Are you trying to access YouTube from work and you don’t have access or it doesn’t load any videos? Companies normally apply various filters to prevent their workers from accessing certain Internet pages.
This is usually done to avoid access to websites that are not considered productive or related to our work environment. A good example is video platforms, news and sports results websites, movies, etc. And of course, YouTube too.
In today’s guide, we will see, therefore, how we can bypass that restriction to watch YouTube videos from work without problems. Before starting, we must keep in mind that companies can use various methods (proxy filtering, firewalls, modification of the “hosts” file on the PC, etc.) to prevent access to certain pages. If we see that any of these methods do not work, let’s try the next one.
How to watch YouTube videos at work
Of course, depending on the strength of the filtering and the type of Internet access control that each company applies, it is possible that they neutralize all our attempts to watch videos on YouTube. In any case, some may serve us perfectly, so don’t give up on your efforts. Luck!
1# Connect to YouTube using Proxysite
A proxy site is a page that uses servers located in various parts of the planet to access YouTube. When we connect to Proxysite, we just have to select the server – we can leave the one that appears by default -, confirm that we have the YouTube URL loaded in the search engine and click on the “GO” button.
In this way, we can enter our favorite video platform without restrictions. Not only that, but we can also access content with regional blocking thanks to the different servers that Proxysite makes available to us. One of the simplest and most practical ways to bypass blocks is by loading YouTube from another page.
This website is very popular, which means that many times the server becomes saturated and does not allow the videos to be loaded. To solve it, it is best to try another server (I usually use the “US9” and “US10” servers, which are normally not very saturated).
If you have problems you can also try other web proxies, such as HideMyAss, 4everproxy, and Hide. Me or Sneakme. You can find more information about the characteristics and differences between these proxy services on the Proxysite website in the post “ The best proxy servers for browsing anonymously .”
2# Use Google Translate to watch the videos without restriction
A good trick to be able to watch YouTube videos is to use Google Translate as an unlocking tool. In the text to be translated, we simply enter the URL of the YouTube video we want to see and click on “ Translate ”.
If we look closely we will see that the translation is nothing more than the same address but with a clickable link. Click on the link and you will see how it will automatically load the video into the translator, bypassing the blockage.
That is, instead of playing the video on youtube.com it will be displayed on translate.google.com. Perfect for avoiding systems that restrict access by domain.
Of course, keep in mind that it is recommended that the target language in the translator be Spanish, to avoid problems when loading the corresponding YouTube page.
3# Create a Wi-Fi access point with your mobile
If our work network blocks YouTube videos, a simple method to “get around” this restriction is to connect to another network. If you have guest Wi-Fi in your office and your PC has a wireless connection, take advantage and connect to that network. Guest Wi-Fi will likely not have such strong restrictions and will allow you to access YouTube. Of course, it may be necessary to contact the company’s IT specialists to provide you with a username and password to access the Wi-Fi.
Another similar method is to create your own Wi-Fi network or access point with your mobile phone and connect to it with your work PC. On Android, you can create a Wi-Fi network by following these steps:
- Enter the Android “Settings” general menu.
- See « Networks and Internet «.
- Click on « Internet Sharing «.
- Activate the “ Use Internet Sharing ” tab.
- Finally, click on “ Access Point Password ” to set a password for the new network you just created.
Now that you have created the Wi-Fi network, simply connect to it from your work PC. Company network content restriction policies may still apply. In this case, you will have to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the computer’s network socket, or log out of the PC and log in with a local user account.
If you have problems sharing Wi-Fi with your mobile phone, take a look at the tutorial “ How to create a Wi-Fi hotspot on Android ”.
4# Access anonymously with the TOR browser
The TOR browser is one of the safest ways to browse the Internet. If we access YouTube through TOR we prevent our service provider from “reading” (and consequently blocking access) the pages we visit, our credentials, and our history.
We can install the official TOR browser, the TOR Browser, completely free from the developer’s own website.
Note: This method may cause more problems since in many companies users do not have permission to install applications on their PC. If this is our case, let’s try the following “trick”.
5# Use a VPN application
Another easy way to bypass work restrictions to watch YouTube videos is to use an application that allows us to establish a VPN connection to hide our IP address. If your company or office does not have the installation of applications blocked, you can try a bunch of VPN applications for PCs such as TunnelBear or Windscribe. You can find a list of the best free VPNs in the post “ The 9 best free VPN services ” that I published just a few months ago here on the blog.
If we prefer to be a little more discreet, we can install a browser like Opera (download on its official website HERE), which has a free integrated VPN service. We can use it as a regular browser during our working hours, and when we have free time, click on the “VPN” icon that we will see in the address bar itself. A small menu will automatically be displayed where we can activate private browsing and also choose our virtual location (Asia, Europe or America).
Opera also has a version for Android. If you prefer to use the VPN to watch videos with your mobile, you can see more details on how to configure it in THIS POST.
6# The Ultrasurf application
Ultrasurf is a PC application (free with embedded ads) that was created to give users in China greater freedom when browsing the Internet. The program uses proxies to mask our IP and browsing data, allowing us to visit restricted-access websites.
Some antivirus detects it as a malicious application. False positive or not, Ultrasurf is a tool that has been used for many years to overcome all barriers against Internet censorship. If we can use any other tool, much better, but if not, it is another option to consider.
Note: In recent times there has been intensive use of Ultrasurf in the Middle East, which is saturating the servers of this application. According to the developers, although they are working to expand and offer a stable service, we may notice slowdowns or outages during busy times.
7# Check the hosts file
Windows uses a file called “ hosts ” located in the path C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc to manage the association of a domain to an IP address. It is not very common, but it could be that for whatever reason we have a redirection configured in this file that is blocking access to YouTube.
We can open and modify the file with a notepad if we see any suspicious lines in this file that may be affecting our Internet output. We just have to delete the line with the IP and URL and the redirection will be cancelled.
Of course, keep in mind that if our boss finds out that we are modifying this delicate file, he may give us a good fight. Additionally, many companies often automatically update the host file when we log in to the work network, overriding any changes previously made.
Video blocked in my region? In this case, we need a proxy
Finally, if we want to watch a region-locked video, regardless of whether we have YouTube enabled or not at work, we will need a proxy or a VPN connection.
In this way we modify our IP to assign it to another one from a country where region blocking is not enabled.
To achieve this objective we can use the Proxfree website or the previously mentioned Proxysite and SneakMe. We load the search engine, enter the URL, select the server location (France, United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Canada, or the USA), and load the page.
We can also bypass YouTube’s regional restrictions using VPN applications such as the aforementioned TunnelBear, Zenmate, or similar. Personally, one of my favorites is Windscribe, it offers 50GB free per month and offers a wide variety of servers in different countries around the world. All this with a good Internet connection speed.
Proxies in the form of a browser plugin
Another way to use proxies to access YouTube is to use free browser extensions or plugins. In this area, we have a few alternatives, but the one that seems to work best today is Hotspot Shield. You can find it in the extensions search engine of your browser (Chrome/Firefox) or download it from its official website.
There are also other plugins, such as Hola or ProxMate. However, these extensions do not seem trustworthy. In the case of Hola, for example, it was discovered that it used its bandwidth to create bots and sell its services to third parties. Proximate also does not seem to have the public’s approval. If we can avoid them, even better.
Brief final reflection
Finally, let us keep in mind that this type of Internet access control is carried out largely for reasons of security and integrity of the information handled on the company network. If we see that we need to consult pages that we have blocked on our work team, it is best to talk to the IT department so that they enable access for us.
I have been working as a computer scientist for various companies for several years, and I can assure you that the most “innocent” and harmless activities are those that in the end open the door to infections and malware that can sometimes lead to the encryption of critical files and loss. of data irretrievably.
Let’s think that with these tricks to bypass company locks, we are not only opening a door to our office computer but to all the computers that are networked within the domain (which can sometimes be hundreds or thousands of PCs).