Give programs you trust direct access to the internet for better speed — without losing VPN protection for your sensitive data.
Split tunneling is an advanced VPN feature that lets you choose which apps need VPN protection and which can access the internet directly. The first group benefits from the safety of the secure tunnel of your VPN, while the second group enjoys faster speeds and access to local services. Split tunneling is available on Windows, Android, and Android TV NordVPN apps.
Split tunneling lets you maintain two connections at the same time. Your VPN app divides your internet traffic into two categories — one part gets encrypted and rerouted through secure VPN servers, while the other is left untouched and allowed to interact with the internet directly. You choose which apps can be trusted to bypass VPN protection in your VPN app’s settings.
Inverse split tunneling encrypts your whole connection by default, with only trusted programs permitted access to the internet directly. It’s the safest form of split tunneling.
With app-based split tunneling, only the selected apps will benefit from VPN protection. The rest of your internet traffic is unencrypted.
Normally, browser-based VPN extensions protect you on every website. However, URL-based split tunneling lets you specify the URLs you want to access with your real IP address.
Since connecting to a VPN server can lock you out of your own country’s websites and services, you may be tempted to turn NordVPN off to see what’s happening at home. Don’t leave yourself exposed — use VPN split tunneling to protect the data that matters while you surf at your leisure.
However you use it, VPN split tunneling is a very handy tool — but just like every tool, it has its time and place. Keep in mind that others (including your ISP) may be able to see your unencrypted internet traffic, so always use VPN protection when handling sensitive data.
NordVPN is the fastest VPN on the market, but encryption and decryption still take time. While the speed drop is imperceptible in most cases, some online activities (like FPS games) require you to push your internet connection to the limit — and that’s where split tunneling comes in handy. Protect the apps that handle your sensitive data and let others go full-throttle.
Get the best of both worlds while traveling — literally. With split tunneling, you can enjoy your usual home services without losing access to the local version of the internet. For example, the split tunneling feature lets you work on Google Chrome over a secure connection while you browse local content on Firefox at the same time.
In some cases, encryption prevents your device from interacting with others on your Local Area Network (LAN). In this case, split tunneling lets you access printers, smart home appliances, and other useful tools without losing VPN protection for your sensitive data.
NordVPN offers split tunneling for Android, Android TV, and Windows devices.
