What is Split Tunneling Split Tunneling is a feature that allows you to select which applications on your device go through the VPN tunnel, and which use your direct connection.
It is available in our new desktop applications for Windows (8 - 10) and Mac (10.12 - 10.15, Big Sur has some compatibility issues) as well as any Android-based devices. Unfortunately, due to restrictions on the iOS platform, iPhones and iPads do not support Split Tunneling.
The desktop app provides some additional flexibility by letting you add IPs and hostnames to the Split Tunneling list, while Split Tunneling on Android is limited just to applications.
Split Tunneling ModesThere are two modes that Split Tunneling can be used in:
Inclusive and
Exclusive.
Inclusive mode - allows you to choose which apps are
included in the VPN tunnel. Anything you select will use the VPN IP while all the other apps outside the list will use your regular IP and connection.
Exclusive mode - allows you to
exclude applications from the VPN tunnel while everything else goes to our VPN servers.
Keep in mind, you can only use one Split Tunneling mode at any given time.
How to enable Split TunnelingAndroid
- Open the Windscribe app and tap the Menu button in the top-left corner

- Go to the Connection sub-menu

- Select the Split Tunneling option

- Toggle the switch to enable Split Tunneling on the device

- Choose which mode of split tunneling you'll use: Exclusive or Inclusive

- Scroll through the list of apps or use the search bar to find the application you want to use

- Finally, return to the main application screen, disconnect from the VPN and reconnect.
You will see a small icon below the connect button when Split Tunneling is enabled.

Windows
Keep in mind that Split Tunneling will only work with traditional software that runs from an executable (.exe) file.
Windows Apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store such as Mail function differently and will not work with Split Tunneling.
Navigating to Split Tunneling feature- Open the Windscribe app and tap the Menu button in the top-left corner

- Go to the Connection sub-menu

- Select the Split Tunneling option

- Toggle the switch to enable Split Tunneling on the device

- Choose which mode of split tunneling you'll use: Exclusive or Inclusive

Adding ApplicationsThere are two ways to select applications for the desktop client's Split Tunneling feature:
Adding IPs and Hostnames
The Split Tunneling feature in the desktop app also supports including/excluding specific IPs and hostnames (website) through simple rules.
- In the Split Tunneling Menu, select the IPs & Hostnames option

- Here you can enter either a hostname or an IP address to add to the Split Tunneling list.
Once you've typed it in, press the plus (+) icon to the right to add it to the list of rules below.

OR

After you've added the applications, IPs and/or hostnames, return to the main application screen, disconnect from the VPN and reconnect.
You will see a small icon below the connect button when Split Tunneling is enabled.