Can NotebookLM be used in mainland China? Why your region is unavailable, and network checks

First, the name and the official source

NotebookLM is Google's AI research assistant. You can upload PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, audio and Google Docs, then ask questions about them. Note the name: when we read it on 28 October 2026, Google's help page was titled Gemini Notebook, and the old address notebooklm.google.com redirected to notebook.google.com. This article keeps the name people search for, NotebookLM. It is the same product.

This article covers only network checks and setup. It does not explain how to make a service work in a region where it is not offered. Availability follows Google's official help page.

• Sources:
• Google Help: Learn about Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM)
• Google: Gemini Notebook website

What the official help says

Google's help page "Learn about Gemini Notebook" states several things in its "Availability" section: • The browser version is for all users in supported countries and territories who have reached the age of consent (or the age set in your country or territory). • You need to verify your age in your Google Account before using it. • The mobile app may be available in a different range, and the page links to a separate list of countries and territories for the mobile app. • Most work or school Google Accounts can use it. If the account is managed by an organization, the organization's administrator needs to turn on access.

The page also has a "Supported countries & territories" list, with each country listed one by one. When we read it, mainland China was not in this list. The list can be updated, so open the official page to see its current content.

• Sources:
• Google Help: Learn about Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM)

What "unavailable in your region" means

If you see a message that your region is unavailable, the most common reason is that the region you are in now is not in the list above. In that case, no network setting can change the result, and a proxy cannot either: a proxy only changes the network address the service sees. It does not change Google's terms of service, and it does not change the supported regions.

Another case is that you are in a country on the list but the message still appears. Then you should check whether the exit the service sees is correct. For example, your computer may have a proxy you do not know about, a company network, or an old setting. Only in this case is it worth checking and adjusting the network.

Check the exit the service sees

On the same device and in the same browser, open https://ipinfo.io/json and look at two fields, country and org. country is the country the service sees, and org is the network it belongs to. To learn how to read these fields, see How to check a proxy IP's location. If the country shown is not the country you are actually in, check browser extensions, the system proxy and the company network first, and then check Google's message.

• How to check a proxy IP's location

Set a fixed exit in a supported region

If you are in a country on the list and need a fixed network exit, the simplest way is to set the proxy for the browser only, instead of changing the whole system. You need the proxy's address, port, username and password. For what these four mean, see How to fill in the proxy address, port and login. After setting it, open https://ipinfo.io/json again to confirm the country, then open NotebookLM.

If you need to use the same address for a long time, a static residential ISP proxy suits better: the IP is fixed during the rental period and does not rotate, and a rental of 30 days or more is dedicated. See the static residential proxy page for details. Gemini, also from Google, has a similar guide: see the Gemini proxy setup guide. To see how several AI services are available by country, read Which countries support ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and Platform access by country.

• How to fill in the proxy address, port and login
• static residential proxy page
• Gemini proxy setup guide
• Which countries support ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini
• Platform access by country

Common causes of problems

• 407 Proxy Authentication Required. The proxy rejected the username or password. Copy them again and check the encoding of special characters. • ipinfo shows the right country, but NotebookLM still says it is unavailable. The problem is not in the network settings. Go back to the official help page above and check whether your country is in the list, and whether your age and account meet the requirements. • A work or school account will not open. According to Google, an account managed by an organization needs the administrator to turn on access.

How to do it with Proxy302

Proxy302 proxies only need an address, a port, a username and a password. Dynamic residential is billed by traffic, and the exit country is set when you generate the proxy; HTTP is on port 2222 of proxy.proxy302.com, and SOCKS5 is on port 3333. A static ISP IP is fixed for the whole rental period and does not rotate, and a rental of 30 days or more is dedicated. The table below shows the exits in 7 countries at our most recent hourly check; the probe requests ChatGPT, which is only an example target. See the dynamic residential page and the proxy location check guide for details.

• dynamic residential page
• proxy location check guide

Measured exits: ChatGPT from 7 countries

Hourly check of the Proxy302 probe, 28 October 2026, 14:56 UTC: one request to ChatGPT per country through a dynamic residential exit, using the public Proxy302 entry. Only the first three octets of an IP are public. One sample per country, not an average; later checks will differ.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 hourly connectivity check

How to do it with Proxy302: steps

1. Step 1

   Open the rotating residential page, choose the line, and keep Protocol on HTTP or choose SOCKS5, then click Review cost and generate.

2. Step 2

   Open My assets (the console page that holds everything you bought) and copy HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD. The Connect page shows a ready example with your own endpoint.

3. Step 3

   Enter the details in the browser or tool you are setting up.

4. Step 4

   Confirm the exit with https://ipinfo.io/json through the proxy.

5. Step 5

   From mainland China, start the helper tool from the Connect page first and keep it open while you use the proxy.

   • Helper tool guide

Prices and limits

The Budget line costs US$1.50 per GB, US$1.35 per GB in a 100 GB package and US$1.20 per GB at 300 GB. There is no free trial, and the smallest purchase is 1 GB. Which exit locations are available changes daily.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 product facts and price list

FAQ

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