NordVPN Split Tunneling Setup: How to Configure It on Windows, Android & Chrome — Which Apps Should You Route Through VPN, When Should You Bypass It, and Is It Safe? (Includes Full Plan Comparison)
Picture this: you're on a work trip, laptop open, VPN running. You need to check your bank account — but the app keeps throwing location errors. Meanwhile, your video call is lagging because every packet is bouncing through a server in Amsterdam. You didn't travel internationally to fight your own VPN.
That's what split tunneling is for. And NordVPN does it well — once you know where to find the setting.
This guide walks you through the full NordVPN split tunneling setup, platform by platform, with real-world scenarios for when to actually use it (and when not to). If you don't have NordVPN yet, there's a plan breakdown at the bottom so you can grab the right tier before you start.
In plain terms: split tunneling lets you divide your internet traffic into two lanes. Some apps go through the encrypted VPN tunnel — those get NordVPN's servers and masked IP. Everything else goes directly through your regular ISP connection, with your real IP address.
It sounds counterintuitive. You're paying for a VPN — why would you want anything bypassing it? But here's the thing: VPN encryption adds overhead. It routes your traffic through a remote server. For sensitive work, that's exactly what you want. For local banking apps, your smart printer, or a latency-sensitive game, the VPN can actually get in the way.
Split tunneling solves this without forcing you to constantly connect and disconnect.
There are three main variations of the feature:
- App-based split tunneling — You pick specific apps to exclude from (or include in) the VPN. Available on NordVPN for Windows and Android.
- URL-based split tunneling — You specify domains to bypass the VPN. Available via NordVPN's Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser extensions.
- Inverse split tunneling — Instead of excluding apps, you whitelist only the ones you want through the VPN. Everything else goes direct.
NordVPN supports all three, just on different platforms.
Before you dig through every settings menu, here's what's actually supported:
| Platform | Split Tunneling Support |
|---|---|
| Windows | ✅ App-based (exclude or include mode) |
| Android | ✅ App-based |
| Android TV | ✅ App-based |
| Chrome extension | ✅ URL/domain-based |
| Firefox extension | ✅ URL/domain-based |
| Edge extension | ✅ URL/domain-based |
| macOS | ❌ Not supported |
| iOS / iPhone | ❌ Not supported (Apple OS limitation) |
| Linux | ✅ Allowlist (port/subnet-based, different from app-based) |
macOS and iOS users — you're out of luck for now. Apple's VPN configuration restrictions block the feature on those platforms. If you're on an iPhone, your best option is toggling the VPN off for specific tasks or using the browser extension workaround.
This is the most feature-complete version of the setting. Windows lets you either exclude specific apps from the VPN or flip it to inverse mode and only tunnel selected apps.
Step-by-step:
- Open the NordVPN desktop app and sign in.
- Click the gear icon (Settings) in the bottom-left corner.
- Scroll to find Split Tunneling and click it.
- Toggle the switch ON.
- Choose your mode:
- Bypass VPN for selected apps — those apps use your regular connection
- Only use VPN for selected apps — everything else bypasses the VPN
- Click Add and pick the apps you want to include or exclude.
- Reconnect your VPN if it was already active.
Practical tip: NordVPN's list shows currently running apps by default. If you don't see the app you need, click Browse Apps to search manually.
Quick test: After setting it up, open a browser tab in an excluded app and check
ipleak.netorwhatismyip.com. You should see your real ISP IP. In a VPN-tunneled browser, you should see NordVPN's server IP. If both results match, double-check your configuration.
The Android version works similarly but lives in a slightly different part of the UI.
Step-by-step:
- Open the NordVPN app on your Android device.
- Tap the Profile icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the gear/settings icon to open Settings.
- Scroll to VPN Connection and tap Split Tunneling.
- Toggle Use Split Tunneling to ON.
- Tap Manage Apps (or +Add Apps).
- Select the apps you want excluded from the VPN by tapping the + next to each one.
- Done — no reconnect needed in most cases.
Android also has a handy option to automatically exclude apps flagged as incompatible with VPNs. Worth enabling if you've ever had a banking or government app act up while connected.
If you're not on Windows or Android, or you just want more granular control per-website rather than per-app, the browser extension route is your best bet.
Step-by-step (Chrome example):
- Install the NordVPN Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store.
- Connect to a NordVPN server through the extension.
- Click the NordVPN extension icon in your toolbar.
- On the left-side menu, find and click Exclude from VPN.
- Type the domain you want to bypass (e.g.,
mybank.com). - Optionally check Add all subdomains to cover things like
secure.mybank.com. - Click Exclude and reload the page.
Alternatively: right-click on any webpage, hover over NordVPN in the context menu, and select to disable VPN for that site or domain on the spot. Fast.
Here's where most guides just give you a bullet list and call it a day. Let's be more specific about actual use cases.
This is the most common one. Banks often flag logins from foreign IPs — especially if your VPN exit node is in another country. The authentication system sees "user typically logs in from Chicago, now logging in from Frankfurt" and locks the account or demands extra verification.
Solution: exclude your bank's app or domain from the VPN. It connects with your real IP, no friction. Everything else stays protected.
VPN tunnels often break LAN discovery. Your computer routes through a VPN server, but your printer is sitting two feet away on the same router. They can't find each other.
Exclude the print manager or smart home app from the VPN and you'll reconnect to local devices instantly without disconnecting the VPN for everything else.
Here's where split tunneling shines for gamers. Route your game client through the VPN if you're dealing with region restrictions, DDoS protection, or specific server access. Let Steam downloads or game updates bypass the VPN so they don't get throttled.
Classic use case: you want to watch a geo-blocked show through NordVPN, but you also want to access local news or a region-locked sports stream on the same device. Route streaming apps through the VPN, keep local apps direct.
If your employer runs their own VPN for internal tools, running NordVPN full-tunnel at the same time can cause conflicts. Use split tunneling to let NordVPN handle personal browsing while company traffic routes through the work VPN.
Split tunneling isn't a free lunch. The apps and browsers you exclude from the VPN are genuinely unprotected — no encryption, no IP masking, your real location visible to websites and your ISP.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Don't exclude apps over public Wi-Fi unless you absolutely must. On a coffee shop network, unencrypted traffic is a real risk.
- Some streaming services may still block you if split tunneling creates a DNS mismatch — NordVPN's DNS servers are still used system-wide even when traffic bypasses the tunnel, which can confuse some geo-detection systems.
- Compliance-heavy work environments (healthcare, finance, legal) may have policies against split tunneling. Check before using it.
- Test everything with an IP leak checker after setup. Don't assume it's working.
Common problems and fast fixes:
App not appearing in the list The list only shows currently running applications. Open the app first, then go back to NordVPN settings.
Excluded app still routing through VPN Try disconnecting and reconnecting NordVPN. If the problem persists, reset the NordVPN app (there's a reset option in the app's help/diagnostics section — gear icon → question mark → Run Diagnostics → Reset Network).
Excluded app has no internet at all This can happen due to a DNS conflict between your ISP's IP and NordVPN's DNS servers. NordVPN acknowledges this known issue. Workaround: try switching the excluded app to use a different DNS (e.g., Google's 8.8.8.8) or use the browser extension version of split tunneling instead.
Feature not available on your device If you're on macOS or iOS, NordVPN split tunneling simply isn't available. No workaround within the app. Your best option is using the browser extension's URL exclusion feature.
Split tunneling is available on all NordVPN subscription tiers, so you don't need to upgrade for it. Here's the full breakdown to help you choose:
| Plan | Monthly Price | 1-Year Price | 2-Year Price | Features | Get It |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $12.99/mo | $4.99/mo | $3.09/mo | VPN on 10 devices, Threat Protection Lite, split tunneling | Start with Basic |
| Plus | $15.29/mo | $5.49/mo | $3.59/mo | Everything in Basic + Threat Protection Pro (malware blocking, tracker blocking) + NordPass password manager | Get NordVPN Plus |
| Complete | $18.69/mo | $6.99/mo | $5.39/mo | Everything in Plus + 1 TB NordLocker encrypted cloud storage | Get NordVPN Complete |
| Prime | $25.29/mo | $8.99/mo | $7.39/mo | Everything in Complete + NordProtect (identity theft insurance up to $1M, dark web monitoring, cyber extortion protection) | Get NordVPN Prime |
All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee — if you set up split tunneling and it doesn't meet your needs, you can get a full refund, no questions asked.
💡 Best value pick: The 2-year Plus plan at $3.59/mo adds Threat Protection Pro on top of VPN basics for less than the price of a coffee. For most people, it hits the sweet spot between cost and feature coverage.
Split tunneling itself isn't locked behind a higher tier — it's included on the Basic plan. The differences between plans come down to the extras.
If you're mainly here for the VPN features — split tunneling, server access, kill switch, obfuscated servers for restrictive networks — Basic covers everything you need.
If you work on sensitive documents, store passwords across multiple devices, or want malware protection baked into your VPN setup, Plus is the logical step up. The NordPass integration alone is useful if you're already thinking about security holistically.
Complete and Prime are for users who want a full security stack from one subscription — NordLocker for cloud file encryption, and NordProtect if identity theft coverage matters to your situation.
👉 Compare all NordVPN plans and grab the current deal here
NordVPN split tunneling is one of those features that most people never configure — until the day they desperately need it. Whether it's a banking app refusing to load, a printer that's gone invisible, or a gaming session that shouldn't be bouncing through a VPN server, knowing how to set this up means you're not stuck choosing between security and functionality.
The Windows and Android setup takes about three minutes. The browser extension version takes less than one. And the result — VPN protection exactly where you want it, direct connection everywhere else — is worth the few minutes it takes to dial in.
If you're not on NordVPN yet, now's a good time to start. 👉 Check current NordVPN pricing and active deals