Does Google Work in China?

What happens when you search on a Chinese network

Google Search doesn’t work on Chinese mobile data or Wi-Fi. The UK government lists Google among the services that are permanently blocked in China. Yale’s IT team lists Google search, and all Google services including Gmail and Google Drive, among those blocked there. Airalo, an eSIM provider, says Google is generally inaccessible on local networks.

GreatFire Analyzer, which tests websites from mainland China, lists google.com as blocked. Its latest test was on October 8, 2026. It lists Google’s Hong Kong site, google.com.hk, as blocked too.

Google’s China address, google.cn, isn’t blocked, according to GreatFire, but it isn’t a search engine either. The page shows the Google logo and a link to google.com.hk, with a line in Chinese asking you to bookmark the address. On a mainland network, that link leads to the blocked Hong Kong site.

A Chinese SIM card doesn’t get around the block. The Bega District News, in a July 2026 guide for tourists, says a local Chinese SIM typically remains subject to local filtering.

The block applies to mainland China. Comparitech, a VPN review site with affiliate links, says Google is available in Hong Kong and Macau.

On a travel eSIM or home roaming

Some travel eSIMs get around the block. The Bega District News says certain travel eSIMs route traffic through gateways outside the mainland, such as Hong Kong, Singapore or Australia, so mainland filtering doesn’t apply.

Airalo and Klook both say Google works on their China eSIMs without a VPN:

• Airalo: its China, Regional Asia and Global eSIMs route your traffic through gateways outside mainland China. See Airalo in China.
• Klook: its 5G eSIM China listing routes data through Singtel, an international upstream network. Klook sells other China eSIMs too, so check that the listing you buy says the same. See Klook eSIM in China.

Not every eSIM sold for China works this way. The Bega District News says a China-specific eSIM, like a local SIM, typically remains subject to local filtering. Check how a plan routes data before you buy. Compare plans on our eSIM page.

Roaming on your home SIM can work too. The Bega District News says roaming data is in many cases routed through your home carrier or an overseas gateway, so some blocked apps might still work. In the same article, Dr Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, says she can use Google on her Optus SIM when international roaming is switched on. Ask your carrier what roaming in China costs. For prices and setup, see our guides to Google Fi, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone UK, EE, Telstra and Optus.

Either way, it only works on mobile data. Airalo says you have full access to blocked sites “as long as you are using your eSIM data (and not the hotel Wi-Fi)”. Turn Wi-Fi off, or connect a VPN while you’re on Wi-Fi.

Install the eSIM before you leave. The Bega District News warns that provider websites are likely blocked once you’re inside China. For when an eSIM is enough and when you also need a VPN, see eSIM or VPN for China?

With a VPN

A VPN works on any connection, including hotel Wi-Fi, where a roaming eSIM doesn’t help. Holafly, an eSIM seller, says you’ll have to use a VPN to reach blocked apps on public Wi-Fi in China. See VPN for hotel Wi-Fi in China.

Connections can be unreliable. Yale’s IT team says that even with a VPN, not all sites are available and VPN service can be inconsistent. ExpressVPN’s China status page, updated in February 2026, says connections may take longer than usual and that keeping the app up to date is critical. The UK government says internet access can be limited around key political events and dates.

Install and test the VPN before you fly. Holafly warns that if you wait until you arrive, you may not be able to download or activate it. Compare the VPNs we track on our VPN page. The UK government notes that China’s cybersecurity laws require VPNs to be licensed by the government, so read Is a VPN legal in China? before you go.

Search engines that work in China

Bing loads without a VPN. GreatFire Analyzer lists bing.com and Bing’s China site, cn.bing.com, as not blocked.

Baidu is the most-used search engine in China in StatCounter’s data, ahead of Bing. Haosou and Sogou are also on StatCounter’s list for China. Baidu’s homepage is in Chinese.

DuckDuckGo isn’t an option. GreatFire lists duckduckgo.com as blocked.

Why Google left mainland China

Google launched Google.cn in January 2006 and agreed to censor some results there.

On January 12, 2010, Google said it had detected a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” on its corporate infrastructure in mid-December, originating from China. It said a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists, and that at least 20 other large companies had been targeted. Because of the attack and attempts to further limit free speech on the web, Google said it would no longer censor its results on Google.cn, even if that meant shutting down Google.cn and possibly its offices in China.

On March 22, 2010, Google stopped censoring Google Search, Google News and Google Images on Google.cn. It redirected Google.cn visitors to Google.com.hk, which offered uncensored search in simplified Chinese. Google said it knew the Chinese government could block access to its services at any time. It planned to keep research and development work and a sales team in China.

In June 2014, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, AFP reported that the monitoring group GreatFire had found Google search, Gmail, images, translation and Google’s country homepages blocked in China. Until then, AFP said, the Hong Kong site had usually been accessible, though sometimes blocked.

Google later worked on a censored search engine for China, known as Project Dragonfly. In July 2019, Google executive Karan Bhatia told the US Senate Judiciary Committee, “We have terminated Project Dragonfly.” In 2022, Fortune reported that Google still had an office in China to support developers and help Chinese companies place Google ads overseas.

Harvard Business School published a case study on the decision, Google in China (A), in January 2010. It asks whether Google should exit China or attempt a compromise with the Chinese government.

Other Google services

The Bega District News says China has completely blocked Google services, including Search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube and Drive. See our pages on Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and Google Docs, Drive and Meet.

Google discontinued Google Translate in mainland China in October 2022, citing low usage. Fortune reported that mainland users then saw a static image of a Google search bar and a link to Google’s Hong Kong site, which is blocked on the mainland.

Related guides

• eSIM or VPN for China?
• VPN for hotel Wi-Fi in China
• Apps to download before going to China