The CW not working with VPN: How to fix it (2023 guide)

The CW is a brilliant website if you fancy streaming some TV. But depending on where you’re based in the world, you might not be able to gain access right away. A top-notch VPN will help you solve the issue, but what happens if it stops working? Our handy guide explains what to do if your VPN isn’t working with The CW.

If you fancy catching up with your favourite shows while you’re travelling, you don’t want to deal with error messages. Assuming the VPN you’re using at this very moment is struggling, there’s a chance that The CW has blacklisted the server you’re trying to use. In other words, you can’t use The CW until you’re back in a country that’s officially supported, such as the US.

Best VPNs to watch The CW

Why is The CW not working with my VPN?

If the The CW website identifies that you’re trying to stream content from outside of America, your connection will be blocked right away. However, a trusted VPN can still help you stream from anywhere in the world, even if you’re traveling around.

Your current VPN isn’t working with The CW and that’s probably because it’s not hiding your real location. The VPN servers you have available to you through your current VPN may be blacklisted by the The CW website. By swapping to a better one, you’ll be able to watch TV without being interrupted.

Try these fixes

Delete your browser cookies – Cookies that are saved locally on your PC or mobile phone will help websites to understand where you’re viewing content from. We suggest you clear your cookies so that the The CW website will no longer recognise your previous IP address.

Try connecting to a different VPN server – The server you’re trying to connect to using The CW might be acting slower than usual, or not at all. We suggest you try and connect to a different server based in the US to see if that solves your problem.

Contact a support team through your VPN – You might be able to reach out to the support team directly and ask why The CW isn’t working. However, remember that not every VPN has a support team available around the clock.

Uninstall and reinstall your VPN software – In some situations, a full reset of your VPN software can solve connectivity issues and give you access to The CW. Try uninstalling and reinstalling.

Worked your way through the potential fixes above and still seeing the dreaded error message we’ve embedded below? We suggest you sign up with a different VPN for The CW, so keep scrolling for a list of great options.

How does The CW detect my VPN?

If your VPN isn’t hiding your real location from The CW, the streaming website will attempt to interfere with the server you’re using, making your VPN useless. Bad VPNs take an age to replace blacklisted servers, which means you have no way of gaining access to shows on the The CW website.

The best VPNs you can download do a really good job of replacing a blacklisted server. That means that, even if The CW has disabled a server, a replacement will be up sooner rather than later.

Free VPNs for The CW

These are tempting, but we reckon you should avoid them – free VPNs are more likely to sell your data to third parties so they can make a profit.

The best VPNs for The CW in 2023

ExpressVPN

• 1-month subscription: £10.63 per month
• 6-month subscription: £8.20 per month (23% off)
• 1-year subscription + 3 months free: £5.47 per month (49% off)

If you want to enjoy shows on The CW from anywhere in the world, consider creating a membership with ExpressVPN. It’s easy to use, speedy and works well if you’re looking to access The CW outside the US. To watch TV anywhere, all you need to do is open up ExpressVPN, connect to a server based in America and go from there.

This VPN keeps your real IP address hidden, so The CW won’t know you’re accessing content from outside of the US. Every ExpressVPN member has access to servers in over 90 countries around the world. ExpressVPN works on a range of different devices including Mac, PC, Android or iOS smartphone.

Try ExpressVPN with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

Ivacy

• 1-month subscription: £8.22 per month
• 1-year subscription: £2.91 per month (65% off)
• 5-year subscription + 2TB cloud storage + password manager: 80p per month (90% off)

Ivacy works well with The CW and it’s a reliable option if you don’t want to spend loads on a VPN to watch TV. This service is built to support 256-bit encryption, which helps keep cybercriminals away, and on top of that you get public wi-fi security that protects your gadgets against malware if you’re connecting to a hotspot in a public area.

You can use Ivacy to access geo-restricted websites such as The CW without anybody knowing about it. That’s thanks to Ivacy’s strict no-logs policy, which stops your valuable personal data from being sold to sinister third parties.

This is one of the most widely-used VPNs proven to work hand-in-hand with The CW. If you try it today, you’ll have access to over 3,000 VPN servers around the world. One subscription has you covered on up to 10 different devices at once.

Try Ivacy with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

For more on Ivacy, you can read our full Ivacy review.

NordVPN

• 1-month subscription: £10.89 per month
• 1-year subscription + 3 months extra: £3.79 per month (44% off)
• 2-year subscription + 3 months extra: £3.39 per month (50% off)

Here’s another VPN that lets you watch TV on The CW outside of the US. NordVPN has servers across the globe and all of them are protected by military-grade encryption. And with Nord’s enhanced encryption technology, you can even stay safe on public wi-fi networks without speeds being affected.

NordVPN’s servers are mega secure and you can connect without handing over your personal data. This trusted VPN doesn’t keep an eye on how you’re using the service, so privacy is guaranteed. You can also try NordVPN’s CyberSec feature, which blocks suspicious-looking websites and lowers the risk of your device being infected with data-grabbing malware.

In just a couple of minutes, you can start watching TV abroad using NordVPN. To access the streaming service, just connect to a VPN server based in the US. If you need help at any time, you can call on NordVPN’s 24/7 live chat service.

Try NordVPN with our unique discount code (30-day money-back guarantee)

Atlas VPN

• 1-month subscription: £9.83 per month
• 1-year subscription: £2.69 per month (73% off with code BIGDEAL)
• 2-year subscription: £1.68 per month (83% off with code BIGDEAL)

Atlas VPN can be your shield against online threats and also unlocks region-locked TV on The CW. It comes with a tracker blocker that battles against ads, suspicious websites and phishing links. Atlas VPN is a good choice if you want to watch TV while you’re moving around.

Other features of this popular VPN include a data breach monitor that tells you if your personal details have been exposed online. Atlas VPN has a tight no-logs policy plus a network kill switch that halts the service if your connection becomes unstable.

Try Atlas VPN today with our exclusive code (30-day money-back guarantee)

PureVPN

• 1-month subscription: $10.95 per month
• 1-year subscription: $3.24 per month (70% off)
• 2-year subscription + 3 months FREE: $2.08 per month (81% off)

PureVPN is a great VPN that allows you to bypass geo-locked websites and services so you can enjoy The CW’s TV shows without a fuss.

Aside from The CW, PureVPN also works with ITV Hub, Hulu and Amazon Prime. There are over 6,000 super-secure PureVPN servers based in over 70 different countries.

Try PureVPN with our unique discount code (31-day money-back guarantee)

Prices listed above correct at time of publication

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