What is VPN split tunneling?
VPN split tunneling lets you route some of your device or app traffic through the VPN while other devices or apps maintain direct access to the internet.
Use split tunneling to protect your browsing without losing access to local network devices.
Why do I need a split-tunneling VPN?
A basic VPN routes all your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to protect your data from hackers and third-party snoops.
Without a VPN with split-tunneling capabilities, you may run into situations where:
- You can’t access foreign and local web services at the same time
- Transmitting all data through the VPN uses up your bandwidth
- You can’t access LAN devices while you’re connected to the VPN
With a split-tunneling VPN, you can:
- Stream foreign movies while using web services from local IP addresses
- Download safely without affecting the speed of other web services
- Access your network printer while surfing the internet securely
Are there any split-tunneling risks?
If you don’t configure your split-tunneling settings properly, there is a risk that your ISP or a third party could access some of your sensitive information.
To protect your online activity, be sure to use only VPN-protected connections when you handle sensitive data, downloads, or torrents.
How does ExpressVPN split tunneling work?
ExpressVPN split tunneling has two configurations:
- Split Tunneling: Protect all connected devices or applications except for a selected few.
- Inverse Split Tunneling: Only protect selected connected devices or applications.
VPN split tunneling on ExpressVPN apps
ExpressVPN App for Routers
You can toggle VPN protection ON or OFF for every device connected to the ExpressVPN App for Routers. Use split tunneling to maintain access to your local network devices, like your printer.
ExpressVPN App for Mac
With the Connection per App feature in ExpressVPN for Mac, choose which apps use the VPN and which apps don’t when you’re connected to ExpressVPN.