How to Fix "This code can't be redeemed. It was purchased in a different region from your account." Xbox Error
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Trying to redeem your Xbox code and getting "This code can't be redeemed. It was purchased in a different region from your account"? This means the game key was bought in a different country than what your Microsoft account is set to. Don't worry — there's a simple fix that takes about 2 minutes.
Why This Error Happens
Game keys are often region-locked. This means a key purchased in the United States will only work on a Microsoft account set to the United States. If your account is set to a different country (like the UK, Germany, or anywhere else), the code gets blocked.
This commonly happens when you buy cheaper keys from international marketplaces. The key might be from Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, United States or another region where prices are lower. To redeem it, your Microsoft account region and your IP address both need to match the key's region.
How to Fix It
You need to do two things: change your Microsoft account region to match the key's region, and use a VPN so your IP address also matches. We recommend Opera Browser because it has a free built-in VPN — no downloads or subscriptions needed.
Follow these steps to redeem a region-locked code
- Find out which region your key is from. Check the product listing where you bought the key. It usually says the region — like "US," "EU," "TR" (Turkey), "AR" (Argentina), "BR" (Brazil), etc. If it doesn't say, contact the seller and ask.
- Download Opera Browser if you don't have it. Go to https://www.opera.com/download and install it. Opera has a free built-in VPN — no account or payment needed.
- Enable Opera's VPN. Open Opera, go to Settings (Alt+P), search for "VPN" in the settings search bar, and toggle "Enable VPN" on. Then click the VPN badge in the address bar and select a region that matches your key (Americas, Europe, or Asia).
- Select the right VPN region. Click the VPN icon in the Opera address bar. Choose the region closest to your key's country. For US keys select "Americas," for EU keys select "Europe," for Asian keys select "Asia."
- Change your Microsoft account region. With the VPN on, go to https://account.microsoft.com/profile in Opera. Sign in and click "Edit profile" or go to "Your info". Find the "Country/region" setting and change it to match the key's region. Click Save.
- Redeem your code. Still in Opera with the VPN on, go to https://redeem.microsoft.com/. Enter your 25-character code and confirm. It should work now!
- Change your region back (optional). After redeeming, you can go back to https://account.microsoft.com/profile and change your country/region back to your real one. The code is already activated on your account — changing the region back won't remove it. You can also turn off the Opera VPN now.
Important Things to Know
Changing your region has limits. Microsoft lets you change your account region, but if you do it too frequently, they may temporarily block further changes. Don't switch back and forth multiple times a day — redeem your code, wait a bit, then switch back.
Your games and subscriptions stay. When you change your region and redeem a code, the content is permanently added to your account. Changing the region back afterwards does NOT remove the game or subscription. It's safe.
Why Opera? We recommend Opera because the VPN is completely free, built into the browser, and requires no sign-up. Other VPN options like NordVPN or ExpressVPN work too, but they require a paid subscription. Opera's free VPN is enough for redeeming codes.
Common Region Codes
Here are the most common region codes you'll see on game key listings and what VPN region to use:
US / NA / NTSC — United States / North America → VPN: Americas EU / PAL / Europe — European Union → VPN: Europe UK / GB — United Kingdom → VPN: Europe TR — Turkey → VPN: Europe AR — Argentina → VPN: Americas BR — Brazil → VPN: Americas JP / Asia — Japan / Asia Pacific → VPN: Asia Global / Worldwide — Works everywhere, no VPN needed
Still Not Working?
If you've changed your region and used a VPN but still get the error, try these extra steps: make sure both your account region AND VPN are set to the same country, try clearing your browser cookies before logging in, try using Opera's private browsing mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) with VPN enabled, or wait 24 hours after changing your region before trying to redeem.
Got more questions about game key activation? Check out our other guides or create a support ticket and we'll help you out.
