Can I Watch Downloaded Netflix in China? The Complete Guide!

China’s “Great Firewall” restricts many popular Western services, including Netflix, regardless of whether you are a foreigner or a resident. There are alternatives like iQiyi and Tencent Video, but they are no match to the breadth and variety of Netflix’s international library.

But fret not! Whether you are a traveler who wants to stream your favorite shows on a vacation or a local cinephile seeking the best that the entertainment world provides — we’ll show you the ways to access Netflix in China.

If you’re reading this, it means you’ve probably encountered the frustrating message: “Netflix is not available in this region.” It’s true; accessing Netflix directly in China is a no-go. In fact, even if you’ve pre-downloaded shows or movies before entering the country, you won’t be able to watch them unless you switch your phone to Airplane mode.

Yes, Airplane mode does allow offline viewing of pre-downloaded content, but it also cuts you off from calls and messages. The solution? Well, using a VPN is a common workaround that is thrown on the internet as a viable solution, but it is slow and often unreliable (unless you have reliable ones like NordVPN or ExpressVPN — and they are costly). We will discuss VPN as a solution in the article too. But what sets this guide on “how to watch downloaded Netflix movies in China” apart from others is mention of another solution — StreamFox — that allows you to stream Netflix without sacrificing your connectivity.

Just like many popular Western platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitch, Netflix also finds itself on the wrong side of China’s “Great Firewall.” It simply means that accessing Netflix directly within mainland China is not possible.

But don’t worry, it’s not like airport security will snatch your phone and delete the app if you have it installed. You can still keep the Netflix app on your device and even watch any content you’ve previously downloaded. However, there’s a catch: you’ll need to enable Airplane Mode to do so. Once you turn off Airplane Mode, Netflix will detect your location and display the dreaded “Downloads are not available in this region” message.

This restriction stems from the fact that Netflix, being banned in China, doesn’t pay licensing fees for streaming its content there. In a purely capitalist move, it makes little sense for them to invest in licenses for a market where their app is officially inaccessible.

But yes, the government only thinks so far, and if you are a little-bit on the tech side, you can stream Netflix without needing to put your device on airplane mode (that restricts messages and calls), or dealing with buffering issues that come with using a VPN.

There are a series of steps you need to follow to be able to download Netflix movies in China. In this section, we’ll walk you through the process.

Step 1. Download a reliable VPN

The first step to downloading Netflix movies in China is to download a reliable VPN app. You need a VPN to be able to bypass the geographic restrictions in China. Some trustworthy VPN apps we recommend include, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPvansih, SafeGuard Pro, and Windscribe.

Once you download the VPN, follow the procedure below to set it up on your device:

1. “VPN app” and set up your account.

2. After you set up your account, we recommend you upgrade to a premium version to be able to access location servers with a strong network.

3. Select the “Location server” you’d like to use and click on “Connect”.

Step 2. Using StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader

After you connect to the VPN, the next step is to download the Netflix movie you want to watch using the StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader.

What is StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader?

Just as its name suggests, StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader allows you to download movies and TV shows from Netflix without limitations. It provides you access to advanced features that you can use to download Netflix movies in different formats like MP4, MOV and MKV, and it supports high-quality downloads up to ultra HD resolution.

StreamFox makes it easy for you to download and stream Netflix movies in China without any complications. And the best part? It supports different subtitle modes that enable you to download suitable subtitles for Netflix movies in any language of your choice.

StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader

• 10x high speeds compared to Netflix built-in download speeds.
• Supports various types of subtitle modes like hardcoded subtitle (SUP or SRT format), soft subtitles, and external subtitles.
• StreamFox’s integrated Netflix browser simplifies the process of browsing and selecting titles for download.
• Preserves metadata, so need to organize the movies and TV shows manually.
• Download as much content as you want and store it on your device, cloud storage, or USB drives. And, unlike Netflix’s in-app downloads, which expire, your StreamFox downloads are yours to keep for as long as you want.

Download Download

Step 1: Launch the “StreamFox Netflix Video Downloader” app and log in to your “Netflix premium account”.

Step 2: Find the Netflix movie you want to download using StreamFox’s search feature. Then, select the episode(s) you want to download and click on “Add Queue” to proceed.

Step 3: Adjust the video and audio quality. Then, choose the type of “Subtitle” you want for the movie.

Step 4: Select the preferred “Video Format” and check the boxes next to the movies that needs to be downloaded.

Step 5: Click on the “Download” button to initiate the download process.

To access the downloads, go to “Finished” and select “View Output File”.

Step 3. Play anytime on your device.

Since your downloaded content is stored in your local library, you can use any reliable media player like VLC Player (which is free) to watch it directly. Or you can watch the movie directly from StreamFox using the built-in Netflix web player.

Q. Can I Change Netflix to Chinese?

Yes, you can absolutely change the display language on Netflix to Chinese, as it is readily available as a language option within the platform. Here’s how:

Changing the Display Language:

Step 1. Access your Netflix account on a web browser or through the Netflix app.

Step 2. Find and click on your profile icon, then select “Account.”

Step 3. Choose the profile you want to change the language for.

Step 4. Under the “Profile & Parental Controls” settings, look for the “Language” option.

Step 5. From the list of available languages, select “中文” (Chinese).

Step 6. Click on the “Save” button to apply the language change.

Switching Audio and Subtitles during Playback:

If Chinese subtitles or audio tracks are available for a particular title, you can easily switch to them during playback. Simply click on the “Audio & Subtitles” icon (a speech bubble icon) while watching a movie or episode, and select the desired Chinese audio or subtitle track.

StreamFox also supports downloading Chinese audio and subtitles files if they are available for a specific title on Netflix. Furthermore, even if they are not directly offered on Netflix, you can download the Chinese SRT files and embed them in your video via VLC media player.

Q. Can You Watch Downloaded Netflix in China With Free VPN?

Yes, you can watch downloaded Netflix content in China with a free VPN. The key is to change your Netflix region so the platform doesn’t recognize you’re in China.

A free VPN should provide sufficient internet speed through its various servers to trick Netflix into thinking you’re not in China. This will allow you to access your downloaded content without any issues.

However, when it comes to directly streaming Netflix content in China using a free VPN, it’s highly unlikely to work, even at the lowest quality settings. Free VPNs often have limited bandwidth and server options, which can lead to slow speeds and buffering issues, even if you are watching at the lowest possible quality.

Q. Can I watch my Netflix downloads anywhere?

Due to geographical restrictions, Netflix limit access to watch certain types of content in specific countries. So, if the downloaded Netflix movie you want to watch in a country you visited is not licensed within that region, you’ll be unable to watch it from there and vice-versa.

Final Thoughts

First, watching downloaded Netflix content in China isn’t possible because Netflix is banned, and the platform doesn’t purchase licenses there. Second, while you can use a VPN to stream Netflix, it requires high internet speeds, which might not be available. Third, even if you’ve downloaded content, streaming it in China requires turning on Airplane mode, which means missing out on calls and messages. To make things simpler, just use StreamFox.