Surfshark has its own app in the Amazon Appstore, so you install it on a Fire TV Stick the same way you install Netflix or YouTube. One Surfshark account covers unlimited devices, so adding the stick doesn't cost you a slot. The steps below come from Surfshark's Fire TV page and help center, checked on November 4, 2026. If you are still choosing a VPN for your stick, our guide to the best VPN for Fire Stick compares Surfshark with ExpressVPN, NordVPN and others.

Check your Fire TV first

Surfshark's setup guide asks for Fire OS 7.0 or later. You can see your version in Settings, under My Fire TV and then About (older models call it Device or System instead of My Fire TV).

A few models need a different plan:

  • First-generation Fire TV Stick. Surfshark says this stick doesn't support any VPN. The workaround it suggests is a VPN on your router, which then covers everything on your home network.
  • Fire TV Stick 4K Select (2025). This model runs Vega OS, Amazon's newer Linux-based system. Surfshark's app works on it but currently offers core VPN features only, and it supports WireGuard alone, so you can't switch protocols. Some of the settings described below may be missing.
  • Fire TV Edition smart TVs and Fire tablets. Surfshark lists these as supported as well.

What you need

You need an active Surfshark plan. On November 4, 2026, Surfshark's US Starter plan cost $18.95 for one month, $44.85 for the first 15 months on the 1-year plan or $67.23 for the first 27 months on the 2-year plan, renewing at $79 a year. New customers can use the Surfshark free trial on the 1-year and 2-year plans, which covers up to three devices and lists smart TVs among them.

Signing in is quicker if you already have the Surfshark app on your phone, because you can scan a code instead of typing a password with the remote.

Install the Surfshark app

  1. On the Fire TV home screen, hover over Find and select Search.
  2. Type "Surfshark" with the on-screen keyboard, then select Surfshark VPN in the results.
  3. Select the app and click Get or Download.
  4. When it finishes, click Open, or find Surfshark later in your list of apps.

Sign in

The welcome screen offers Log in and Create account. After you choose Log in, you have three ways in:

  • QR code. If you are signed in to Surfshark on your phone, scan the code on the TV with your phone's camera.
  • Login code. In the Surfshark app on your phone, go to Settings, then My account, then Enter login code, and type the code shown on the TV.
  • Email and password. Click Log in with email at the bottom of the QR code screen and enter your account details.

Connect

On the home screen, press the Fastest recommended location to connect straight away. The status turns green and shows Connected with the location you joined.

To pick a country, move up to the search bar at the top of the home screen and type it in. Two-letter codes such as US or IT work. Surfshark's advice is to choose the location to match the streaming service: for a US service, connect to a US location. Its Netflix guide goes further and tells you to connect to a server in your home country.

The first time, Surfshark suggests running the IP leak and DNS leak tests on its website to confirm the VPN is working.

Settings worth a look

On Fire OS sticks, Surfshark says the app works the same way as its Android TV app. Press Settings on the home screen to find these:

  • Auto connect connects you to a location you choose every time the TV goes online.
  • Bypasser splits your traffic. In Bypass VPN mode, the apps you pick skip the VPN and everything else goes through it. In Route via VPN mode, only the apps you pick use the VPN.
  • Ad blocker blocks ads, trackers, malicious sites and phishing attempts while you are connected.
  • Kill switch blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, so your real IP address isn't exposed.
  • Protocol lets you choose Automatic, WireGuard, IKEv2 or OpenVPN over UDP or TCP. Surfshark describes WireGuard as the faster option and OpenVPN as more stable on difficult networks.

Bypasser is the one to set up if only one app needs the VPN. Route that app through Surfshark and leave your other apps on your normal connection.

What a VPN changes for streaming

A VPN doesn't replace your streaming subscriptions. Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and the rest still need their own paid accounts, and Surfshark only changes the IP address and location those services see.

Streaming services also watch for VPNs. Netflix's help center says a VPN can make your device look as if it is connecting from somewhere else, which can trigger its "You seem to be using a VPN or proxy" error, and that VPNs aren't supported on its ad-supported plan. That is why Surfshark's own Netflix guide tells you to connect in your home country.

The everyday reasons to run Surfshark on a stick are privacy and protection: your internet provider sees encrypted traffic to Surfshark instead of the services you watch, and on hotel or shared Wi-Fi the other people on the network can't see what the stick is doing. Surfshark also says a VPN may help if your provider slows down certain kinds of traffic.

If Surfshark won't connect

On a Fire OS stick, Surfshark's help center suggests working through these in order:

  1. Change the protocol. Go to Settings, then Protocol, and try OpenVPN (TCP). If that fails, try the other protocols.
  2. Check your provider's filters. Surfshark gives router steps for three UK providers: on BT, turn off the router firewall and add an IPv6 pinhole for the stick; on Virgin Media, switch off Web Safe; on Sky, turn off IPv6 on the LAN side of the router.
  3. Send diagnostics from the bottom of the app's Settings page, so Surfshark's support team can see the problem.
  4. Reinstall the app from the Amazon Appstore.
  5. Sideload the app as a last resort. Surfshark's sideloading guide shows how to allow apps from unknown sources, install the Downloader app and fetch the Surfshark file from Surfshark's own download address.

On a Vega OS stick, protocol switching isn't available. Try a different server, check the stick's internet connection, quit any other VPN apps and restart the stick, then reinstall Surfshark if it still fails.

If Netflix shows a proxy error, Surfshark suggests reinstalling the Netflix app, trying other servers and unplugging the TV or stick for several minutes. Netflix can also flag a single profile; switch to another profile on the same account, and Surfshark says the flag should clear within 24 to 48 hours.