I'm running Bitdefender VPN on macOS. When the VPN is active, Apple Mail cannot connect to any of my email accounts — both a self-hosted email server (via IMAP/SMTP) and iCloud Mail fail with connection errors. As soon as I disconnect the VPN, everything works immediately.
I've tried using split tunnelling, but on macOS it only allows bypassing websites (browser traffic). There is no option to exclude specific applications like Apple Mail.
This means there is currently no way to use Bitdefender VPN and Apple Mail simultaneously on a Mac.
My questions:
- Is there a planned update to add app-level split tunnelling on macOS, similar to Windows/Android?
- Is there any other workaround to allow Apple Mail traffic to bypass the VPN?
This appears to be a widely reported issue across the community. A proper solution would be greatly appreciated.
Environment: macOS, Bitdefender Total Security (latest), Apple Mail with IMAP/SMTP accounts.
