Routing specific application traffic through a VPN offers the perfect balance between privacy, performance, and convenience. Rather than tunneling your entire network—which can slow down local services and consume extra bandwidth—you can target only those apps that need encryption or geolocation masking. Whether you’re securing a browser, a torrent client, or a corporate tool, custom VPN routing (also known as split tunneling) ensures that sensitive data stays protected without affecting your general internet experience. In this post, we’ll explore how split tunneling works, walk through OS-level and app-specific configurations, introduce tools that make routing rules easy, and share automation hacks for context-aware VPN routing.

Understanding Split Tunneling vs. Full VPN

Full-VPN routes all your device’s network traffic through the VPN tunnel, maximizing privacy but often at the cost of speed and access to local resources (printers, NAS devices, etc.). Split tunneling, by contrast, sends only selected traffic through the VPN while letting everything else travel directly over your regular internet connection. This allows you to encrypt only the apps or services that require it—like web browsers when banking online—while maintaining direct access for others. Some VPN providers offer “app-based split tunneling,” letting you check boxes next to each application in their client. Understanding the trade-offs between full and split tunneling is crucial for tailoring your setup to your unique performance and privacy needs.

Configuring OS-Level Routing Rules

For deeper control, you can configure routing tables directly in your operating system. On Windows, the route command lets you add static routes that force traffic for specific destination networks over the VPN interface. On macOS and Linux, editing the system’s ip route or ip rule tables achieves the same effect. First, identify your VPN interface name and the IP range you want to tunnel (for example, your corporate subnet). Then, create a route that points that range to the VPN gateway. Finally, verify with tracert (Windows) or traceroute (macOS/Linux) that packets for your target addresses indeed traverse the VPN. Though this method requires comfort with command-line networking, it delivers rock-solid, system-wide routing that applies to any application speaking to those endpoints.

Using App-Specific VPN Tunnels

When you only need to secure particular applications, app-based split tunneling in your VPN client is often the easiest solution. Popular VPN apps—from NordVPN to ExpressVPN—include settings under “Split Tunneling,” where you can select which apps should use the VPN tunnel and exclude the rest. For clients without native support, third-party tools like Viscosity (macOS/Windows) or Proxifier can force individual programs to use a SOCKS5 or HTTP proxy over a VPN. Simply point the proxy settings to localhost at the VPN client’s proxy port, then configure rules that match the target application’s executable. This app-specific approach avoids OS-level complexity and ensures your chosen applications always get the privacy boost of the VPN tunnel.

Automating VPN Routing Based on Context

For ultimate convenience, tie your VPN routing rules to context: network, time, or GPS location. On Windows, you can script route add and route delete commands in PowerShell and trigger them via Task Scheduler when you connect to specific SSIDs. macOS users can employ Automator or launchd agents to run shell scripts when network services change. On Linux, a NetworkManager dispatcher script can detect the active connection and adjust routes automatically. You can even integrate with mobile apps—on Android using Tasker, or iOS Shortcuts—to enable split tunneling when you join a public Wi-Fi network. Context-aware automation means your apps secure themselves exactly when you need them to, without you lifting a finger.

By combining a solid grasp of split tunneling, OS-level routing configurations, app-specific proxy tools, and context-driven automation, you can craft a VPN setup that delivers privacy where it matters, performance where it doesn’t, and ease of use that stays out of your way. Implement these lifehacks today to enjoy the best of both worlds.