe Free offers multiple free apps, including for popular devices like Fire TV Stick, Android TV, and more — ideal for streaming YouTube TV.
With Windscribe Free’s unlimited device policy, you can stream YouTube TV on as many devices as you want, giving you the flexibility to watch on any platform you prefer.
Popular VPNs That Don't Work with YouTube TV
Many popular VPNs do not work with YouTube TV. Our tests found that, out of 62 VPNs tested, only 12 worked.
Many top VPNs, including PrivateVPN, are detected and blocked by YouTube TV.
Here are some popular VPNs that did not make our list:
NordVPN
NordVPN is a great VPN in most cases, but our tests show that it wasn’t able to consistently access YouTube TV outside the US. For this simple reason, we don’t recommend it.
NordVPN was detected by YouTube TV in our streaming tests.
IPVanish
Similarly to NordVPN, IPVanish is a very good VPN overall. However, it wasn’t able to consistently access YouTube TV to the extent we expect, so it didn’t make our list.
We encountered the ‘YouTube TV is not available in this country’ error message while connected to IPVanish’s US servers.
PrivadoVPN Free
PrivadoVPN is one of the few reliable free VPNs for streaming, but not in the case of YouTube TV. Our tests show that it was detected and blocked on numerous occasions. We were also frustrated at having to manually renew our data whenever it ran out.
Proton VPN Free
Proton VPN Free was once our top choice for YouTube TV, but it no longer allows users to select their own servers. Without the ability to manually choose its free US server, you can’t connect to YouTube TV, making it ineffective as a free VPN for YouTube TV.
Proton VPN Free doesn’t let you change server location, making it useless for YouTube TV.
How to Fix Your VPN Not Working with YouTube TV
1. Upgrade Your VPN
The most common reason why a VPN is not working with YouTube TV is because many VPNs lack the necessary resources to bypass YouTube TV geo-restrictions. They use IP addresses that are known and blocked by YouTube TV.
You’ll know your VPN doesn’t work when you get this VPN/proxy error message:
Most VPNs for YouTube TV are detected and do not bypass georestrictions.
Our tests show that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for bypassing YouTube TV blocks. There are also a number of other top VPNs that work, including CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and Surfshark.
If you want a free option, despite limitations including a data caps and server restrictions, both Proton VPN Free and Windscribe Free offer free US VPN servers that currently work with YouTube TV.
2. Connect to Another US VPN Server
Sometimes all you need to do to get your YouTube VPN working is change the US server you’re connected to.
It may be the case that IP addresses associated with one server have been identified and banned by YouTube TV, but other servers remain unknown.
For example, in our tests with Private Internet Access, we found that its West Coast server did not work with YouTube TV but its East Coast server did.
We used these specific servers to access YouTube TV (although this is subject to change):
| VPN Service | Server That Works With YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| CyberGhost | YouTube TV dedicated server |
| Surfshark | LA Server |
| Private Internet Access | East Coast server |
| Windscribe | New York server |
| Hide.me | US Streaming dedicated server |
However, we don’t recommend trying every available server in search of one that works. If the first few server changes don’t work, it’s likely that none will.
3. Clear Your Browser Cookies & Cache
Websites collect data about your location through cookies and other files in your browser’s cache. Your YouTube TV VPN might not be working because this information is being used to mark your real location, especially if you’re changing Home Area location.
This is easily fixed by deleting cookies and cache data in your browser.
4. Check for IP Address or DNS Leaks
It’s possible that your real location is being detected by YouTube TV as a result of a data leak. This happens when your DNS requests or real IP address falls outside the encrypted VPN connection.
This usually happens when using free or inferior VPNs. Quality VPNs have leak protection built into their service, or at the least an option to enable leak protection.
You can easily check if your VPN is working by using our IP & DNS leak test tool.
If your VPN is leaking data, you should contact customer support to see if they can resolve the issue. Otherwise, we suggest upgrading your VPN.
How We Test YouTube TV VPNs
We calculate the overall rating of a YouTube TV VPN based on its performance in three of the most important testing categories.
For a more detailed breakdown of these results and how they’re calculated, see our explanation below:
1. Unblocks YouTube TV (50%)
The most important factor is to find a VPN that works consistently to bypass YouTube TV geo-restrictions.
From our hands-on testing, we found that only a handful of VPNs work with YouTube TV. Here’s how the most popular VPNs performed:
| VPN Service | Works with YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | Yes |
| CyberGhost | Yes |
| IPVanish | No |
| NordVPN | No |
| PIA | Yes |
| PrivateVPN | No |
| Surfshark | Yes |
| Windscribe | Yes |
| Windscribe Free | Yes |
| Hide.me | Yes |
| PrivadoVPN Free | No |
| ProtonVPN | Yes |
We ran these tests multiple times to ensure that the VPNs work reliably.
2. US Server Locations (30%)
US server locations are important for three reasons. Firstly, more servers means a greater spread of users and therefore less congestion. This can equate to better performance and faster speeds.
Secondly, having more server choices gives you a better chance of finding a server that works with YouTube TV if the one you initially select does not work.
Finally, the more US server locations the VPN has, the more YouTube TV content is potentially available by circumventing the platform’s regional Home Area restrictions within the US.
With more servers, you can unblock more content, including local sports, news, and weather channels.
3. Speed (20%)
VPN speed is a crucial testing criteria for YouTube TV because it determines how quickly you’ll be able to stream YouTube TV content, and at what quality.
YouTube TV is only available in the US, and connecting into the US from far away countries can heavily impact your internet speed. But the fastest VPNs can connect into the US from anywhere in the world and only suffer marginal speed loss.
We use consistent test equipment and our own server to get an accurate assessment of each VPNs download speed. We calculate an average international speed score from the results.
