How to Set Up and Use a Chromecast VPN (Easy Guides)

While Chromecast is an excellent streaming device, geo-blocks can easily get in the way of your fun. No problem, I’ll just use a Chromecast VPN to solve that issue — you might be thinking.

Unfortunately, Chromecast doesn’t natively support VPN apps. That means you can’t download and install a VPN on it. Instead, you’ll need to perform manual setups using a physical or virtual router. We’ll show you how to do that step-by-step in this guide. And we’ll also provide you with a quick list of the best Chromecast VPNs out there.

How to Set Up a Chromecast VPN on a Physical Router

We can’t really offer an exact step-by-step guide because the steps vary from router model to router model. Still, we can offer you a general overview of how to use a Chromecast through VPN on a physical router:

1. First, find a good streaming VPN that works on routers. Our top pick is NordVPN for its blazing-fast speeds, excellent streaming support, and high-end security.
2. Next, check what router model you have and see if the VPN works with it. If the router firmware is not compatible, you might need to flash it and install DD-WRT or Tomato firmware on your router.
3. Next, follow the VPN provider’s support guides — they’ll show you how to set up the service on your router.
4. Once you finish the setup, choose which VPN server the router will use.
5. Now, all your devices that go online through the router will use the VPN connection. So your Chromecast and VPN will work together.
6. Finally, open your Google Home app and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Chromecast.

Alternatively, if you can afford it, you can buy a VPN router from a top provider. It comes with the VPN firmware already installed on it. But keep in mind this option is more expensive.

How to Set Up a Chromecast VPN on a Virtual Router

Maybe your router isn’t compatible with the VPN you want to use. And maybe you don’t want to flash it and install new firmware because it seems too complicated. In that case, you can use your PC or Mac to set up a virtual router connection. There are a few steps involved, but it’s not that complicated.

Setting Up a VPN on Chromecast on a Virtual Router on Windows

1. Open your Search Bar by using Win + S.
2. Type cmd — this will locate the command prompt. To open it, right-click and pick Run as administrator.
3. Next, type this: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=NETWORKNAME key=PASSWORD
   1. ssid — pick a name for your network.
   2. key — pick a password for your network.
4. Hit Enter.
5. You should now see these messages:
   1. The hosted network mode has been set to allow.
   2. The SSID of the hosted network has been successfully changed.
   3. The user key passphrase of the hosted network has been successfully changed.
6. Now, type this command: netsh wlan start hostednetwork
7. You should see this message: The hosted network started.
8. At the bottom right corner of your screen, right-click the WiFi icon and select Open Network & Internet settings.
9. Pick Change adapter options.
10. Right-click the VPN connection you created and select Properties.
11. Head to the Sharing tab and check these options:
    1. Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection.
    2. Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection.
    3. Under Home network connection, select the connection you just created.
12. Hit Ok.
13. Now, open the Google Home app on your Android device.
14. Tap the discover button.
15. Pick your Chromecast device and select Set up. 
16. On the Connect to Wi-Fi screen, pick the virtual router you set up.
17. Type in the password you created and hit Next.
18. Congrats — your Chromecast is now using your VPN-enabled virtual router!

Setting Up a VPN on Chromecast on a Virtual Router on macOS

1. Open System Preferences and select the Network icon.
2. In the bottom of the left hand panel, hit the plus (+) button.
3. You’ll now see a pop-up window — select these options:
   1. Interface: VPN.
   2. VPN Type: L2TP over IPSec.
   3. Service Name: pick a name for your connection.
4. When done, hit Create.
5. You then need to configure your connection:
   1. Configuration: Default.
   2. Server Address: get the VPN server address from your VPN provider.
   3. Account Name: enter your VPN account username.
6. To see your VPN connection status in the menu bar, check the box next to this option: Show VPN status in menu bar.
7. Next, select Authentication Settings.
8. In the Password field, enter your password. In the Shared Secret field, enter whatever you want. You can even use 1234567890.
9. Head to Advanced and check the box next to this option: Send all traffic over VPN connection.
10. Click OK, then Apply to save all settings.
11. Now, go back to System Preferences and pick Sharing.
12. Choose Internet Sharing and pick the following options:
    1. Share your connection from: the L2TP connection you created.
    2. To computers using: Wi-Fi.
13. Next, pick Wi-Fi Options and add the following info:
    1. Network Name: pick a network name.
    2. Channel: leave the default option.
    3. Security: WPA2 Personal.
    4. Password: create a password.
    5. Verify: re-enter the password.
14. Hit OK. 
15. Check the box next to Internet Sharing on the Sharing menu on the left. 
16. A pop-up prompt will show up — select Start.
17. Next, open the Google Home app on your device and tap the discover button.
18. Hit Set up after selecting your Chromecast.
19. On the Connect to Wi-Fi screen, choose the virtual router you just created.
20. Type in your virtual router password and select Next.
21. Your Chromecast device is now using the VPN-enabled virtual router!

The Benefits of Using Chromecast and VPNs

Chromecast comes with the same issues any streaming site has — geo-blocks prevent you from watching all the titles you want. For example, if you’re outside the UK, you can’t stream BBC iPlayer with Chromecast. 

However, a Chromecast VPN solves that problem. It hides your IP address, so your real location is no longer visible. That way, you can bypass geo-restrictions and unblock any content you want on all streaming sites.

In addition to that, a VPN also provides security and privacy. It encrypts your traffic, making it unreadable — so nobody can spy on it. That means your ISP can’t see your streaming traffic, so they can’t throttle it when you eat up too much data when you binge your favorite shows and movies.

The 5 Best VPNs for Chromecast

With hundreds of VPNs out there, it’s hard to pick the right one. So we made things easy for you — we researched and tested 30+ top VPNs and managed to find the best 5 Chromecast VPNs on the market:

1. NordVPN

We think NordVPN provides the best experience for Chromecast users. It provides excellent streaming support, is simple to set up on routers, and comes with very fast speeds.

In our tests, it took us less than 10 minutes to configure NordVPN on our DD-WRT router. The provider has very helpful step-by-step guides for tons of router models. Also, the support reps are available 24/7 over live chat if you have any questions.

What’s more, we were able to access any popular streaming site we wanted with this VPN. We had no trouble unblocking top streaming sites like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu. And we never saw a proxy error message with this provider.

And we can also confirm that NordVPN on Chromecast has lightning-fast streaming speeds. 4K videos always loaded instantly for us and they didn’t buffer when we skipped through them. What’s more, our streaming speeds remained just as fast even when we used a 2.4 GHz router and used IPTV services.

Furthermore, with NordVPN, you get excellent security and privacy. It has advanced security features like RAM-only servers, meaning every server reset wipes all data. Also, this provider’s no-logs policy has passed 2 independent audits, so it’s really easy to trust this VPN with your privacy.

And if you want to use this VPN on other devices, you get tons of perks. Just to name a few — easy-to-use apps, double VPN connections, obfuscation, and CyberSec, a powerful ad blocker.

NordVPN comes with a few paid plans that are very affordable. It also backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To learn more about this VPN service, check out our in-depth NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark

Surfshark on Chromecast has some of the fastest streaming speeds out there. We also like that it’s one of the only VPNs that allows unlimited simultaneous connections. So if you want to use this VPN on other devices, you can set it up on as many platforms as you want.

We had a very easy time setting up this VPN on a DD-WRT router — it only took us 7–8 minutes to do it. The fact that Surfshark has tons of step-by-step guides for different router models really helps. What’s more, some of its guides even include video tutorials.

In our Chromecast VPN speed tests, this VPN service performed extremely well. We really like that 4K videos loaded instantly and that they didn’t buffer when we skipped through them. What’s more, our quality never dropped from 4K to HD — even when we binged TV shows for 5–6 hours using WiFi with a weak signal.

What’s more, we were able to watch any content we wanted. We had no problem accessing top streaming sites from the US, Canada, the UK, and Japan.

And if you use Surfshark on other devices, you also get other cool perks like double VPN support, obfuscation, and a good ad blocker. You can also purchase paid add-ons like Surfshark Antivirus, which protects you from malware infections.

This VPN comes with very good 24/7 live chat support and very affordable paid plans. And it backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To find out more about this VPN, please read our full Surfshark review.

3. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN works with almost all the popular streaming sites and provides really strong security. It also has some of the most affordable plans on the market, so this is a perfect choice if you’re on a budget.

PrivateVPN works on routers, but only on specific models. Unfortunately, there are no support articles for the router models this VPN works on. But you can always reach customer support 24/7 over live chat. When we did that, the reps always responded in less than 5 seconds and provided us with very helpful information.

Once we got this VPN running on our router, we were able to access any streaming content we wanted using our Chromecast. We had no problem streaming titles from top sites like Amazon Prime, HBO Max, and Disney+. This provider also worked with smaller streaming sites like Sony Crackle, Crunchyroll, and VRV.

In our tests, we also had very fast streaming speeds. HD videos loaded instantly and 4K videos loaded in 2–3 seconds. Also, we never experienced buffering and quality drops during our streaming tests.

We also like that PrivateVPN comes with industry-standard security features. And since it has bank-grade encryption, there’s no way for your ISP to spy on your traffic. So they can’t throttle your streaming speeds.

And if you use this VPN on other devices, you also get P2P support on all servers, obfuscation, and very beginner-friendly apps.

PrivateVPN has some of the cheapest plans on the market and also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN provides really good support and is one of the only VPNs out there that has an app for routers. This VPN claims to unblock 65+ streaming sites, and our tests back up its claims. We were always able to watch shows and movies on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.

We really like how simple it is to set up this VPN on a router. It’s especially cool that this provider has its own app for routers, which works on multiple models. You just have to download and upload it to your router to install the ExpressVPN firmware. The whole process only took us about 5 minutes.

Plus, this VPN has very helpful step-by-step tutorials that make the whole manual setup process very simple. And ExpressVPN’s support reps are available 24/7 via live chat, and they’re also knowledgeable. 

Also, we’re big fans of the Device Groups feature on the router app. Most VPN providers only let you choose 1 server location to use on your router. But with this VPN, you can choose up to 5 locations. And switching between the server locations is extremely simple.

On top of that, we also enjoyed very fast speeds when we used ExpressVPN on Chromecast. All 4K videos loaded in just 3–4 seconds and we never experienced quality drops or random disconnects.

And if you use this VPN on other devices, you also get other cool features. Highlights include P2P support on 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries, RAM-only servers, and split-tunneling.

ExpressVPN comes with several paid plans — they might seem a bit expensive, but they offer really good value. Plus, each purchase is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Want to find out more about this VPN? Check out our hands-on ExpressVPN review.

5. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) works on a few router models, provides fast streaming, and comes with very strong privacy features. 

It only took us a couple of minutes to set up this VPN on our router. It really helps that PIA has easy-to-read tutorials for router setups. Some of the guides even include screenshots, which are extremely helpful.

When we used this Chromecast VPN, we were able to access any streaming site we wanted. This provider unblocks titles on Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Crunchyroll, and more.

And we really like how fast this VPN service is. HD videos always loaded in 1–2 seconds and 4K videos loaded in 4–5 seconds. On top of that, we never experienced any buffering when we skipped through the videos.

What’s more, this VPN service has very good security and privacy features. Its servers only run on RAM memory and its no-logs policy has been proven true in many court documents. What’s more, if you use PIA on other devices, you’ll get to use open-source apps. That means anyone can inspect the code for security vulnerabilities. Furthermore, you also get other cool features like obfuscation, an ad blocker, and split-tunneling.

PIA comes with a few paid plans that are really affordable. And it also backs all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To find out more about this provider, just read our PIA review.

How to Choose the Best Google Chromecast VPN

Here are the metrics we used to rank all the VPNs on this list:

• Router support — Chromecast doesn’t support VPN apps, so you need to use the VPN on a router. All the VPNs on this list work on routers and most of them also provide helpful setup tutorials.
• Streaming support — we only recommend VPNs that work with popular streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
• Fast speeds — using a VPN might slow down your speed due to the encryption process, and the slowdown is more noticeable on a router. So we only picked VPNs that have very fast speeds for streaming.
• Strong security — all the VPNs on this list come with industry-standard security features. They have bank-grade encryption, no-logs policies, kill switches, and leak protection.
• Extra features — some of you might want to use the VPN on devices that natively support VPN apps. So we only picked VPNs that have easy-to-use apps with plenty of extra features like split-tunneling, ad blockers, and more.
• Good value — we only recommend VPNs that have affordable subscriptions with flexible plan lengths. Also, all our top picks back their plans with 30-day money-back guarantees.

My Chromecast Doesn’t Work with a VPN — Why’s That?

Sometimes, Chromecast over VPN connections might not work properly due to Google Public DNS. Luckily, there’s a Chromecast VPN workaround for that issue that’s very simple. You just need to change your DNS settings on your router so that you don’t use Google Public DNS anymore.

We can’t exactly give you a step-by-step tutorial for this Chromecast VPN fix. How you change DNS settings varies from router model to router model. Try using these keywords on Google to find the information you need: [router model] + change DNS.

Once you find how to do that, ask your VPN provider which DNS addresses you need to use. The support reps will provide you with the VPN’s DNS addresses.

Using Chromecast with VPNs — FAQs

Here are the most common questions we saw people asking about using VPNs for Chromecast. If you have more questions, just drop us a line in the comments.

Can I Use Chromecast with Free VPNs?

There are free VPNs available, but we don’t recommend using them for Chromecast. Free VPNs usually don’t work on routers, have slow speeds, and don’t unblock streaming sites. What’s more, they limit how much data you can use, lack essential security and privacy features, and have glitchy apps.

Instead, we recommend getting an affordable paid VPN. NordVPN is the best VPN in our opinion — it works on routers, has excellent streaming support, and provides very fast speeds.

Can I Install a VPN on Chromecast?

No, you can’t install a VPN on Chromecast directly because the device doesn’t have native support for VPN apps. Instead, you’ll have to set up the VPN on your router. That way, your Chromecast connections that go online through the router will automatically use a VPN connection.

And if setting up the VPN on your physical router isn’t an option, you can create a virtual router VPN connection on your PC or Mac.

Does Chromecast Have a VPN?

No, Chromecast doesn’t come with a VPN. It also doesn’t natively support VPN apps, so you can’t download and install one on it. Instead, you need to set up the VPN on your router, and Chromecast will use it when it accesses the internet.

Does Chromecast Block VPNs?

No, Chromecast doesn’t block VPNs, but it also doesn’t support them. So you can’t install a VPN app directly on your Chromecast device. Instead, you have to set up a VPN on your router. That way, Chromecast will use the VPN connection when it uses the router to go online.

Does Chromecast Need a VPN?

You need to use a Chromecast VPN if you want to access geo-blocked content on your favorite streaming sites. A VPN hides your IP address, which stops sites from seeing your real location. So if you’re in the UK and connect to a VPN server in the US, you can watch US titles on sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

In addition to that, if you use a VPN on Chromecast, you’ll encrypt your internet traffic. That provides better security and privacy. Also, since your ISP can’t see your traffic, it can’t selectively slow down your streaming speeds when you use too much data.

Can I Use Chromecast over VPN If I Cast Tab or Desktop?

Yes, you can use a Chromecast VPN that way. It’s a simple solution but it’s not very efficient — you mirror it from your computer so you’ll get lower quality streams. 

Also, if you plan on doing this, keep these things in mind:

• If you’re using Netflix, you need to use the Cast Desktop option. If you use the Cast Tab option, it will open the Netflix app and won’t mirror your tab.
• You need to Cast Tab or Cast Desktop before you connect to the VPN. If you do it afterwards, the VPN will be on a separate network and your computer won’t be able to detect the Chromecast device.

Can I Use Chromecast with Google TV VPN?

Yes, if you get the new Chromecast that comes with Google TV, you can download and install a VPN app. That’s because Google TV is based on Android TV, which supports VPN apps. You get access to the Google Play Store, where you can find top VPN provider apps.

NordVPN is the best pick in our opinion, but you can check our guide to the best Android TV VPNs to find the right service for you.

The Bottom Line

You need a Chromecast VPN if you want to bypass geo-blocks to watch your favorite shows and movies on streaming sites. But Chromecast devices don’t natively support VPNs, so you need to set up the VPN on your router or create a virtual router VPN connection. It’s a bit of a hassle, but worth it. 

Have you ever used Chromecast over a VPN? If yes, how was your experience? And which VPN did you use? Please let us know in the comments.