Split tunneling allows you to exclude some apps from the VPN so they will use your regular Internet connection. This will for example allow you to access some websites that are blocking VPN services. The Mullvad app for Android, Linux and Windows supports split tunneling. In macOS you can use OpenVPN with Tunnelblick instead.
What this guide covers
WARNING: None of the traffic in the excluded applications will go through the VPN, meaning it will be going directly out on the Internet.
Mullvad app for Android
How to enable split tunneling
- Go to the app settings by tapping on the gear icon in the top right corner.
- Tap on Advanced and then Split tunneling.
- Tap on Enabled and then select which apps to exclude from the VPN.
Note that the excluded apps will not work if you have enabled Block connections without VPN in the Android settings.
Mullvad app for Linux
How to enable split tunneling
- Go to the app settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner.
- Click on Advanced and then scroll down to Split tunneling in the bottom.
- Click on an app to launch it.
Symbols
Some apps like web browsers show a yellow exclamation mark to remind you to first close the app if it's already running. A red exclamation mark means that the app can't be used with split tunneling.
Using the CLI
You can also use split tunneling with the Mullvad CLI with the commands mullvad-exclude and mullvad split-tunnel. See our guide How to use the Mullvad CLI.
Mullvad app for Windows
How to enable split tunneling
- Go to the app settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner.
- Then click on Split tunneling .
- Click on the plus icon on the right side of an app.
