Split Tunneling
Split tunneling lets you choose which apps or sites go through the VPN and which use your normal connection, instead of routing everything through the tunnel.
Split Tunneling explained
Split tunneling divides your traffic into two paths: some through the encrypted VPN and the rest over your regular internet connection. This lets you protect or geo-shift only what you want while keeping full local speed and access for everything else.
It is handy for using a foreign streaming service while your banking app stays on your real local IP, or for keeping low-latency access to local devices during a VPN session. The trade-off is that anything left outside the tunnel is not protected, so it must be configured deliberately.
Examples
- 01Routing a streaming app through the VPN while banking stays local
- 02Keeping a printer or NAS reachable on the local network during a VPN session
- 03Sending only a scraper through the VPN and leaving the browser direct
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
It is a VPN feature that lets you pick which apps or sites use the encrypted tunnel and which use your normal connection, rather than routing all traffic through the VPN.
To geo-shift or protect specific apps while keeping full local speed and access for others, such as streaming abroad while your bank still sees your real local IP.
The tunneled traffic stays protected, but anything you route outside the VPN is not, so it must be configured carefully to avoid exposing sensitive apps.
Many do, but not all, and support varies by platform. It is more common on desktop and Android than on iOS due to platform restrictions.
It is the opposite default: everything uses your normal connection except the specific apps you choose to send through the VPN, which is useful when you only need to protect a few tools.
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