Can I use Zoom, Teams, Webex, Google Meet or Slack for work while in China?
Zoom wants a paid account, free Webex is barred, work Teams usually connects but may lag. Test before your first call.
What it depends on
- IfZoom with a free account, or error 13215→ thenSign in to a paid Zoom account, or ask the host to use a paid one.
- IfWebex on a free plan→ thenCisco says the free app is not available in mainland China. Use a paid work account, after checking with IT.
- IfTeams on your company's account→ thenIt usually connects, but calls can lag; test audio and video early.
- IfGoogle Meet→ thenPlan on a travel eSIM or an approved VPN, and test before the first meeting.
- IfSlack→ thenAsk your workspace admin before you travel whether it can be used from China, and test it on arrival.
Each company decides what it allows in mainland China, and the network you connect through decides the rest. Below is what each company says itself, read on 6 October 2026. Run a test call from the hotel network and from your phone data in the first hours of the trip, not right before an important meeting.
Zoom: Zoom says users in China are encouraged to upgrade to a licensed version. If you see error code 13215, Zoom's support answer says the host must upgrade to a paid account, or you must sign in to a paid Zoom account and then join. The order matters: in 2020 Zoom moved to selling in mainland China only through local partners and said users there could still join meetings as participants; from 2023 free accounts in China began hitting error 13215. Practical reading: join from a paid work account, or ask the host whether theirs is paid.
Webex: Cisco says the free version of the Webex App is not available for use in mainland China, and that it cannot sell Webex Meetings or Webex App paid subscriptions there. Its help centre also notes that Google Play is unavailable in mainland China, and links a direct Android download for the Webex Meetings app. If your employer pays for Webex abroad, ask IT whether China is covered before you rely on it.
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft has guidance for enterprise users located in China who connect to a global Microsoft 365 tenant, which is what a visitor with a work account abroad is doing. It says performance can suffer from congestion on China's regulated cross-border links, especially for audio and video; it does not say the service fails to connect. Teams inside China, operated by 21Vianet, is a separate service that Microsoft does not run; your usual work account is not on it.
Google Meet: we found no Google page on use from mainland China networks. Google's apps need the same arrangements as Gmail and Maps; see Google and WhatsApp on a travel eSIM.
Slack: we found no statement from Slack on use from mainland China. The press reported that on 1 April 2026 Slack deactivated workspaces with billing addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Before you travel, ask your workspace admin whether you can use Slack from China.
The connection matters as much as the app. On a travel eSIM bought abroad, data often leaves the mainland network; on hotel Wi-Fi or a local SIM it does not. Your employer's VPN or a personal one covers the laptop; read VPN for China travel and check your company's policy first.
Useful apps
Sources
- Zoom on X — reply on error code 13215 for users in ChinaOfficial
Read via X's public syndication endpoint 2026-10-06: 'users in China are encouraged to upgrade to a licensed version of Zoom. In order to resolve Error Code 13215, the host will need to upgrade to a paid account, or the person experiencing the error code will need to sign into a paid Zoom' (text truncated by the endpoint).
Open source ↗ - Zoom Community — 'Chinese users unable to enter meetings' (best answer by ZoomVA)Official
Fetched via Exa 2026-10-07; Zoom's own forum, answer marked 'Best answer by ZoomVA': 'To enjoy uninterrupted access, users in China are encouraged to upgrade to a licensed version of Zoom. In order to resolve Error Code 13215, the host will need to upgrade to a paid account, or the person experiencing the error code will need to sign into a paid Zoom account and then join the meeting.' Thread started April 2023 (free-account users in China hitting 13215).
Open source ↗ - Zoom Support — Zoom error code 13215Official
Fetched via Exa 2026-10-07: 'If you experience Zoom error code 13215 when joining a Zoom meeting, you are unable to join meetings hosted by this user at this time.' Does not mention China.
Open source ↗ - CNBC — Zoom halts direct sales in China, moves to partnersPress
Fetched 2026-10-06: 'shifting to a partner-only model'; '"Users in Mainland China may continue to join Zoom meetings as participants," a spokesperson for the company added.'
Open source ↗ - Webex Help — Where is Webex available?Official
Static HTML fetched 2026-10-06: 'The free version of Webex App is not available for use in … Mainland China'; 'Cisco is unable to sell Webex Meetings and Webex App paid subscriptions in Mainland China'.
Open source ↗ - Webex Help — Installing Webex Meetings for Android in mainland ChinaOfficial
Fetched 2026-10-06: 'Android users in Mainland China cannot download the Webex Meetings app as Google Play and Amazon Appstore are unavailable.' Direct download link given.
Open source ↗ - Microsoft Learn — Microsoft 365 global tenant performance for China usersOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-10-06: 'enterprise Microsoft 365 users located in China connect to a global Microsoft 365 tenant'; offshore connections 'go through perimeter devices'; congestion affects 'near real-time performance (audio and video applications)'.
Open source ↗ - Microsoft Learn — Microsoft 365 operated by 21VianetOfficial
Static HTML fetched 2026-10-06: 'specific to China. Microsoft does not operate the service itself. 21Vianet operates, provides, and manages delivery'.
Open source ↗ - Gizchina — Slack terminates workspaces across Greater ChinaPress
Fetched 2026-10-06: 'On April 1, Slack deactivated all workspaces with billing addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.' No Slack first-party page found.
Open source ↗