Last Updated on June 6, 2022 by srinivas
The US version of Netflix has hundreds of movies and TV shows that are often not available in other areas. However, there is a way to watch US Netflix in the UK.
If you try to log into US Netflix when you are in the UK (or anywhere else that is not the US), you will notice that many shows say something like “This title is not available in your location” when you try to access them. see. There’s a way around this, but only if you’re willing to violate Netflix’s terms and conditions (we’ll explain more about this below).
In this article, we’ll show you how to change the country on your Netflix account so you can access American Netflix from outside the US on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone. This method is achieved by using a VPN, which can also give you access to any Netflix library from any country or region in the world.
If you’re using a PC or Android phone, visit our sister site Tech Advisor’s guide to accessing US Netflix on a PC.
What is a VPN?
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is software that works like a second internet that sits between you and the larger internet. Your computer connects to the VPN, which then connects to the Internet. You ask for the website, it delivers the website to you. VPNs are designed to protect your privacy online as they are an excellent tool to prevent people or programs from tracking your behavior or location online.
The latter is important, because one of the hallmarks of a VPN is the ability to trick servers into thinking you’re logging in from one country, when you’re actually in another country. Here’s how it can fool Netflix into providing you with content from the US version of the service, even if you’re in the UK or elsewhere in the world.
There are free VPNs available, but to properly protect your privacy, we recommend using a paid version, such as the one found in our guide to the best VPN services.
How to watch US Netflix on Mac
Using a VPN it is very easy to access US Netflix content outside of America. We’ll be using NordVPN for this example, as it’s an excellent service, but you could easily get the same results with the equally good Surfshark or others in the article linked above.
Here’s what to do:
- Open your browser and visit the NordVPN website.
- Click Download NordVPN and choose your plan.
- Create your account and make a payment to complete the sign up process.
- Install NordVPN on your Mac.
- Open the app, log in and then click List.
- Scroll to America and click it to connect.
- Once connected, you should see a green pin on the card and the power icon on the switch at the top of the application should also be green.
- Now browse to Netflix.com and log in with your usual account details to access US Netflix and watch as normal.
How to Watch American Netflix on iPad or iPhone
You can also use a similar method to watch US Netflix on your iOS device. You can see which apps we would recommend in our best VPN for iPhone and best VPN for iPad guides. If you’ve already signed up for a service on your Mac, your mobile devices should too. So all you need to do is download your chosen VPN app on your phone or tablet and log in.
For step-by-step instructions, read our full guide explaining how to use a VPN on an iPhone; the steps in that tutorial also work for iPad.
As a general guide, these are the steps to take:
- Download the VPN app and set up your account.
- Launch the app and use Quick Connect to enable the VPN.
- Go to the map and tap the icon that appears in the center of the US.
- Choose a server from the offered servers.
- Launch the Netflix app or go to the site in Safari and you should see the US content is now available.
Is it legal to watch US Netflix content in the UK?
All you need to do to watch Netflix US content is trick Netflix into thinking you are currently in the US. This is, as we demonstrated above, remarkably easy to do with a VPN. But it’s important to note that this violates the terms and conditions you signed up for when you created a Netflix account.
Netflix’s terms and conditions explicitly state, “You may view Netflix content primarily in the country in which you created your account and only in geographic locations where we provide our service and have licensed such content.”
So be warned that this is against the rules and the company has the right to suspend your service if you break these rules. In addition, Netflix blocks many VPN services, meaning you may have more trouble accessing US Netflix than you used to.
Free VPNs like Hola used to be the most popular way to watch US Netflix in the UK, but it is now highly recommended that you pay for a better VPN service if you want to stay connected to US Netflix.
Whether or not it’s legal or not to use a VPN is more of a gray area and varies according to local law, but it’s hard to imagine anyone suing for copyright infringement. Indeed, many observers would argue that Netflix technically broadcasts to the US, for which it clearly owns the broadcast rights.
As with anything like this, use your own judgment if you want to take this route. If you do, you may also be interested in how to watch HBO Max in the UK.