Frequently asked questions about split tunneling with AppLanes
- Launch AppLanes. macOS shows a “System Extension Blocked” prompt on first run.
- Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions, scroll to Network Extensions, and enable AppLanes.
- Back in the app, click Allow when macOS asks to add the AppLanes proxy configuration.
- The sidebar health chips (VPN / Ext / Proxy / Sync) all turn green when setup is complete. The in-app onboarding walks you through the same steps.
Connect your VPN as usual, open AppLanes, find the app in the Apps list, and switch its lane to Direct. New connections from that app bypass the VPN immediately while every other app stays tunneled. The step-by-step guide covers verification and edge cases.
Any VPN that creates a standard network tunnel on macOS — WireGuard, OpenVPN clients, IKEv2/IPsec profiles, and the apps from major providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, and Mullvad. AppLanes routes traffic around or through whatever tunnel is up; it doesn’t replace your VPN and doesn’t care which one you use. See the complete split-tunneling guide for provider-by-provider details.
Almost certainly not — split tunneling is a Windows/Android feature for nearly every provider. NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, Mullvad, CyberGhost, and Windscribe have no split tunneling in their macOS apps, and ExpressVPN only supports it on macOS 10.15 and earlier. That gap is exactly what AppLanes fills — see the per-provider guides.
Yes. WireGuard creates a standard tunnel interface on macOS, which AppLanes detects automatically. Set apps to the VPN lane to route them through the WireGuard tunnel, or Direct to bypass it — the WireGuard configuration itself needs no changes.
No. AppLanes never carries your traffic to any server of ours — there are none. It’s a local network extension that decides, per app, whether a connection uses your existing VPN, goes direct, or is blocked.
To route an app’s connections, macOS hands them to AppLanes’s system extension (a transparent proxy). Everything happens on your Mac: no telemetry, no analytics, no accounts. The App Store privacy label is “Data Not Collected”. Curious how it works under the hood? Read the Network Extensions explainer.
You choose in Settings: Allow Direct keeps VPN-routed apps working over your normal connection, while Block Traffic holds their traffic until the tunnel is back — so nothing leaks.
When you change an app’s rule (for example, switching Chrome from VPN to Direct), the new rule applies to every new connection that app makes. However, connections that were already open before the change can’t be moved to a different route — this is a fundamental limitation of how internet connections work, and it applies to every split-tunneling product, not just AppLanes. A live connection is tied to the network address it started with; changing it mid-stream is technically impossible.
AppLanes minimizes this window for you: the moment you change a rule, it signals a network change to the system, which prompts most apps — browsers in particular — to drop their existing connections and reconnect within a few seconds. Those new connections then follow your updated rule automatically.
If an app still seems to be using its old route (some apps hold connections open for a long time — video calls, downloads, and streaming sessions are common examples), simply quit and reopen that app. Everything it does from launch onward will follow your rules.
TL;DR: New connections always follow your rules instantly. A just-changed rule may take a few seconds to affect an app that’s already running — or a quick app restart applies it immediately.
AppLanes comes with a 3-day free trial — every feature unlocked, no account needed. After the trial it’s $2.99/month or $19.99/year, billed by Apple through the Mac App Store; cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Details on the pricing page.
A few Apple processes are pinned to safe routes so your Mac keeps working (for example, the network stack itself). They show a lock icon in the Apps list with an explanation.
Check the troubleshooting page for setup and routing fixes, browse the split-tunneling guides, or email us — include your macOS version and, if you can, a screenshot of the sidebar health chips.
support@trifectaapps.com