How to fix slow internet during VPN connection on Windows 10

On Windows 10, when you connect to a private network using a VPN client, you’ll notice that your internet browsing experience begins to slow down dramatically.

The slow internet connection can be attributed to the fact that when you’re connected to a VPN server your device will automatically add a new default route to your network connection. When this happens, your web traffic will get routed through the VPN connection and through that remote private network that you’re connecting, instead of using the local internet connection.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to prevent the web traffic from going through the VPN connection by creating “split tunneling,” a networking feature that will allow you to maintain connectivity to the private network, while making sure web traffic flows through your internet connection, therefore increasing your web surfing speeds.

How to fix slow internet using split tunneling during VPN connection

To prevent a VPN connection from slowing down internet on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Click on Network and Internet.

3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.

4. Click the Change adapter settings option from the left pane.

5. Right-click the VPN connection adapter and select the Properties option.

   

6. Click the Networking tab.

7. Uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option.

8. Check and select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) option.

9. Click the Properties button.

   

10. Click the Advanced button.

    

11. Click the IP Settings tab.

12. Clear the Use default gateway on remote network option.

    

13. Click the OK button.

14. Click the OK  button again.

15. Click OK once more time.

Once you complete the steps, you will have created a split tunneling on Windows 10, which allows you to stay connected on two different networks.

However, disabling the Use default gateway on remote network option will let you access the remote location, but only to the network that matches the network ID from the IP address you have received. This means that depending on your remote network requirements, you may want to consult with your network administrator to verify these changes won’t affect your connection.

While for many users changing these settings makes more sense than sending web traffic through a VPN connection, there is a good reason for this default behavior. It’s for security reasons as it allows companies to control the flow of the internet with firewalls, filters, and other security solutions to monitor and meet the organization’s network policies as if employees were physically connected to the network. In addition, in most cases using the default settings won’t affect VPN users as most of the time they only engage on one network at a time.

Although, we’re focusing on Windows 10, the same concept works for Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and pretty much all versions of the operating system.