How to watch US Netflix on a Firestick in any country
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
In this guide I’m going to show you the quick and easy way you can watch US Netflix on a Firestick in any country.
This guide works for both the Fire TV and generation 2 and 3 Firesticks. Generation 2 and 3 Firesticks are the one with Alexa voice remote so look for the microphone at the top of your Amazon remote control to check.
The Firestick and Fire TV are great devices and one of the best features of them is that you can watch Netflix on them.
If you’ve got a TV that doesn’t have a Netflix app built in or you just prefer to watch via the Firestick or Fire TV then you’ll know how useful they are.
However, depending on what country you’re in depends on what kind of content you get on Netflix.
Below I’m going to show you exactly how you can get more content from Netflix by using the US edition in just a few steps.
Watch US Netflix on a Firestick
You’ll probably already know but the US Netflix website has much more content than nearly any other country. In fact, apart from Netflix Japan, it has the most content out of any Netflix region.
Compared to the UK, for example, the US Netflix service has over 12% more movies and it doesn’t stop there because there are more TV shows too.
It’s not just the UK that has a smaller catalogue than the US Netflix site either. The Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and practically every other country get fewer movies and TV shows than US subscribers do.
However, there is a way you can tap into the US Netflix website and watch as if you were in the US. You can use your regular Netflix account and all you’ll need additionally is an app called a VPN.
A VPN is a legal privacy tool that lets you alter your location. Say for example you’re in Australia. You can use a VPN to make it look like you’re in the United States.
A VPN will let you access all the US Netflix content and best of all, it works on the Fire TV and Firestick too. This of course means you can watch US Netflix on a Firestick (or Fire TV) in any country in the world!
Take a look at the example below, on the left I searched my regular Netflix catalogue for the movie “Coco”. I then searched again on the US Netflix website when connected to a VPN called ExpressVPN.
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How to get US Netflix on a Firestick in your country
To watch US Netflix on a Firestick or Fire TV you’ll need to get a VPN app. These are sold by hundreds of companies and will cost you just a few US Dollars per month.
Not all providers work with the Firestick and not all work with Netflix.
One I’ve found that works well with both the Firestick and US Netflix is ExpressVPN but you can also try NordVPN or CyberGhost although your mileage may vary with those two providers.
ExpressVPN on the other hand works well and so is the service I’m using in the steps below.
How to watch US Netflix on a Firestick Step-by-Step:
- Visit the ExpressVPN website by clicking here and sign up for their service. It’s easiest to do this on a computer, laptop, tablet or other device.
- Once you’ve signed up go to your Firestick or Fire TV and using the search option type ‘ExpressVPN’. Select and install the app.
- When it’s downloaded and installed, select and open the ExpressVPN app. When required login with your account details.
- Press ‘Selected Location‘ and then move to ‘All‘. Scroll down to ‘Americas‘ and click it. Then click on ‘United States’ and connect.
- The app will now connect for you. Once it’s connected press the Home button on your remote and then select the Netflix app.
On Netflix you’ll now be able to access the US Netflix catalogue. Try searching for movies such as ‘Coco’ or ‘Wild China’ which at the time of writing are only available on US Netflix and not the likes of Netflix UK.
You can now enjoy watching all the extra content from US Netflix. It doesn’t matter where your Netflix account is registered either.
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If you’re looking for ideas of what’s exclusive to US Netflix then take a look at UNOGS Search.
Troubleshooting
Change Server
Occasionally things don’t always work as expected. When watching US Netflix on your Firestick or Fire TV this can also be the case.
The majority of time the issue will be down to the VPN ‘Server’ you’ve connected to. Netflix doesn’t like users from gaining access to different regions of their service so every so often they’ll block a bunch of VPN servers from accessing the service.
Not to worry though, if you get an error message that says you’re using a ‘Proxy’ or an ‘Unblocker’ simply head back to the ExpressVPN app on your Firestick or Fire TV and disconnect.
You should now go to the ‘Selected Location’ section, select All and then hold the button on United States.
Now pick another city in the United States. For example, I find Washington DC works well but if it isn’t working for you try New York, or Dallas or Miami or one of the many other options.
Once you’ve connected head back to Netflix and attempt to watch again. This should resolve the issue although you may need to hop a few cities if you’re still having problems.
‘Reset’ Netflix
When you use Netflix on your Fire TV device it stores much of the information in memory, such as the cover photos for each movie.
You may need to ‘reset’ Netflix. By this I mean ensure when you open the app it displays the Netflix logo and plays the “ba-dummm” Netflix sound.
You can do this by opening multiple other apps before you open the Netflix one.
Alternatively try and clear the cache with the following steps:
- Go to Settings on your Fire TV.
- Select Applications.
- In Manage Installed Applications, select the app you are having trouble with.
- Select Clear Cache.
You may also want to ‘Clear Data’ but this could log you out of Netflix and you may need to resign in.
In Summary
If you’ve got an Amazon Firestick or Fire TV then it’s really easy to watch the US edition of Netflix regardless of what country you’re in.
To do this you’ll need a VPN service but more specifically you’ll need a VPN service that supports Amazon devices and the US Netflix service.
Not all do but my recommended provider ExpressVPN does and they have a simple app you can install directly from the Amazon Fire TV or Firestick itself.
You first need to sign up for ExpressVPN which you can do by clicking the button below. You’ll then need to follow the 5 simple steps from earlier in this guide.
I’d love to hear what you’ve been watching on US Netflix and what movies or shows you’ve found. Why not let me and others know in the comments section so we can watch too!
