Do Google Docs, Drive and Meet Work in China?
Google Docs, Drive and Meet are blocked on Chinese mobile data and Wi-Fi without a VPN. They usually work on a roaming eSIM that routes your data abroad, or with a VPN you set up before you fly. Make the files you need available offline before you go, so you can open them without either.
Your options
Set these up before you fly.
Before you fly
- Set up a roaming eSIM or a VPN and test it at home. You need one to sync files and join Meet calls in China.
- Make the files you need available offline. On a phone, tap More next to a file in the Docs, Sheets or Slides app, then Make available offline. On a laptop, Google says you need Chrome or Edge with the Google Docs Offline extension.
- Ask your IT team about China if your Google account comes from work or school. Imperial College London's IT team, for example, advises against third-party VPNs in China.
- Install Tencent Meeting if you'll meet people in China. Its international version is called VooV Meeting.
On Chinese networks
GreatFire Analyzer, which tests websites from mainland China, lists docs.google.com and drive.google.com as blocked. Its latest tests of the two were in August and September 2026. It lists meet.google.com as unreliable. Its recent tests of Meet, the latest on September 30, 2026, found interference.
Yale’s IT team lists Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Calendar among the services blocked in China. Imperial College London lists Google Maps, Gmail and Docs as blocked. Sunset Browser, which sells a browser with a built-in VPN, says Google is blocked in mainland China as a whole company. It says the Meet sign-in page generally won’t load on a mainland connection.
Other Google services are blocked too. See Gmail and Google Search.
Working offline
Docs, Sheets and Slides files you make available offline open without a connection. Set this up at home:
- On a phone: in the Docs, Sheets or Slides app, tap More next to a file, then Make available offline. The apps also have a setting to make recent files available offline.
- On a laptop: Google says you must be online and use Chrome or Edge, not in private browsing, with the Google Docs Offline extension turned on. Then turn on offline access in Drive’s settings.
Google says changes you make offline are applied when you’re back online. In China, that means when you connect through a roaming eSIM or a VPN.
Meetings
Plan on Meet not working in China without a roaming eSIM or a VPN. We couldn’t confirm how well Meet video calls run through either one.
For calls with people in China, consider Tencent Meeting. Fudan University launched a Fudan-branded version for its staff and students in January 2021. It says the international version, VooV Meeting, is available in most countries and regions.
Imperial College London says Office 365, including Teams, works as normal in China. See our pages on Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
With a roaming eSIM or VPN
An eSIM that routes your data abroad carries it to a gateway outside mainland China before it reaches the internet. A VPN does the same on any connection, including hotel Wi-Fi. See eSIM or VPN for China and VPN for hotel Wi-Fi in China.
Sunset Browser says Meet works with a VPN on and doesn’t with it off. Yale warns that even with a VPN, not all sites are available and VPN service can be inconsistent. A Chinese SIM card doesn’t help: Sunset Browser notes that Chinese carriers’ mobile data goes through the same firewall.
If your Google account comes from work or school, ask your IT team before you fly. Imperial College London’s IT team advises against installing a third-party VPN in China. See Is using a VPN legal in China?
What people in China use instead
| Microsoft 365 | Imperial College London says Office 365, including Teams and OneDrive for Business, works as normal in China. |
|---|---|
| Tencent Docs | Tencent's online documents app, similar to Google Docs. |
| Tencent Meeting | Fudan University runs a branded version for video meetings. VooV Meeting is the international version. |
Related apps
FAQ
Does Google Meet work in China?
Not reliably. GreatFire Analyzer lists meet.google.com as unreliable, and its recent tests found interference. Sunset Browser, which sells a browser with a built-in VPN, says the Meet sign-in page generally won't load on a mainland connection. Join from a roaming eSIM or a VPN, or use Tencent Meeting with people in China.
Can I use Google Docs offline in China?
Yes, for files you make available offline before you fly. Google says changes you make offline are applied when you're back online. In China, that means when you connect through a roaming eSIM or a VPN.
Will a Chinese SIM card unblock Google?
No. Sunset Browser notes that Chinese carriers' mobile data goes through the same firewall. Use an eSIM that routes your data abroad, or a VPN.
Is there a China version of Google Meet or Docs?
Not according to Sunset Browser. It says there is no China edition of Google Meet, and that Google never appointed a Chinese operating partner the way Microsoft did.
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Sources
- Use Google Drive files offline (Google Drive Help), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- Work on Google Docs, Sheets and Slides offline (Google Docs Editors Help), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- docs.google.com test history (GreatFire Analyzer), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- drive.google.com test history (GreatFire Analyzer), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- meet.google.com test history (GreatFire Analyzer), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- Internationally Blocked Websites and Applications (IT at Yale), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- Guidance for those working from China (Imperial College London ICT), October 2020
- Tencent Meeting (Fudan University eCampus), accessed Oct 8, 2026
- Tencent's document collaboration tool gained 30 million users within one year of launch (KrASIA), April 2019
- Does Zoom Work in China? (2026) Zoom, Google Meet & Teams, Answered (Sunset Browser, sells a browser with a built-in VPN), September 2026
- Stay connected in China: is a VPN required? (Airalo help center, sells eSIMs), accessed Oct 9, 2026