YouTube uses your account’s country setting to shape recommendations, the Trending page, and which region-specific features are available to you. Changing it is straightforward — but it does less than most people expect, which is worth understanding before you bother.
How to Change Your Country
- Sign in to YouTube and click your profile icon.
- Go to Settings, then Advanced settings on desktop.
- Find the Location section and select your country.
- Save your changes.
On mobile, the equivalent is under Settings > General > Location.
What This Setting Actually Affects
- Recommendations and the Trending page — you’ll see content popular in the selected country.
- Regional feature availability — some YouTube features roll out country by country.
- Default language and formatting in some parts of the interface.
What It Doesn’t Affect
This is the important part. Changing your account country does not bypass regional content restrictions. Licensed content — music videos, films, TV, live sports — is geo-blocked based on your actual IP address, not your account setting. Setting your country to another region won’t unlock content licensed only there.
It also doesn’t change your billing country for YouTube Premium, which is tied to your payment method’s country and generally can’t be switched by editing this setting.
For Creators: The Country Setting That Matters More
There’s a separate country setting for your channel, under YouTube Studio > Settings > Channel > Basic info. This one affects monetization eligibility, applicable tax requirements, and which YouTube Partner Program features you can access — so it needs to reflect where you actually live and pay taxes, not a country you’d prefer.
Don’t set this to a different country hoping for better ad rates. Payment and tax verification will catch the mismatch, and misrepresenting your location can put your monetization at risk.
If You’ve Actually Moved
Update both settings above, and if you’re monetized, also update your address and tax information in AdSense. A mismatch between your channel country, AdSense address, and payment method’s country is a common cause of held payments.
FAQ
Does changing my country unlock region-restricted videos?
No. Licensed content is geo-blocked by your actual IP address, not your account setting.
Where is the YouTube location setting?
Settings > Advanced settings on desktop, or Settings > General > Location on mobile.
Is there a separate country setting for creators?
Yes. The channel country under Studio > Settings > Channel affects monetization and tax requirements, and must reflect where you actually live.
Can I set a different country for better ad rates?
No — verification will catch the mismatch, and misrepresenting your location can put your monetization at risk.