YouTube Region Restriction Checker

Region restrictions come from two different sources:

Creator-initiated restrictions: In YouTube Studio, any creator can choose to make their video unavailable in specific countries or make it ONLY available in specific countries. Reasons include licensing agreements for music or video clips used, audience targeting for a specific market, or legal compliance requirements.

YouTube-enforced restrictions: YouTube (or its music licensing partners) can apply restrictions automatically. This happens most often when a video uses copyrighted music. The rights holder may own those music rights only in certain territories, so YouTube blocks the video in territories where a different entity holds the rights.

Both types of restriction look the same to a viewer: the video either doesn't play or shows an error saying "Video not available in your country." This tool tells you which countries have access and which don't.

Creators using licensed music: If you use music from YouTube's Audio Library or stock music services, those licenses sometimes have territorial restrictions. Checking your video's region availability before publishing ensures your content reaches the audience you intended.

Business and brand channels: Brands creating country-specific campaigns often restrict videos to target markets intentionally. Auditing these restrictions ensures the right content is available in the right markets.

Educators and institutions: Educational videos distributed through YouTube for specific regional programs need to be verifiably available in those regions. This tool provides that verification.

Viewers experiencing issues: If you're in a country where a video shows as unavailable and you want to understand why, this tool confirms whether the issue is a genuine restriction or something else (like a private video or an error).

Content aggregators and embed users: If you're embedding a YouTube video on a website with a global audience, checking for region restrictions first ensures your embedded video actually plays for all your visitors.

If you run a check on your own video and find restrictions you didn't set:

• Open YouTube Studio
• Go to Content and click the video
• Click Edit > Details
• Under Advanced Settings, look for "Video Location" and distribution settings
• Review whether any restrictions are listed

If the restriction is from a copyright claim on background music, you'll need to address it in the Copyright section of YouTube Studio - either by removing the music, disputing the claim, or accepting the restrictions.

Before any major video goes live - especially if it involves licensed music, branded content, or geographically sensitive topics - run a region restriction check immediately after publishing.

YouTube sometimes applies automatic restrictions based on Content ID scans that happen right after upload. A video that was unrestricted when you published it may pick up restrictions within the first hour as the scan completes.

Checking immediately after upload and again 2-3 hours later catches these issues before your audience encounters them. If restrictions appear that you didn't intend, you can address the source before the video gets significant traffic.

That 5-minute check has saved many creators the embarrassment of realizing, days later, that a video was only visible in one country when it was meant for a global audience.