Prime Video Not Working With a VPN? How to Fix It
This guide is for people who live in the country of their Prime Video account and keep a VPN on at home for privacy, then find that a title will not start. Work through the fixes in order, check the error code against Prime Video’s own help pages, and then look at what other sites’ tests report for the VPN you use.
Why does Prime Video block VPNs?
Prime Video’s help center does not explain how it spots a VPN, and we do not guess at it here. What the help center does say makes the pattern clear. Its page on travel says that outside your home country “the selection of titles you’re able to stream on Prime Video may change,” and its page on add-on subscriptions says they “are only available to stream from within your home country.” So Prime Video decides what you can watch by where it thinks you are, and that decision rests on your IP address.
A VPN replaces your own address with the server’s. Many people share each server’s address, and streaming services can recognize addresses that belong to VPN and proxy providers. When that happens, Prime Video may stop a title from playing even though you are at home and your subscription is paid up. The same thing can happen when the VPN server sits in a different country from your account, because Prime Video then treats you as a traveler.
Prime Video’s own troubleshooting page for titles that won’t play includes the step “Deactivate any VPN or proxy servers.” That is the simplest test of all: if a title plays with the VPN off and fails with it on, the server is the cause, and the fixes below are about finding a server and a setup that Prime Video accepts.
How do you fix Prime Video not working with a VPN?
Work through the steps in order, and try to play a title after each one so you know which step made the difference.
- Check that the VPN is the cause. Disconnect the VPN and play a title. If it plays, reconnect and carry on with the next step; if it still fails with the VPN off, the problem is elsewhere, and Prime Video’s help page for titles that won’t play is the place to start.
- Match the server to your account’s country. Connect to a server in the country where you live and where your Prime Video account is registered, not the nearest server in a neighboring country. Check that the VPN app shows that country before you open Prime Video again.
- Switch to another server in the same country. Disconnect, pick a different server or city in that country and reconnect. Confirm in the VPN app that the server name has changed, then reload Prime Video and play a title.
- Clear cookies or sign out and back in. In a browser, clear the cookies and cached files for the Prime Video and Amazon sites, then sign in again. In an app, sign out and back in. Prime Video may have stored the location it saw earlier. Reload the page or reopen the app and play a title.
- Turn on leak protection or turn off IPv6. If your VPN app has a leak protection or IPv6 setting, turn it on; if it does not, turn off IPv6 in your device’s network settings. Then open an IP-lookup page and confirm that it shows only the VPN server’s address and country, not your own.
- Update the VPN app and the Prime Video app. Install the latest version of both from the provider or your app store, and update your browser if you watch on a computer. Check the version number in each app’s settings, then try a title again.
- Ask the VPN’s support team which servers work. Tell them that you use Prime Video in your own country and which servers you have tried. Some providers keep certain servers for streaming. Connect to the one they suggest and check that the app shows it before you play a title.
What do Prime Video error messages mean?
The codes below come from Prime Video’s own help center. A message reported on any other site is not listed.
| Message on screen | What it means | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| “error codes such as 1007, 1022, 5001, 7003, 7005, 7031, 7135, 7202, 7203, 7204, 7206, 7207, 7230, 7250, 7251, 7301, 7303, 7305, 7306, 8020, 9003, 9074” | Prime Video Help lists these codes on its page for when “Prime Video titles won’t play.” It does not say that any one of them means a VPN was detected | Prime Video Help’s own steps include “Deactivate any VPN or proxy servers,” checking that the date and time on your device are set to automatic, and updating the app or browser. If the title plays with the VPN off, go back to the fixes above |
Error codes and their explanations as published by Prime Video Help (primevideo.com/help), read on .
Which VPNs worked with Prime Video in published tests?
The tables list what other sites’ tests report, country by country, with each site’s name and date. A VPN is marked as recommended only when at least two sources agree that Prime Video played and none reports a block. We have not run a spot check of our own on Prime Video yet. If you already pay for a VPN, jump to its rows: NordVPN, Surfshark, PureVPN, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost or Proton VPN.
In the US
Were each VPN's servers in the US blocked by Prime Video there? Every row is one source's own published result, credited and linked. Nothing is merged or averaged, and a result is only as current as its date.
RecommendedAt least two sources from the last 12 months, and the newest result of every one of them is a pass.
| VPN | Source | What it reported | Date | Test setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CyberGhost | Safelyo | Played Prime Video US played in HD on a dedicated streaming server | article updated Nov 2026 | run from Vietnam |
| Top10VPN | Played Prime Video US worked | article updated Oct 2026 | not stated | |
| ExpressVPN | Top10VPN | Played Prime Video US worked | article updated Nov 2026 | not stated |
| Safelyo | Played Prime Video played in the US with no buffering mid-stream | article updated Oct 2026 | run from Vietnam | |
| vpnMentor | Played Prime Video US streamed in HD without a change of server or settings | article updated Sep 2026 | not stated | |
| NordVPN | Safelyo | Played Prime Video played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors | article updated Nov 2026 | run from Vietnam |
| Top10VPN | Played Prime Video US worked | article updated Oct 2026 | not stated | |
| Proton VPN | Safelyo | Played Prime Video US played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan was blocked | article updated Nov 2026 | run from Vietnam |
| Top10VPN | Played Prime Video US worked | article updated Oct 2026 | not stated |
Results conflictListed, not recommended: at least one source reports that it was blocked or did not play steadily.
Only one published testListed, not recommended: one source is not enough to go on, whatever it found.
| VPN | Source | What it reported | Date | Test setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPVanish | Top10VPN | Played Prime Video US worked | article updated Oct 2026 | not stated |
| PureVPN | Safelyo | Played Prime Video US worked after one to three server changes | tested Oct 2026 | run from Vietnam |
| Surfshark | Safelyo | Played Prime Video US worked on the first attempt | article updated Oct 2026 | run from Vietnam |
Country not statedThese sources name no country, so their results count toward no group above.
- CyberGhost · CyberInsider (article updated Jan 2026): Amazon Prime Video streamed smoothly
- CyberGhost · TechRadar (article updated Feb 2026): Prime Video worked
- CyberGhost · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- ExpressVPN · CNET (article updated Oct 2026): Amazon Prime Video unblocked
- IPVanish · vpnMentor (article updated Aug 2026): The site says Amazon Prime Video would not work with IPVanish
- NordVPN · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- Private Internet Access · CNET (article updated Oct 2026): On desktop, Amazon Prime Video detected the VPN and blocked the content; on Apple TV and Fire TV Stick the reviewer could watch it
- Private Internet Access · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- Proton VPN · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
In the UK
Were each VPN's servers in the UK blocked by Prime Video there? Every row is one source's own published result, credited and linked. Nothing is merged or averaged, and a result is only as current as its date.
Only one published testListed, not recommended: one source is not enough to go on, whatever it found.
| VPN | Source | What it reported | Date | Test setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | vpnMentor | Played Prime Video UK streamed in HD without a change of server or settings | article updated Sep 2026 | not stated |
Country not statedThese sources name no country, so their results count toward no group above.
- CyberGhost · CyberInsider (article updated Jan 2026): Amazon Prime Video streamed smoothly
- CyberGhost · TechRadar (article updated Feb 2026): Prime Video worked
- CyberGhost · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- ExpressVPN · CNET (article updated Oct 2026): Amazon Prime Video unblocked
- IPVanish · vpnMentor (article updated Aug 2026): The site says Amazon Prime Video would not work with IPVanish
- NordVPN · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- Private Internet Access · CNET (article updated Oct 2026): On desktop, Amazon Prime Video detected the VPN and blocked the content; on Apple TV and Fire TV Stick the reviewer could watch it
- Private Internet Access · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
- Proton VPN · vpnMentor (article updated Jun 2026): Amazon Prime Video worked
For what each provider offers beyond streaming, read our NordVPN review, Surfshark review and PureVPN review, or compare two of them side by side in NordVPN vs PureVPN. If you watch on a laptop, our guide to the best VPNs for Windows covers the desktop apps.
Does Prime Video allow VPNs?
Prime Video’s help center tells viewers whose titles won’t play to “Deactivate any VPN or proxy servers,” and it says that what you can stream depends on your home country. Read the Prime Video Terms of Use for the country where your account is registered before you rely on a VPN.
This guide is written for subscribers who use a VPN in the country they live in to watch their own paid account. It does not cover reaching another country’s titles, and a VPN does not replace a Prime membership or an add-on subscription. Nothing here is a promise that Prime Video will play with a VPN on; the service can block a server at any time, and turning the VPN off is always the fallback that Prime Video itself suggests.
FAQ
Why does Prime Video say you are using a VPN or proxy?
Prime Video has linked your IP address to a VPN or proxy server, or to a country other than your account’s. Switching to another server in your own country gives you a different address and is the first thing to try.
Is it legal to use a VPN with Prime Video?
Using a VPN is legal in most countries, but a streaming service can restrict it in its terms, and Prime Video’s help center asks viewers with playback problems to turn VPNs and proxies off. Read the terms for your account’s country. This is general information, not legal advice.
Will a free VPN work with Prime Video?
Free plans usually offer few servers, which leaves you fewer addresses to switch between when one is blocked. The tables above show each source’s own note, so check whether a result was for a paid or a free plan before you rely on it.
Does clearing cookies really help?
It can. Prime Video may keep the location it saw earlier in a cookie or in the app’s stored data and keep using it after you connect to the VPN. Clear the cookies for the Prime Video and Amazon sites, or sign out of the app and back in, then try a title again.
Should you turn the VPN off to watch Prime Video?
That is what Prime Video’s help center suggests when titles won’t play. If you want the VPN on for the rest of your browsing, try the server and leak fixes above first, and turn it off only while you watch if nothing else works.
Why does Prime Video work on one device but not another?
Each device and app stores its own sign-in and location data, and each may connect to a different VPN server or skip the VPN altogether. Check that the VPN is on, connected to the same country and up to date on every device, then clear the stored data on the one that fails. If Disney+ fails on the same device, our Disney+ troubleshooting guide covers its error messages.