VPN not working in China: step-by-step troubleshooting

If your VPN app says connected but websites still time out, one of four things is usually happening. Walk through them in order.

1. Wrong transport protocol

This is the most common cause. The default protocol on your current network is not flowing cleanly.

1. Disconnect.
2. Open the app's settings and change the protocol to Cloak / OpenVPN TCP on port 443.
3. Reconnect.

Cloak wraps the OpenVPN handshake in what looks like an ordinary HTTPS connection, which is the hardest protocol to block without breaking ordinary web browsing. If Cloak works, stick with it for this network.

2. Captive portal not completed

Hotels, airports, and coffee shops often redirect traffic to a captive portal until you click through terms. If you never saw the portal, the Wi-Fi has not actually authenticated your device.

1. Disconnect the VPN.
2. Open a browser and try to load a plain-http site (example.com works).
3. The captive portal should pop up — complete it.
4. Reconnect the VPN.

3. DNS leak or stale DNS

Even with the tunnel up, your device might still be sending DNS queries to the physical adapter's DNS server, which is poisoned on some mainland networks. Signs: some sites load, others return wrong or stale content.

1. Confirm the kill switch and DNS leak protection are both enabled in the app.
2. On Windows, open an elevated command prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns, then reconnect the VPN.
3. On macOS, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
4. On Android, toggle airplane mode on/off. On iOS, the same.
5. Test at dnsleaktest.com — all returned DNS servers should be VPN-path, not your local ISP.

4. Network saturation

If the hotel Wi-Fi's upload is 1 Mbps at peak hours, no VPN can make a video call work. Check:

1. Run a speed test with the VPN off. If you get <5 Mbps down / <1 Mbps up, the hotel is the problem.
2. Ask the front desk about the premium / business Wi-Fi network (most larger hotels have one).
3. Switch to mobile data and test. If the VPN works fine on mobile data, you have your answer.

5. Server-side congestion

Rare but possible during peak hours and around Golden Week or Chinese New Year. Switch from Hong Kong to Tokyo (or vice versa) in one tap. If both are slow, try Los Angeles — it will have higher latency but sometimes clearer capacity.

Still not working?

Email support@unblockmevpn.com with:

• City you are in
• Hotel or carrier name (if comfortable sharing)
• Which protocols you have tried
• Which servers you have tried
• A screenshot of the app's connection state

We respond within a few hours. If there is a known issue on a specific route, we will tell you the workaround.