The Pirate Bay is blocked in many countries — but it’s easy to access with a bit of creativity. These are some methods to unblock The Pirate Bay:
- Unblock The Pirate Bay with a proxy or mirror
- Use a proxy server to unblock The Pirate Bay
- Unblock The Pirate Bay with a VPN
- Use the Tor browser to access The Pirate Bay
The best of these methods to unblock The Pirate Bay is using a VPN. A good VPN offers servers from all over the world, which lets you use different IP addresses to successfull unblock The Pirate Bay.
Moreover, a quality VPN will maintain decent download speeds and keep you anonymous and safe while downloading. We recommend Surfshark because of it’s security features, incredible speeds, and affordability.
Surfshark
Do you want to learn more about unblocking The Pirate Bay and the methods for doing so? Check out the complete article below.
For two decades, The Pirate Bay has been millions of people’s go-to torrent site. Unfortunately, since much of the content on the site isn’t legal, the website became the focus of many lawsuits and has since been blocked in several countries. Fortunately, there are ways to unblock The Pirate Bay.
This article will discuss how to access The Pirate Bay worldwide so you can download torrents. We’ll provide four easy ways for doing so, drawing from our extensive knowledge of anti-censorship and unblocking methods.
We’ll also discuss why and how so many countries block access to The Pirate Bay and in which countries this is the case.
Avoid downloading copyrighted content!
VPN use and even the use of torrents are both legal — but any illegal activity, such as downloading copyrighted content, is still subject to legal action.
Four Ways to Unblock The Pirate Bay
In this section, we’ll discuss four ways to unblock The Pirate Bay. Usually, when a website is “blocked” or unavailable, it means IP addresses from your country are disallowed from viewing that website.
The methods below will allow you to access The Pirate Bay if it’s blocked in your country, either by presenting alternatives to The Pirate Bay website or showing you how to change your IP address.
1. Unblock The Pirate Bay with a proxy site or mirror
Using a proxy or mirror is the easiest way to unblock The Pirate Bay, but it’s not always the most effective.
Proxies and mirrors are easy to use because they’re very accessible. Just searching for “The Pirate Bay” on Google will lead you to these alternative websites. But are they safe to use?
How to use Pirate Bay proxy sites
A Pirate Bay proxy site is essentially the same website as the “normal Pirate Bay.” The only difference is that it’s hosted on a server in a country where The Pirate Bay isn’t blocked.
Pirate Bay proxies can be a great way to unblock The Pirate Bay. The problem, however, is they can also be taken down at any time, or IP addresses in your country might still be blocked from accessing them. Using a proxy site isn’t as reliable as accessing the main The Pirate Bay website.
Here is a list of Pirate Bay proxies that work at the time of writing. You can simply click on one of these proxies to open it.
The Pirate Bay proxy list:
- pirateproxy-bay.com (US)
- thepiratebay7.com (US)
- thepiratebay0.org (US)
- thepiratebay10.org (US)
- pirateproxy.live (US)
- thehiddenbay.com (US)
- piratebay.party (Netherlands)
How to use Pirate Bay mirror sites
Pirate Bay mirrors are similar to Pirate Bay proxies. They look identical to The Pirate Bay and also allow for downloading torrent files. The main difference between proxy websites and mirror sites is that a mirror site is a completely new site, and it isn’t automatically connected to the original one.
Sometimes, the mirror site is copied by the owner of the original website to a new server and a new URL. Alternatively, someone who has nothing to do with the original website might create a mirror site.
However, someone has to frequently and manually update the mirror site to make sure it reflects the contents of the original. If a mirror site isn’t being kept updated, then you’re missing out on new torrents. Just like proxy sites, mirror sites can also be shut down at any time.
2. Unblock The Pirate Bay with a proxy server
Using a proxy server lets you hide your IP address from the website you’re visiting. A proxy server sends your traffic through the said server before it reaches its destination. Adding this “middleman” means that any website you visit sees the IP address of the proxy server instead of your own.
Hiding your IP address affords you more anonymity. Moreover, you’ll be able to unblock The Pirate Bay and other online content, provided that the proxy server is in a country where The Pirate Bay is not blocked.
Although proxy servers can be a reliable way to access The Pirate Bay, they do come with some potential disadvantages.
- Not all proxy servers offer decent speeds, which means your torrent downloads will take longer than normal.
- Proxy servers generally lack encryption. Encryption makes your data illegible so hackers and others can’t steal it.
- Proxy servers might be infected with malware. Proxy servers run by unknown parties may not have the security infrastructure to ensure that these servers are safe.
If you do insist on using a proxy server, check out the useful guides below.
How to unblock The Pirate Bay with a proxy server (Windows)
- Choose a suitable proxy server in a country that doesn’t block The Pirate Bay. You can use our list of free proxy servers.
- Click on the Windows icon in your toolbar or on the Windows key on your keyboard.
- Type “Change proxy settings” and click on the first option that appears.
- The other options are to exclude certain domains and pages from the proxy “tunnel.” You can leave these untouched for now.
- Click on “Save.”
How to unblock The Pirate Bay with a proxy server (Mac)
- Press the Apple menu button.
- Go to “System Settings” and click on “Network” in the sidebar.
- Select a network and click on “Details.”
- Click on “Proxies.”
- Enable a proxy and fill out its IP address and port number.
- If the proxy is password protected, select “Proxy server requires password.” Now, fill out your username and password.
- Click on “OK” and you’re all set to use your Pirate Bay proxy.
3. Unblock The Pirate Bay with a VPN
Typically, when you can’t access a website, it means IP addresses from your country are blocked from viewing that website.
This is why a good virtual private network (VPN) is the best tool for unblocking geo-restricted content. Because it has servers all over the globe, you can use an IP address belonging to a country from across the world. In other words, you’ll always have access to IP addresses from countries that don’t block The Pirate Bay.
Other huge advantages of a good VPN are its speed and encryption. Unlike proxy servers, VPN servers offer decent speeds that don’t detract from your browsing and torrenting experience. Your connection is also encrypted by the VPN, meaning no one can see your real IP address and online activities — not even your internet service provider, your government, or the VPN itself.
Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to use virtual private networks to unblock The Pirate Bay.
How to unblock The Pirate Bay with a VPN
- Get a subscription with a solid VPN. Our VPN of choice is Surfshark, thanks to its great downloading speeds.
- Install the VPN app on the device you use for torrenting.
- Connect to a server in a country that doesn’t block The Pirate Bay. Choose a server that’s as close as possible to your home country. This will improve download speeds.
- That’s it! You can now visit thepiratebay.org.
Regarding step three, you can refer to the table at the bottom of this article. This table shows which countries are blocking the Pirate Bay.
4. Unblock The Pirate Bay with the Tor browser
The Tor browser, which is also used to access the dark web, is great at bypassing censorship and unblocking The Pirate Bay.
Tor sends your internet traffic past at least three different nodes (servers) in its network, with encryption taking place at each node. This means it’s virtually impossible to determine the origin of your traffic (you), as your IP address will be very well hidden.
This “sending about” of your traffic is also what gives Tor its unblocking powers. Just like with a VPN, your IP address is hidden by the Tor browser so it’s invisible to any website you visit.
Unfortunately, using Tor to unblock The Pirate Bay also comes with some disadvantages. First, you can’t choose which servers you connect to. This means it might require some trial and error to find servers that will give you access to The Pirate Bay.
Secondly, Tor greatly decreases your internet speed. Since Tor routes your traffic through at least three different servers, your data has to take a huge detour, causing significant speed drops.
Needless to say, the speed decrease is not great for downloading. Still, if you want to use the Tor browser to unblock The Pirate Bay regardless, follow the guide below.
How to unblock The Pirate Bay with the Tor browser
- Go to the Tor project download page and choose the right installation file for your operating system.
- Once the download is complete, open it and go through the steps.
- You’ll now see a window asking you to “Connect” or configure your “Tor Network Settings.” Click on “Connect.”
- However, if you live in a country with a lot of internet censorship, select “Tor Network Settings.” Tor will help you to configure the browser to avoid censorship.
- That’s it! You can now go to The Pirate Bay.
For a more detailed account of how to get Tor up and running on your device, check out our article about installing Tor.
The 3 Best VPNs to Unblock The Pirate Bay
As we mentioned, using a reliable VPN is the most convenient and safe way to unblock The Pirate Bay. But which VPN should you choose? Not all VPNs can maintain fast speeds or offer a wide variety of server locations.
You can check out our VPN reviews to find the best provider for you or keep reading to find our recommendations for the three best VPNs for accessing The Pirate Bay.
1. Surfshark: Best The Pirate Bay unblocker with blazing download speeds
Features:
- Over 3,000 servers across 100 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- P2P support on all Surfshark servers
Speed is where Surfshark shines. Surfshark came out on top during our speed tests and, on top of this, has a huge server network spread out over 100 countries.
Not to mention, every single Surfshark server supports torrenting. This means you’ll always find a server where you can access The Pirate Bay and download files.
If you do run into any problems, Surfshark’s got you covered, as well. The provider offers special obfuscated servers (called Camouflage Mode) and double VPN connections (called MultiHop).
Surfshark’s camouflage mode hides the metadata that gives away your VPN use. Meanwhile, the MultiHop feature can make it seem like your traffic comes from another country, even when your exit server is in a country that normally blocks VPNs. As such, you won’t be blocked. Both these features will help you when the country you’re in enforces VPN blocks.
Lastly, Surfshark is one of the most affordable premium VPNs around, and the provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
- 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
- Cheap with many extra options
2. NordVPN: High-performance, user-friendly Pirate Bay unblocker
Features:
- Over 5,000 servers in 60 countries
- User-friendly interface
- Obfuscated servers and double VPN connections
Just like Surfshark, NordVPN has a vast server network, with over 5,000 VPN servers in 60 countries. This means you’re always likely to find a server that’s Pirate Bay-compatible.
Something that differentiates NordVPN from a lot of other VPNs is its user-friendliness. For starters, its server selection menu is great. There’s a handy little map that lets you select the fastest server within a state just by clicking on a country or region.
NordVPN is also great when the going and the downloading get tough. The provider offers great features to get around censorship and VPN blocks: obfuscated servers and double VPN connections. They should get you around virtually any Pirate Bay ban.
Finally, NordVPN is reasonably priced and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. The provider also offers some great customer support.
3. CyberGhost: Budget Pirate Bay unblocker with tons of download servers
Features:
- Over 9,000 servers in 91 countries
- P2P servers for anonymous torrenting
- Affordable subscription rates
CyberGhost is one of the cheapest premium VPNs around. However, don’t let this fool you: the provider is great at unblocking The Pirate Bay. It’s got a staggering server network with server locations in over 91 countries.
This provider offers P2P servers in 78 of these 91 countries. These servers are specifically optimized for downloading on torrent sites such as The Pirate Bay.
CyberGhost also offers optimized streaming services for many different streaming services, such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Fox Sports, and many others.
To conclude, CyberGhost is one of the cheapest premium VPNs you will find. The provider also offers an impressively generous money-back guarantee of 45 days.
Why is The Pirate Bay Blocked in Some Countries?
The Pirate Bay, just like other torrent sites, contains a lot of copyrighted content. In fact, it’s arguable that most of the content on the Pirate Bay website infringes on someone’s copyright, making those files illegal.
The prevalence of illegal content is why many governments and internet service providers block The Pirate Bay. If you try to access the website, you may see a notice on your screen (such as the one in the image below). In fact, the website might not even show up in your search results.
The table below will show you in which countries one or more ISPs are currently blocking The Pirate Bay.
Which countries have blocked The Pirate Bay?
| Region | Countries that block The Pirate Bay |
|---|---|
| The Americas | Argentina, Brazil |
| Europe | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom |
| Middle East | Iran, Saudi Arabia |
| Asia-Pacific | Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore |
The countries above mainly block The Pirate Bay by ordering ISPs to block the domain. However, there have also been actual raids on the physical locations of the platform’s servers.
Being a Swedish website originally, these raids took place in Stockholm. The first one happened in 2006 when 65 police officers managed to confiscate the platform’s servers. As a result, The Pirate Bay was offline for three days. Another raid happened in 2014.
In general, 2014 was a rough year for The Pirate Bay and its torrenters. This was the year many countries began to consider banning The Pirate Bay, with a few actually doing so. Both the Argentine National Communications Commission (CNC) and the Paris High Court ordered local ISPs to start blocking several Pirate Bay domains in 2014.
Other countries that started blocking the Pirate Bay in 2014, or initiated proceedings to enact the necessary laws, include Australia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
Final Thoughts: Stay Safe While Unblocking The Pirate Bay
There are several methods you can use to unblock The Pirate Bay:
- Using a Pirate Bay proxy or mirror
- Setting up a connection to a proxy server on your device
- Using a VPN
- Using the Tor browser
We hope we’ve also made it clear it’s important to stay safe and anonymous while downloading. Using a VPN is the best way to accomplish this. Surfshark is our recommended option, thanks to its strong security and great speeds.
There are a lot of potential download risks you should be wary of, from malware threats to snooping third parties collecting IP addresses in the hope of finding illegal downloaders.
Check out the following articles to learn more about staying safe online. These will help you to protect your privacy and device while torrenting and downloading.
- Torrent Privacy Flaws: Is an IP Leak Putting You at Risk?
- uTorrent: How to Download with uTorrent Anonymously and Safely
- How to Download Anonymously with Usenet
- The 18 Best Pirate Bay Alternatives That Work in 2023 (Safe and Tested!)
Are you looking for some quick answers to your questions about unblocking The Pirate Bay? Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
In some countries The Pirate Bay is blocked by internet providers. They do this because a lot of the material on the website is in violation of local copyright laws. This way they want to prevent people from downloading illegal material.
If The Pirate Bay is blocked in your country, there is a way around this. You can use a VPN to connect to a server in a country that doesn’t block The Pirate Bay. Now it will seem like you are in a different country and you can access The Pirate Bay without any issues.
With a VPN you can hide your own IP address and make it seem like you are accessing the internet from a different country. This way you can visit websites that are blocked in your own country, like The Pirate Bay. Most good VPNs make sure it’s super easy to get complete internet freedom.
If The Pirate Bay is blocked in your country you can also try websites like RarBG, YTS, Torrentz, Solidtorrents, EZTV, Demonoid, 1337x and iDope. Usenet is another option if you’re looking for thousands of files to download.
In some countries The Pirate Bay is blocked by internet service providers. With a VPN you can unblock The Pirate Bay in these countries. A VPN also makes sure you can download torrents anonymously and securely.
