Split tunnelling divides your internet traffic into two paths. Part of it travels encrypted through your VPN provider's servers, while the rest bypasses the VPN entirely and connects directly to websites or services using your normal ISP connection.
This matters because routing all traffic through a VPN slows your connection and may block local services. With split tunnelling, you can keep video streaming or gaming fast while protecting sensitive activities like banking or email with encryption.
How it works in practice:
- You select which apps or websites use the VPN tunnel
- Everything else connects normally without VPN overhead
- Your VPN provider sees only the traffic you've routed through them
- Your ISP sees the traffic you haven't routed through the VPN
Important gotchas: Split tunnelling reduces your privacy because your ISP and website owners can see unencrypted traffic. If you enable it on public wifi, unprotected traffic becomes vulnerable to interception. Some VPN providers disable split tunnelling to force all traffic through their servers, improving privacy at the cost of speed.
Most premium VPNs offer split tunnelling as a paid feature. If privacy is your main concern, route everything through the VPN instead. If you need speed for specific tasks while protecting others, split tunnelling strikes a practical balance.