Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Tools
  3. Censorship Monitor
  4. China
  5. Instagram

Censorship Monitor · China Last test

Is Instagram banned in China?

Yes. China has blocked Instagram since September 2014, and it doesn’t work on Chinese internet connections without a VPN. Hong Kong isn’t affected.

Today’s test · www.instagram.com

Blocked

www.instagram.com fails to open on China Unicom and China Mobile, twice, while it opens from other countries.

Last confirmed
Seen in our tests since
29 Sep 2026 (may be older)
How it fails
The connection never completes
Tested on
China Unicom and China Mobile
Test Instagram yourself › Everything we test in China

The official status

Instagram in China

China blocked Instagram in late September 2014, as photos of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong spread on the app.

The block has never been lifted: Freedom House’s 2024 report still listed Instagram among the platforms blocked in China.

Hong Kong is outside the mainland’s censorship system, so the block doesn’t apply there.

What people use instead

Xiaohongshu (RedNote), often called China’s answer to Instagram, with about 300 million monthly users, as well as Weibo and WeChat.

Get past a block

How to use Instagram in China

A VPN connects you through a server in another country, so a block on Instagram in China no longer applies. Where VPNs themselves are blocked, you need one that can disguise its traffic, and you should set it up before you travel.

Only government-approved VPNs are legal in China, and most foreign VPNs are blocked.

NordVPN

Our top pick
  • Obfuscated servers for networks that block VPNs
  • Connects you through a server in another country
  • Encrypts what your internet provider could otherwise see
Get NordVPN ›

30-day money-back guarantee

Surfshark

  • Camouflage Mode makes VPN traffic look like ordinary traffic
  • Unlimited devices on one plan
  • Apps for phones, computers and TVs
Get Surfshark ›

30-day money-back guarantee

Best VPNs for China › Best VPNs for Instagram › Where VPNs are legal ›

We earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes what the monitor shows. Our disclosure.

Around the world

Where else is Instagram blocked?

Instagram is also blocked in 2 other countries we test.

It opens in 21 of the 23 other countries with a current result.

Instagram in every country we test ›

China

What else is blocked in China?

52 of the other 66 sites and apps we test are blocked in China.

All 67 results for China ›

History

Changes for Instagram in China

No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.

Method

How we test

  • Every day, test machines on China Unicom and China Mobile home connections open www.instagram.com.
  • A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
  • A change is published only after re-checks a few hours later and again the next day, on several machines per provider, confirm it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
  • Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
  • We test the website over home broadband. The app, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.

Full method ›

Questions

Instagram in China: questions

Does Instagram Work in China?

No. China has blocked Instagram since September 2014, and it doesn’t work on Chinese internet connections without a VPN. Hong Kong isn’t affected.

Why Did China Block Instagram?

It was blocked in late September 2014, while photos of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests were spreading on the app.

Does Instagram Work in Hong Kong?

Yes. The mainland’s block doesn’t cover Hong Kong: Freedom House says the mainland’s internet censorship system doesn’t yet apply there.

Free to use

Cite this result

Quote or republish today’s result with a link to this page: the monitor’s data is under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0).

Source: vpnAlert Censorship Monitor, https://vpnalert.com/tools/censorship-monitor/china/instagram/

Explore the monitor

More answers