Introduction
Kill Switch and Split Tunneling are two important NordVPN security features that serve different purposes. This article explains how they work, why they can conflict, and what to expect when you enable both features together.
Kill Switch and Split Tunneling explained
Kill Switch
Designed to protect your device by blocking all internet traffic whenever you are not connected to VPN, preventing your real IP address or unencrypted data from being exposed at any time. Acts as an always-on failsafe that prevents data leaks regardless of whether your VPN connection dropped unexpectedly, was manually disabled, or was never established. It takes absolute authority, and it cannot be bypassed by other settings - its security function takes absolute priority.
You can read more about NordVPN's Kill Switch feature and how it works in our official article regarding it.
Split Tunneling
Allows you to route specific applications through the VPN while other applications use your regular internet connection, but only when you are connected to the VPN. Useful when you need some apps (like banking apps) to use your local IP address, while others (like Discord or games) use the VPN.
You can read more about NordVPN's Split Tunneling feature and how to use it on our official article that goes into detail about it.
Why do Kill Switch and Split Tunneling conflict?
Kill Switch will terminate internet access for all traffic whenever you are not connected to the VPN. When Split Tunneling is enabled, this creates a conflict because:
- Split Tunneling only functions when your VPN is active
- If your VPN disconnects, Split Tunneling ceases to work; as a result, all apps lose their routing configuration
- Kill Switch then blocks all internet traffic for your entire device to prevent data leaks
Kill Switch has the highest priority
Even apps excluded from the VPN through Split Tunneling will be blocked by the Kill Switch when you are connected to the VPN. Kill Switch prioritizes device security over Split Tunneling routing preferences.
What happens when both features are enabled?
If Kill Switch and Split Tunneling are both enabled and your VPN disconnects:
- All internet traffic immediately stops for your entire device.
- Split Tunneling apps lose internet access (they cannot fall back to your local connection because Split Tunneling only works when VPN is connected, and Kill Switch blocks all traffic when VPN is disconnected).
- Traffic remains blocked until:
- Your VPN connection is manually re-established, OR
- You disable the Kill Switch feature.
NOTE: NordVPN automatically and continuously retries if a VPN connection drops. For most users, especially when using Split Tunneling, relying on auto-reconnect provides a smoother experience without Kill Switch interruptions. Enable Kill Switch only if you require strict "no-traffic-unless-VPN-connected" protection.
Additional tips
- If Split Tunneling is not working on NordVPN, follow our official troubleshooting guide.
- Visit our article to learn about the other features NordVPN has.
