Does LinkedIn Work in China?

On Chinese networks

GreatFire Analyzer, which tests websites from mainland China, lists linkedin.com and www.linkedin.com as not blocked. Its latest tests of the two were in October 2026. It lists some LinkedIn pages, including the feed and jobs pages, as intermittent.

LinkedIn itself says LinkedIn.com is not currently accessible for individual members on the Chinese mainland. The statement is in the InCareer FAQ that LinkedIn wrote for the 2023 shutdown. It answers whether individual members based on the mainland can join LinkedIn.com, or reach it by VPN. The FAQ says members based outside the mainland are not affected, but it doesn’t say what visitors see on a Chinese network.

Travel guides disagree. Travel China Now said in January 2026 that LinkedIn won’t load in China and that the site and app can’t connect to its servers. Go2China said in August 2026 that the site and app are inaccessible on a Chinese network without a VPN. ChinaReady listed LinkedIn as not blocked but limited in March 2026. LandingIn listed it in April 2026 among sites that work without a workaround. Because the reports disagree, we list LinkedIn as unreliable.

InCareer, LinkedIn’s China app

In October 2021, LinkedIn announced that its main platform would close in China, citing a challenging operating environment, the China-Britain Business Council reported. LinkedIn replaced its localized version with InCareer, a jobs-only app without social features such as sharing or commenting, CNN reported.

LinkedIn discontinued InCareer on August 9, 2023. CNN reported that CEO Ryan Roslansky cited fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate. LinkedIn said it would delete all InCareer account data after that date, and that other LinkedIn accounts and services were not affected. It said it would keep a presence in China, focused on its Talent and Marketing solutions for companies operating there.

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.

Travel China Now and Go2China both say a VPN restores access to LinkedIn. Go2China says you must install the VPN before you arrive, because VPN apps aren’t available in Chinese app stores. We found no source that reports on LinkedIn over a roaming eSIM.

What people in China use instead

The China-Britain Business Council wrote that companies in China were turning to local platforms such as Maimai, Boss Zhipin and WeChat to network and recruit. Travel China Now describes Maimai as a Chinese professional networking platform similar to LinkedIn, and says many professionals in China network through WeChat groups and contacts.