Does ExpressVPN Work in China in 2026? Full Guide

Penka Hristovska Former Editor
Published on: January 31, 2023 Updated 7 times since publishing

ExpressVPN is one of the only VPNs that can get around censorship in China. It uses obfuscated servers and other sophisticated technology that lets you access the free and open internet undetected. ExpressVPN also has industry-leading security features that protect your traffic from Chinese government surveillance.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to get ExpressVPN to work in China despite the government’s efforts to block it due to its refusal to share user data with Chinese authorities. You’ll also find instructions on how to get an ExpressVPN subscription when you’re already in China.

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Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

How to Get ExpressVPN to Work In China

After installing the app, there are a few quick configuration steps to take. These will help maximize your chances of getting ExpressVPN to work in China.

1. Use the Automatic Protocol Option

ExpressVPN recommends setting the protocol to Automatic, which selects the best available protocol to more reliably work with China’s Great Firewall.

All of ExpressVPN’s protocols offer obfuscation, which is a technology that disguises your VPN traffic as regular web traffic to avoid VPN detection. This is useful if the network blocks VPN traffic.

However, some protocols work better than others depending on network conditions. This is because different networks, like public Wi-Fi networks in hotels or schools in China, may have specific configurations or restrictions that affect VPN connectivity.

Since the Great Firewall is constantly evolving to detect and block VPNs, this is the best option to choose to stay undetected in China without having to manually adjust configurations every time — ExpressVPN removes the guesswork with the Automatic option, which is why it’s on the top of the list of the best VPNs for China.

How to select the Automatic protocol option:

1. Go to the Protocol setting. This can be found by clicking on the menu icon and selecting Preferences.
2. Select the Automatic protocol.

2. Try the OpenVPN TCP Protocol

If setting the protocol to Automatic doesn’t prevent the blocking of your internet connection, it might be that China’s Great Firewall is blocking a port that ExpressVPN is using to access the open internet in the country.

A port is like a virtual “doorway” that allows your device to communicate with ExpressVPN’s servers. VPNs use different port numbers to send data over the internet. ExpressVPN, by default, assigns ports based on the selected protocol (e.g., OpenVPN, Lightway, IKEv2). However, if the Great Firewall detects that a port is commonly used by VPN traffic, it may block it, cutting off your connection.

If this happens, switching to the OpenVPN TCP protocol, which uses port 433, may help. Port 443 is the standard port for HTTPS traffic, which is the default protocol for secure web traffic. Since the entire internet relies on HTTPS for encrypted data transfer, blocking this port would effectively break most online services — it’s highly unlikely China will block it.

3. Make Sure the Kill Switch & Leak Protection Are On

The kill switch and DNS/IPv6 leak protection keep all your internet traffic inside the VPN tunnel. The kill switch instantly cuts off your internet if the VPN disconnects, preventing accidental exposure. Leak protection blocks DNS and IPv6 requests from escaping the tunnel.

If these features are off, certain traffic, especially IPv6 data, can leak outside the VPN while DNS requests still route through the VPN server. This mismatch, where your browsing appears to come from a local Chinese IP but your DNS queries point to a foreign VPN, makes it easy for the Great Firewall to detect and block your connection.

Once this happens, you might be flagged as a VPN user, which may lead to future connection issues on the same network.

ExpressVPN’s kill switch, called Network Lock, is enabled by default. However, if the kill switch is disabled, you can quickly re-enable it by doing the following:

1. Open General settings. You’ll find this by clicking on the menu icon and selecting Preferences.
2. Turn on the kill switch. Next to Network Lock, check the box that says Stop all internet traffic if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly.

DNS and IPv6 leak protection are also enabled automatically. This is how you can double-check if IPv6 leak protection is on:

1. Open Advanced settings. This can be done by clicking on the menu icon and selecting Preferences.
2. Make sure that IPv6 Leak Protection is enabled. The box that says Prevent IPv6 address detection while connected should be checked.
3. Check that DNS and WebRTC leak protection are working. At the bottom of the ExpressVPN home page under Tools, click on DNS Leak Test and then WebRTC Test. You can also access these tools through the ExpressVPN app on desktop under Help & Support. The result of each test should say “No leak detected”.

4. Clear Your Browser’s Cache & Cookies

When you browse the internet without a VPN, your browser stores data like cookies, cached files, and location information tied to your real IP address. This means that if you later connect to ExpressVPN and visit the same websites, they may still recognize the stored data from your previous session and notice a mismatch between your old IP (without VPN) and your new IP (with VPN).

Chinese network filters and some websites use this inconsistency to detect VPN usage. By clearing your browser’s cache and cookies, you remove this identifying information, making it harder for network filters and websites to detect your true location or identify VPN traffic.

5. Connect to ExpressVPN’s Recommended Servers for China

ExpressVPN offers a list of servers it recommends that you connect to in China. This list includes:

• UK (Wembley)
• US (Los Angeles – 5, Santa Monica, & Houston)
• Belgium
• France (Alsace)
• Germany – Frankfurt – 3
• Singapore – Marina Bay
• Japan – Osaka
• Japan – Yokohama

If you don’t need a specific location, it’s best to connect to ExpressVPN using the Pick for Me location in the app — it’ll provide you with the best speeds possible and connect you to a server that’s the most likely to work in China. To find it, just type “Pick for Me” in the search bar and click to connect to it.

Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

How Does ExpressVPN Work In China?

ExpressVPN uses obfuscation to disguise VPN traffic as regular internet traffic, helping it bypass detection in China. The Great Firewall relies on Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to analyze the contents of data packets in real time. If it identifies a VPN protocol signature, it flags the connection and either throttles or blocks it.

To counter this, ExpressVPN automatically applies obfuscation when it detects DPI interference, making VPN traffic appear indistinguishable from normal HTTPS encryption and allowing the connection to remain intact.

In addition, ExpressVPN refreshes its server IP addresses often, which makes it more difficult for the Chinese government to identify and blacklist them through the Great Firewall.

Finally, the VPN automatically uses TCP port 443 with the OpenVPN TCP protocol. TCP port 443 is the same port used by HTTPS, which accounts for most non-VPN internet traffic and is nearly impossible to block.

Still, the main reason why ExpressVPN can access the open internet in China most of the time is that it doesn’t have any servers within mainland China. By keeping its servers outside of the country, ExpressVPN isn’t subject to data retention laws that require providers to keep and comply with government demands for user data.

Please note that due to China’s strict censorship, VPN connectivity may experience interruptions. However, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free and get a full refund if it doesn’t work for you.

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Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

Why You Should Use ExpressVPN in China

There are several reasons to use ExpressVPN in China. Here are the most important ones:

• You get high-end privacy. ExpressVPN has top-of-the-line security that prevents the Chinese government from seeing your online activity. It doesn’t have servers in mainland China, keeping it exempt from Chinese data retention laws. Plus, it has a strict no-logs policy that’s been independently verified multiple times, which means that it doesn’t store any of your data, so it can’t ever share your information even if authorities request it. Combined with its military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, full leak protection, and reliable kill switch, this means that nobody will be able to snoop on your online activities — not even the Chinese government.
• It maintains super-fast speeds. Even with obfuscation, you’ll get really fast speeds for all online activities you engage in from China, including streaming in HD. Plus, it has a lot of servers near China, so you can connect to the one that offers the best speeds. The Quick Connect feature even chooses the fastest server for you.
• You can access restricted sites. ExpressVPN can access YouTube from China and lots of top streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu, as well as social media apps like Instagram and WhatsApp in China.
• It comes with a native router app. No matter what kind of device you have, ExpressVPN has a dedicated app for your operating system or platform, including Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. It even offers browser extensions and supports routers, so you can protect every device in your home. And the user interface is incredibly intuitive.
• The VPN has user-friendly apps. ExpressVPN’s apps are very simple to use and there aren’t any super complicated configurations you need to perform to make the VPN work in China.

How to Install ExpressVPN (Step-by-Step Guide)

I recommend installing ExpressVPN before traveling to China on all devices you plan to use there to ensure uninterrupted access to the internet. It’s important to do this before you get to China, since the country’s Great Firewall blocks access to the ExpressVPN website, and you’ll have to jump through some hoops to purchase and download the VPN to your devices.

Here’s how to install ExpressVPN from outside China:

Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

How to Get ExpressVPN If You’re Already in China

You probably won’t be able to access ExpressVPN’s site in China because it’s blocked by the government. Here’s what you can do instead to get ExpressVPN in China:

• Use its mirror website. This is a copy of ExpressVPN’s website, but with a different URL address, making it harder for firewalls to detect and block it. ExpressVPN often changes the URL for its mirror site, so you’ll have to contact ExpressVPN’s customer support to get the latest mirror link.
• Use a free proxy to access ExpressVPN. A proxy changes your IP address but doesn’t encrypt your data. I recommend using a web proxy since you can just copy and paste ExpressVPN’s website link in the search field.
• Ask a friend outside of China. If you have a friend living outside of China, you could ask them to sign up for ExpressVPN for you. Once they sign up, they can send you the installation files and login credentials via email.

Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

Other VPNs That Work in China

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for China. That said, if you can’t get it to work even after trying all of the above suggestions, there are some other good options. Here are some alternatives to try:

• Private Internet Access (PIA) — This VPN has obfuscation through the open-source encrypted Shadowsocks proxy, refreshes its IPs often, and provides access to the 443 port with OpenVPN. It also has great security, including an audited no-logs policy for anonymity, full leak protection, and more. PIA has servers in 50 countries, several of which are near China (Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan).
• PrivateVPN — PrivateVPN refreshes its IP addresses frequently, lets you use port 443 via OpenVPN, and has obfuscation (StealthVPN). It has fast servers in 63 countries, including those near China like Japan and Singapore.
• TunnelBear — TunnelBear regularly refreshes its IPs, has obfuscation via GhostBear, and has advanced security features like an audited no-logs policy. Its apps are very user-friendly too. It has servers in 47 countries, including Taiwan and South Korea.

Editor's Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Editor's Note: Intego ONE, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company