Split tunneling: when and why to use it
4 min read
Intermediate
Control and routing
Quick take
Use split tunneling only when you have a clear reason. It is helpful, but every excluded app or site is traffic the VPN no longer protects.
Good reasons to use it
- You need a local device or printer to stay reachable on your home network.
- A bank, work portal, or game launcher behaves badly over the VPN.
- You want one app protected while another keeps using your normal connection.
- You need to test whether the VPN is the reason a service is failing.
What you give up
- Excluded traffic can use your normal IP address.
- DNS requests from excluded apps may go outside the VPN tunnel.
- It becomes easier to forget which app is protected and which is not.
A safer way to set it up
- Exclude as little as possible and prefer one app instead of a long list.
- Test the excluded app first, then run a DNS leak or IP check on the protected app.
- Review the list again later so temporary exceptions do not become permanent habits.
Bottom line
Split tunneling is useful, not something to turn on by default. If you use it, keep the exception list short and test it whenever your app setup changes.