Does Surfshark Work With Netflix? Setup and Fixes (2026)

Surfshark says yes. Its help-center guide “How to securely watch Netflix with Surfshark” answers the question “Does Surfshark work with Netflix?” with “Yes, indeed”. Its streaming page lists Netflix first among seven services. Its Netflix page describes the setup as connect and open the app.

The same pages carry the warning every provider now prints. Surfshark’s FAQ says some streaming services “may try to detect VPN traffic, and results may vary depending on the platform.” We have not tested streaming on Surfshark. So everything on this page is Surfshark’s documented claim as of 31 October 2026. We arranged it into the setup order Surfshark itself recommends and the fix order from its Netflix troubleshooting article.

Surfshark discontinued its SmartDNS feature on 2 February 2026. So smart-TV instructions you may have seen elsewhere no longer apply.

Does Surfshark work with Netflix? What its own pages say

Surfshark’s Netflix guide gives a four-line recipe:

1. Make sure the VPN is on.
2. Connect to your home country’s server.
3. Clear the browser cache.
4. Log in to Netflix and refresh.

The words “home country” are deliberate. Surfshark’s pages describe the use case as reaching the library you normally see while you travel. Its terms say the service must not be used for anything illegal.

Its streaming page names Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Hulu and Crunchyroll. Those are seven services in our record, all with the status “claimed”. The page also names Hotstar, which we do not track.

We verified the numbers behind the claim on 31 October 2026. Surfshark has 4,500-plus servers in 100 countries and 130-plus locations, all RAM-only. Every plan allows unlimited simultaneous connections. So one subscription covers the phone, the laptop and the TV at once.

The prices that day were:

• $2.49 a month for the 24-month Starter plan. That is $67.23 for 27 months, under a Black Friday label.
• $3.39 a month on a 12-month term, or $40.68 in total.
• $16.45 for a single month.

The pricing page does not state what the 24-month plan renews at. Our Surfshark pricing page records it as unknown rather than guessing. The full verdict is in our Surfshark review.

Step by step: using Surfshark with Netflix

1. Subscribe and install the Surfshark app on the device you watch on. Surfshark has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV. It also has Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions. For Netflix on a computer, the full app protects everything on the machine. The extension covers only the browser.
2. Connect to a server in the region you want. Surfshark’s guide says to connect to your home country’s server. Its Fire TV guide puts it more generally: “choose the VPN location depending on which streaming service you’re trying to access”. For example, use any US location for a US service. Use the search box in the locations list to pick a country. If you only want your local library protected, use Quick-connect for the fastest nearby server.
3. Check for “Connected and safe”. Surfshark’s troubleshooting article says to look for that status before anything else. It also says to run its DNS leak test. A DNS leak test checks that your device looks up websites through the VPN, not through your internet provider. Our is my VPN working check shows which country your connection appears to come from. It should match the server.
4. Clear the browser cache or the Netflix app’s data, then sign in. This is step three of Surfshark’s own recipe. Netflix remembers the region it last saw. In a browser, clear the cache and cookies and refresh. On Android, Surfshark’s route is Settings, Apps, Netflix, Force Stop, Storage, Clear cache. On iOS, Surfshark says to reinstall the Netflix app instead.
5. Check the app settings that interfere. Keep the protocol on automatic or WireGuard unless streaming stalls. The protocol is the method the app uses to build the VPN connection. Surfshark’s Netflix article suggests switching to OpenVPN/UDP if content loads forever. Bypasser is Surfshark’s split tunneling on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Split tunneling lets you choose which apps skip the VPN. If you use Bypasser, make sure Netflix or your browser is not routed around the VPN. Surfshark’s help center also says it does not support IPv6, the newer type of internet address. It recommends disabling IPv6 on the device, which removes one way Netflix can see your real location.
6. Install the native app on Apple TV, Fire TV or Android TV. Apple TV needs tvOS 17 or later. Install Surfshark from the App Store. Choose Log in or Continue with Apple, or scan the QR code with the Surfshark app on your phone. You can also enter the code under Settings, My account, Enter login code. Allow the VPN configuration, then pick a location. Fire TV Stick needs Fire OS 7.0 or later. Search the Appstore for Surfshark VPN and install it. Sign in by QR code, login code or email. Then press the fastest recommended location, or search for a country by its two-letter code. Android TV works the same way as Fire TV. Open Netflix only after the app shows a green Connected status.
7. Use a router or a stick on a Samsung or LG TV, a Roku or a console. Surfshark has no native app for Samsung Tizen or LG webOS. Since 2 February 2026, it has no SmartDNS either. Its smart-TV guide documents three routes. One is to install Surfshark on a compatible router, so every device on the Wi-Fi is covered. Surfshark warns the setup can be complicated and that not every router supports it. Another is to share a VPN-protected Wi-Fi hotspot from a Windows PC running the Surfshark app. The third is to plug in a Fire TV Stick or Android TV box and run the app there. If you set up SmartDNS before February 2026, remove it. Surfshark says a TV still pointed at the old SmartDNS addresses will lose internet access. Its notice gives the menu paths for Samsung and LG sets to restore automatic DNS or use its public resolver, 194.169.169.169.

Surfshark’s pages repeat on every step that using the service for anything illegal is forbidden. They say you must respect the terms of the services and websites you access. Netflix’s help page treats a VPN as the cause of its error and tells you to turn it off. Read both before you decide what you are using the connection for.

Expected result

The Surfshark app should show Connected and safe on a server in your chosen country. Reopen the Netflix app or browser after clearing its cache. Netflix should then sign in without a site error and play titles without the “unblocker or proxy” message. It should show the library of the country you connected to.

You can check this with Netflix’s own tool. Open fast.com on a device on the same network and click “Show more info”. Then read the country next to “Client”. Netflix’s help page uses that field to decide whether a VPN is on, so it should name the server’s country.

On a TV, the same applies through the native app. On a router setup, every device on the Wi-Fi will appear to be in the server’s country, Netflix included.

Troubleshooting: Surfshark Netflix not working

• “You may be using an unblocker or proxy”, error M7111-5059. Netflix’s help page now also lists code E106. Surfshark’s Netflix article says this means Netflix suspects a VPN or proxy, and that a DNS leak can cause it. Its fix order starts with clearing the browser cache or reinstalling the Netflix app. Next, try a few different servers and restart the device. For a console or smart TV, unplug it for several minutes. Then run a DNS leak test, and try the Netflix website instead of the app. Its general streaming article explains why switching works: “streaming services block individual IP addresses. Reconnecting often gives you a fresh IP that isn’t blocked.” Close the app fully, reconnect to a different city or server in the same country, and reopen it.
• The error appears on every server. Check Netflix’s own rules first. Its help page says VPNs “aren’t supported for watching Live events on Netflix or if you’re on an ad-supported experience”. So an ad-supported plan fails on every server by design, and so does a live event. If your plan is ad-free, run the leak tests again, including our IPv6 leak test. If an address shows, disable IPv6, as Surfshark recommends.
• One profile fails, the others work. Surfshark’s article says Netflix can save a VPN detection to the specific profile rather than the device. Switch to another profile on the same account. If that one works, the flagged profile should clear automatically within 24 to 48 hours.
• Netflix will not sign in while connected. Surfshark’s “Netflix Site Error” fix: disconnect from Surfshark, log in to Netflix, reconnect, then refresh the browser.
• Error NW-2-5, or the content loads forever. Surfshark treats NW-2-5 as a connectivity problem. Test without the VPN. Change the device’s or router’s DNS to Surfshark’s resolvers, 162.252.172.57 and 149.154.159.92. Turn off router parental controls or safe-browsing features, and restart the device. For endless loading, switch the protocol to OpenVPN/UDP in Settings, VPN settings, Protocol. You can also try other locations, or change the router’s DNS.
• Something on the device is interfering. Surfshark’s streaming article lists third-party web-protection services, GPS location services on phones, and the browser. Turn GPS location services off while streaming. For the browser, try an incognito window, a different browser, or a different device on the same network.
• The TV lost its connection after February 2026. That is the discontinued SmartDNS. Restore the TV’s automatic DNS settings using the paths in Surfshark’s notice, or enter 194.169.169.169. Then use one of the three TV routes in step 7.
• When to contact support. A specific country may fail on every server after the steps above. Surfshark’s 24/7 live chat can then tell you whether that location is blocked right now. Nobody outside Surfshark can tell you that. Give them the error code, the server name and the device.
• When to ask for a refund. The 30-day money-back guarantee covers a first purchase made through Surfshark’s site or its billing partners Paddle, Google Play and Cleverbridge. You request it through live chat. It excludes renewed subscriptions and previously refunded accounts. It also excludes non-refundable add-ons such as the anonymous dedicated IP and Alternative ID. Apple refunds App Store purchases, and Amazon refunds Amazon Appstore purchases. Google refunds Google Play purchases within 48 hours, and Surfshark refunds them after that. Test Netflix inside the first month, because the renewal is not refundable.

Related

• Surfshark review and Surfshark pricing and price history
• Best VPN for Netflix: every provider whose official pages document Netflix, with the catches
• Netflix VPN not working: provider-neutral fixes for the proxy error
• Does NordVPN work with Netflix? and Does ExpressVPN work with Netflix?
• NordVPN vs Surfshark: same owner, different TV options and prices
• All guides and the is my VPN working check