Finally, a new movie trailer comes out, or that hot new song pops up! You eagerly open the link to watch, only to find that you can’t – at least not yet. Before you can watch the video, you will be asked to sign in to confirm your identity and age.
This can be frustrating if you don’t have access to your login credentials or are watching in private (incognito) mode.
Fortunately, there are a few tricks that can help you get around this problem. You will usually need to make minor changes to the link itself or use proxy websites.
Why are some videos restricted?
Some videos on YouTube are not accessible to everyone. Today, anyone can access YouTube, but the site often limits the availability of certain videos for various reasons. For example, some videos may contain violence, nudity, drug or alcohol use, strong language, etc.
Many factors can make a video restricted, including:
- The content is not suitable for all ages.
- Video is not available in some locations due to local laws or other regulations.
- Computers in universities, schools, libraries, government buildings, and other public institutions may have restricted mode enabled.
- You may have accidentally enabled restricted mode for your account. This is usually the case when you’re logged in and old enough, but you still need to confirm your age.
How to bypass video restrictions?
There are several methods you can try if you want to watch a restricted video on YouTube.
Use a Web proxy site
Proxy websites can save you from not only age-based restrictions but also location-based restrictions. Most proxy sites use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This makes your location untraceable, so you can watch videos that might not be accessible in your country.
Websites like Proxy Site bypass the restriction and also make your location unknown. This tricks YouTube into playing videos that you can’t normally watch. You can also choose your preferred server location. A US server will give you access to videos that are only available in the US, while a European server will allow you to watch any videos restricted to viewers outside of the EU.
Add NSFW to your link
Not Safe for Work (NSFW) is an acronym for content that is not suitable for everyone and may be deemed inappropriate by some. People most often use it to send their friends links to adult content. When you add this acronym to the beginning of your YouTube link, a magical thing happens. The video that was age-restricted a moment ago is now available.
- Open the URL.
- Click to edit.
- Add NSFW at the beginning of the link, before the “www” prefix.
- Press “Enter”.
- You will be able to watch the video now.
Use the repeat option
For many years, YouTube users wanted a repeat button on their player. YouTube has not yet made this possible, but many third-party websites now offer this option.
With a slight modification of the YouTube link, you can watch your video despite the restriction.
In the address bar, type “repeat” between “youtube” and “.com”. And There you go ! Your video will play on the third-party “YouTube Repeat” website without any restrictions.
Embed video
The “embed” function allows you to use a YouTube video as part of another website. The embedded links have no restrictions, so you are free to watch without logging in. There is a trick that allows you to access the embed link of any video and watch it on YouTube:
- Click on the URL.
- Replace ‘watch?v=’ with ‘/embed/’.
- Hit ‘Enter’ and you can watch it.
Should you sometimes avoid avoiding YouTube restrictions?
Everyone is tempted to play a video even with all the caveats and restrictions. Sometimes you just don’t want to log in or give information. However, there may be times when you don’t want to circumvent these restrictions.
If you’re at a public institution, these restrictions are probably there for a reason, and circumventing them could get you in trouble. Likewise, the laws of some countries prohibit certain types of content, and circumventing these prohibitions may be illegal.
In these and similar cases, YouTube’s content restrictions have solid foundations and should be adhered to.
Other options to find great videos to watch
If you are not decided what to watch, you can also check our previous recommendations Here.