The question of how to set up a VPN on Netflix mostly comes down to choosing the right service provider. As it turns out, many VPNs struggle with Netflix for a number of reasons, which makes the technical requirements of circumventing its geoblocking tech secondary to identifying a VPN that does what you need it to do at a price you deem acceptable.
Assuming that’s out of the way and you’re already subscribed to one of the best Netflix VPNs out there, here’s what’s left to do, depending on your platform of choice.
Netflix VPN setup on smartphones and tablets
You don’t need to pay for a top Android VPN to get one which offers native Android support in the form of an app. From there, all that’s left to do is install that very same app from the Google Play Store, launch it, log in, and proceed with using Netflix as you’d normally do.
Alternatively, Android also has built-in VPN integration, but getting it to work is a bit trickier. If that’s what you prefer. We covered the whole topic under this article: How to setup a VPN on Android.
It’s the same thing with Apple’s iPads and iPhones: rely on an app if at all possible, or do a manual iOS VPN setup if you can’t help it. More info on that can be found here: How to setup a VPN on an iPhone.
Netflix VPN setup on desktop
Regardless of whether you’re running Windows, macOS, or Linux, the same principle applies here, as well. With the competition being as fierce as it is, almost every VPN under the sun now has to be super user-friendly, i.e. offer desktop clients.
All that should be left for you to do is run one of those, hit a giant button saying “connect” or something along those lines, and launch Netflix in your browser of choice, or through the desktop app itself.
Netflix VPN setup on smart TVs
Things get slightly trickier with smart television sets, regardless of whether you’re running Android TV, Tizen, webOS, or something else entirely. In most cases, your VPN won’t offer a TV app to streamline the process of connecting to a VPN, so you’ll have to take the rerouting down to a router level. Our tutorial on that can be found here: How to setup a VPN on your router. After that’s done, however, you’ll be able to circumvent Netflix’s location restrictions via its very own TV app.
Netflix VPN setup on gaming consoles
Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One remain popular options for streaming Netflix and while you can still get a VPN to work in this scenario by hooking it up directly through your router, there are platform-specific alternatives for you to consider as well. A PS4 VPN connection works just as well as its X1 counterpart, so if e.g. your router is struggling with the rerouting part of anonymized Internet access, do make sure to take a look at our gaming VPN guides for more specific advice on how to proceed.
The PS4 guide can be located here: How to setup a VPN on a PS4
And the X1 guide is here: How to setup a VPN on a Xbox One
Editor’s Note
“How to set up a VPN for Netflix” was written by Dominik Bosnjak, a long-time VPN-user-turned-advocate who spends more time scrutinizing VPN Providers on a daily basis than he’d like to admit. When he isn’t writing VPN Guides and covering general Tech News, he’s probably spending time with his dog, video games, or both. Fun fact: the Shih Tzu in question is the only remaining creature in Dominik’s life who hasn’t told him they’re sick of him talking about Best VPN practices and government-sponsored erosion of digital privacy which made using the Internet less convenient over the years. He occasionally dabbles in video editing, Wall Street memes, and demonstrating a remarkable lack of guitar-playing ability.
If you want more tidbit-sized rants about any of those things, you can find him on Twitter @dddominikk.
