What Is VPN Split Tunneling? Benefits, Risks, and How to Check

Anyone who has ever turned on a VPN and watched a local printer or smart TV vanish from the network knows the exact pain split tunneling fixes. The feature sends only the apps you choose through the encrypted tunnel, while everything else keeps using your ordinary internet connection.

Global VPN users in 2024: 1.6 billion (Statista) ·
VPN providers offering split tunneling: over 60% (industry surveys) ·
Bandwidth reduction with split tunneling: 30–50% (Fortinet network guide) ·
VPN market size 2023: $44.6 billion (Grand View Research)

Ten rows, one pattern: the feature that saves bandwidth and keeps local devices reachable also creates a coverage gap you have to manage.

What is split tunneling?

Split tunneling is a VPN routing mode that gives you two paths at once: the encrypted tunnel for selected apps, and your normal internet connection for everything else. Instead of forcing all traffic through one pipe, the VPN becomes a filter.

How split tunneling works

• You choose which apps, sites, or destinations use the VPN tunnel; all other traffic continues over your ordinary connection.
• Inclusive split tunneling sends only chosen apps through the VPN, while exclusive split tunneling sends chosen apps around it (Windscribe documentation).
• Rules can be set by application, IP address, hostname, subnet, device, or port, depending on the VPN implementation.

The mental model is a switchboard, not a shield. Each app gets a label: inside the tunnel or outside it. A browser on the VPN might use a US IP while your banking app stays on your real connection, and your smart TV never leaves the home network.

The implication: convenience is built into the routing, but so is the responsibility for catching mistakes.

Split tunneling vs full tunneling

• Full tunnel sends every connection through the VPN; coverage is complete, but every activity shares the VPN’s latency.
• Split tunnel sends only selected traffic through the VPN; it feels faster for streaming and gaming, but leaves a coverage gap.
• A full tunnel is the safer default for sensitive data; a split tunnel is the faster default for bandwidth-heavy entertainment.

The general pattern is consistent across vendors: a full tunnel provides stronger coverage, while a split tunnel cuts latency for high-bandwidth tasks. The right choice depends on what you are doing in that moment.

Should I use split tunneling on my VPN?

The honest answer is: yes for entertainment and local devices, no for sensitive work — and it depends on who controls the device.

When to enable split tunneling

• You want low latency for gaming, streaming, large downloads, or video calls; routing those apps outside the tunnel can cut VPN-related delay (Kaspersky (security vendor)).
• You need local devices — printers, network-attached storage, smart TVs — to stay reachable while the VPN is connected.
• Sites and services that block or slow VPN IP addresses often work better on the direct connection.

Real example: connect your work laptop to the office VPN, keep your smart TV on your home network, and stream a film on the TV without dragging that traffic through a corporate server in another country. That is the exact scenario split tunneling was built for, and it’s why our smart TV explainer spends so much time on home-network performance.

When to disable split tunneling

• You are handling sensitive data — banking, legal files, health records — and you want every byte encrypted.
• Your employer’s policy requires full tunnel; bypass traffic can evade corporate firewall, proxy inspection, DNS filtering, data-loss prevention, and centralized logging.
• A split-tunneled device can sit on a protected corporate network and an untrusted local network at the same time, which widens the attack surface.

Enterprise networking teams are the strictest here. Tata Communications (enterprise network operator) warns that endpoints connected to a corporate network can simultaneously join untrusted local networks, so the bypass traffic never passes through the security stack that protects the rest of the organization.

What this means: if someone else sets the security policy for the device, split tunneling is a policy decision, not a personal preference.

The right choice depends on your specific situation and risk tolerance.

How do I know if my VPN is full tunnel or split?

You can usually answer this in under a minute by opening the VPN app. The feature label is almost always “Split Tunneling,” “Split Tunnel,” or “Per-app VPN.”

Check VPN settings

• Open Settings or Advanced settings in the VPN app and look for a split tunnel toggle.
• NordVPN (support documentation) documents app-based split tunneling on Windows and Android.
• IVPN (setup guide) documents the feature on Windows, Linux, and Android, with per-app controls.

If you see the option, your VPN supports split tunneling. If you don’t, your client is probably running in full-tunnel mode, which means all traffic goes through the VPN by default.

Test with IP leak tools

• Write down your public IP with the VPN off.
• Turn the VPN on and assign one app to the tunnel, another to the direct connection.
• Run an IP leak test per app: if the excluded app still shows the VPN’s IP, or the included app shows your ISP’s IP, your split rule needs fixing.

This is the practical verification most guides skip: the settings show intent, the leak test shows reality.

The pattern: tunnel type is a setting, not magic. Thirty seconds in the app plus one leak check removes the guesswork.

Is VPN tunneling safe?

VPN tunneling itself is safe; the safety question is where you point it. A tunnel is only as protective as the traffic inside it.

Security risks of split tunneling

• Traffic outside the tunnel receives no VPN encryption and no IP-address masking — it sits on the network like any ordinary connection.
• That direct traffic stays visible to your ISP and to the local network operator (Avast (antivirus vendor)).
• Misconfiguration is the biggest practical risk: a sensitive app can silently end up outside the VPN (McAfee (security software vendor)).

The danger is quiet. A VPN that is “on” can make you feel protected even when an excluded app is sending your real IP and unencrypted traffic to a server on the other side of the internet.

Benefits of full tunnel for security

• Full-tunnel mode routes all traffic through the VPN and generally provides stronger coverage than split tunneling.
• Corporate security tools see every connection, because none of it bypasses the firewall or the logging layer.
• The cost is latency: a full tunnel can slow high-bandwidth activities like large downloads and 4K streams.

Worse, if an infected app is excluded from the tunnel, its command-and-control traffic can leave the device without ever crossing the VPN — the exact blind spot security teams worry about when they see split tunneling on a managed endpoint.

Understanding these trade-offs is key to making an informed decision.

What are the downsides of using a VPN?

Every VPN involves trade-offs, and split tunneling changes where those trade-offs land. The feature removes one downside — speed — while making another one — coverage — harder to see.

Performance impact

• Encryption and the extra relay add overhead; the more traffic you push through the tunnel, the more work the VPN does.
• Some websites and apps block or throttle known VPN IP addresses, which is one reason a direct connection can feel faster.
• Split tunneling reduces the load on VPN servers because not every connection crosses the VPN infrastructure.

For a heavy download or a 4K stream, the difference between split and full tunnel can be the difference between a buffer and a smooth playback. That speed is the feature’s main appeal.

Complexity

• Split tunneling adds a per-app decision; get one wrong and a sensitive app runs unprotected.
• Enterprise setups need a written list of which apps are allowed to bypass the tunnel, plus regular reviews.
• Different VPNs label the controls differently, so the knowledge doesn’t always transfer between apps.

The flexibility is also the friction. A VPN without split tunneling is simple: everything is protected and everything is slow-ish. A VPN with split tunneling asks you to audit your own app list.

Cost

• Premium VPN services require subscription fees, and split tunneling doesn’t change that.
• Some providers reserve the feature for specific apps or platforms, so verify support on your device before assuming it exists.

And when the goal is protecting your identity online, a VPN is one layer of a larger system — our identity theft guide explains the rest. The trade-off: a VPN buys privacy with speed and convenience; split tunneling gives some speed back and asks you to manage the privacy side yourself.

Three columns, one pattern: split tunnels trade coverage for convenience, and full tunnels trade speed for safety — the right choice depends on what you are doing at that moment.

How to enable split tunneling in four steps

1. Open the VPN app and go to Settings or Advanced settings, then find “Split Tunnel” or “Split Tunneling” — IVPN’s setup guide documents this exact flow.
2. Enable the feature. In IVPN’s documentation, that means enabling Split Tunnel and then adding an application or executable path.
3. Select which apps use the VPN tunnel and which use the direct connection. NordVPN’s support page describes the app-based selection on Windows and Android.
4. Verify: run an IP leak check for a tunneled app and for a bypassed app, and confirm each one shows the IP you expect.

Three security vendors, one consistent warning: split tunneling is about control, and control cuts both ways.

Full-tunnel mode routes all internet traffic through the VPN and generally provides stronger coverage than split tunneling, while a full tunnel may impose more latency for high-bandwidth activities.

McAfee (security software vendor)

A split-tunneled endpoint can connect to a protected organizational network and an untrusted local network at the same time, increasing exposure.

Tata Communications (network operator)

Direct traffic can remain visible to an internet service provider or local network operator when no additional encryption protects it.

Avast (antivirus vendor)

Split tunneling is the rare VPN feature that makes the product faster while making the user more responsible. The people who benefit most are home users who stream, game, or juggle local devices, because they can keep those connections fast without abandoning the VPN for everything else. The people who should be careful are remote employees on managed devices, because every app outside the tunnel is traffic the corporate security team cannot see. For the home streamer, the choice is clear: enable split tunneling, keep sensitive apps inside the tunnel, and verify the rule with a leak test — or accept full-tunnel latency for everything, including the shows you just wanted to watch.

Frequently asked questions