Norton VPN has added support for split tunneling on MacOS as part of a broader push for feature parity across platforms and operating systems.
The feature allows users to specify which websites and apps they want to use Norton VPN for, while leaving the rest of their traffic intact.
This can be useful, for example, for accessing a website based in another country while streaming video content from your home region. Additionally, some mobile banking apps or streaming services may completely block access if a VPN is detected.
To use the new feature, open the Norton VPN app, go to the Settings tab, navigate to Connection Settings, then select Split Tunneling to exclude specific apps and websites from the VPN connection.
As Himmat Bains, Norton VPN Product Manager, explains: “With Split Tunneling now available on Norton VPN for Mac, our customers have full control over which apps and websites pass through the VPN and which remain on their daily connection. »
“This brings Mac users the same flexibility that we already offer on Windows and Android,” he added.
Split tunneling is an essential feature of the best VPNs, but, although MacOS officially supports split tunneling, Mac users have seen a slower rollout of this feature, with some VPNs even removing split tunneling functionality for years.
Norton also said that other updates are in the works for NortonVPN on various platforms, such as post-quantum encryption for its WireGuard protocol and manual IP address shuffling for its iOS app.
Split tunneling and MacOS: issues and integration
Split tunneling has long been a point of contention for VPN users on macOS. Although Apple’s desktop operating system technically supports split tunneling, user reports suggest that Apple services like FaceTime will not work when a split tunnel is active.
Additionally, support for split tunneling on Mac is inconsistent across many VPN service providers. Private Internet Access has removed split tunneling support from its MacOS VPN app between 2021 and 2024, after Apple removed network core extension APIs from macOS Big Sur.
Although split tunneling functionality returned to MacOS in 2022, VPN providers have been cautious in rolling out this feature. ExpressVPN, for example, only introduced split tunneling at the end of 2025.
When split tunneling is implemented, it may have limitations that are not present on Windows or Linux computers. Mullvad VPN introduced split tunneling in 2024, with the caveat that it couldn’t exclude Safari or Apple’s WebKit API from VPN connections.
And some of the best VPNs on the market still don’t offer split tunneling for macOS, including our pick for the best overall VPN, NordVPN.
