With the ever-increasing amount of digital content, we all have, there is more requirement for cloud storage.
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One of the more popular offerings is Dropbox. While you may think you can use this service anywhere, you could find yourself stuck when travelling, if you don’t check availability first.
If you are heading in the direction of China, you may already know of the Great Firewall, and this leads to the question you need to find the answer to.
Is Dropbox China working, or not? Here in our guide, you can learn more about this and other relevant information and most of all, can you use Dropbox in China?
Is Dropbox Blocked in China?
Dropbox is blocked in China and has been since 2014. The service is among many other commercial applications not accessible from inside The Great Firewall of China.
So, whether you are trying to access the Dropbox website in the browser or connect using the app on phones or tablet, you will find a resulting error saying that the service cannot connect.
If you are traveling to do business in China, you may find this a significant issue if Dropbox is your primary cloud storage file-sharing provider where you keep files.
Does OneDrive Work in China?
OneDrive is like Dropbox and comes from Microsoft. It offers the same services for saving files, and many think it may be a good alternative rather than use Dropbox in China.
OneDrive can be used to keep files in sync between devices, and also, it allows you to use the online office apps to create documents or spreadsheets. However, the Chinese government took a dim view of OneDrive as it has done so with DropBox.
File sharing in China on OneDrive is the same as you have with access, Dropbox, and that is zero.
Does WeTransfer Work in China?
WeTransfer is a fantastic service for sending large files to a person’s email address. From there, they open the link and then can access and download the file without using one of the cloud storage options. (Read 4 Best VPNs for China)
You may think this a viable option for sending large files to China. All you need is the name; email and you are ready to use the service for file sharing to China.
However, according to the WeTransfer site, the Chinese government has blocked all transfer services. What this means is the WeTransfer page won’t load correctly, and thus, they can’t transfer files in or out of China.
What File Sharing Services Work in China?
If you think any Western cloud services may work, for the most part, any service offered by one of the larger names is blocked. It isn’t only these cloud storage services, but also any social media or communication platforms you may use for business or keeping in touch.
WhatsApp, Facebook, Google (all services), and many more face the same restrictions. If you need cloud storage while in China, you have Chinese variants such as IBB Cloud, 115, Weiyun that offer free storage.
The only issue is how you can access them when you are back home?
Does Egnyte Work in China?
Egnyte is very different from any other service to offer file sharing China as it is legal on the inside of the Great Firewall.
Egnyte allows you to share business files across devices globally, as it is often used by manufacturers who speak to suppliers in China.
One of the significant downsides for using Egnyte is that is costs $10 per month, per user.
One of the easier ways how to access Dropbox in China, or use any other blocked service will be to use VPN services.
Using VPN’s to Use Dropbox in China
If you wish to use Dropbox in China, you can use a VPN service; however, just picking one to use isn’t possible. While VPN’s aren’t illegal in China, these companies can’t operate unless they have authorization for the government. (Read Why is Google Blocked in China?)
In use, this means there are not that many western VPN providers that work in China. However, there are a few, and they go to great lengths to make sure they do work.
One way a VPN does this is to have a server in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and thus, the connections reach into mainland China.
Also, many of the premium VPNs who can bypass the Firewall use
obfuscated servers, or other means of hiding VPN traffic. Also, to make sure the government can’t block traffic or read any packet content, VPN’s use military-grade encryption.
It makes it impossible for any government, any ISP, or any third party who may want to check if you are accessing copyrighted content, to see what you are doing.
One thing a premium VPN for Dropbox in China will offer is the best download speeds. If you use this service, it means your large files can be downloaded or uploaded as fast as possible depending on your connection speed.
It takes some preparation, yet it is much easier than you think if you look at these instructions:
- Pick the number one VPN for China you like
- Pick your plan and add your email address
- Make your payment or use (30-day money-back guarantee)
- Once in China, run your VPN client and select server outside China
- Click connect and access Dropbox in China as much as you like
Once you use Dropbox, you may need a way to relax, and your premium VPN allows to you access Netflix, FB, FB Messenger and any other app that may be blocked in your area.
If there is one thing to remember that is to be sure you have your VPN downloaded and installed before you go any further past Hong Kong into China as you will see website access disappear and downloading a VPN from the Google Play Store won’t happen.
