Oldschool Runescape: RuneLite / Jagex Launcher login failure when using Bitdefender VPN – split tunneling not working

BramButterham

I'm experiencing a login issue with Old School RuneScape when using RuneLite through the Jagex Launcher while Bitdefender VPN is enabled.

The problem:

• With Bitdefender VPN disconnected, RuneLite and the Jagex Launcher work perfectly, and I can log in immediately.
• With Bitdefender VPN connected, the Jagex Launcher opens normally, I can select my account and start RuneLite, but when I click my account name to log in, I receive the error: "Failed to log in. Please try again."

Troubleshooting already performed:

• Added both RuneLite.exe and JagexLauncher.exe to Bitdefender VPN split tunneling.
• Also added curl.exe to split tunneling and tested my public IP using "curl.exe https://api.ipify.org". The returned IP was identical with and without the VPN connected, confirming that split tunneling works for curl.exe.
• Tested different VPN protocols: Automatic, WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
• Tested different VPN servers and ports.
• Removed website exclusions and rebooted the PC.
• Confirmed that the issue disappears immediately when disconnecting the VPN.

I'm running Windows 11.

My question:
Is there a way to configure Bitdefender VPN or its split tunneling functionality to allow RuneLite and the Jagex Launcher to authenticate and connect successfully while keeping the VPN active for all other applications?

I'm particularly interested in whether additional executables, background processes or network connections need to be excluded from the VPN.

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

Based on your findings, I think there are a few things worth investigating further. On thing to keep in mind, looking at the official Jagex support documentation, apparently they explicitly recommend disabling VPN connections when encountering login failures. Their documentation also identifies VPN usage as a possible cause of authentication errors in the Jagex Launcher. Taken from here:

https://support.runescape.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207344375-Common-connection-solutions

"We do not support or endorse the use of VPNs, proxies or hosting servers when connecting to our services. Whilst these can be useful in other contexts, they often interfere with access to our games, websites and the Jagex Launcher, which can cause issues such as failed logins."

However, since you've already excluded both RuneLite.exe and JagexLauncher.exe from the VPN tunnel, the question is why authentication still fails.. One possibility is that the authentication process involves additional executables or network connections that aren't covered by your current exclusions. This is a just a hypothesis, but I've seen it happen for other apps. So, here's what I would recommend checking next:

• Identify any additional processes involved in authentication. Open Windows Task Manager, go to the Details tab, and observe which processes are running when you launch Jagex Launcher, start RuneLite, and attempt to log in. You can also use Microsoft's Process Explorer to inspect the process hierarchy. If you identify additional executables associated with the authentication process, try adding them individually to the split tunneling list and repeat the test.
• Check the application's network connections. Microsoft's TCPView utility can help you identify active TCP/UDP endpoints and their associated processes. Comparing the connections established with and without the VPN could provide useful clues about which processes are involved. Keep in mind that TCPView won't establish which tunnel a connection uses, so additional checks may be necessary.
• Verify the exclusions using the actual executable paths. Since you confirmed that split tunneling works for curl.exe, that's useful to know. However, I think this doesn't necessarily establish that all traffic involved in Jagex authentication is bypassing the VPN. Double-check that the exclusions point to the executables actually running during your login attempt.
• Test the Jagex Launcher authentication separately. Since the launcher opens successfully and RuneLite starts, but the failure occurs when you attempt to log in, it would be useful to determine whether the same behavior occurs with the official Old School RuneScape client launched through Jagex Launcher. If both clients fail at the same stage, that would suggest the problem is more closely related to the shared authentication process than to RuneLite itself.
• Consider the possibility of browser-based authentication. If any part of the login procedure opens an external browser or uses a separate browser process, check whether that connection is also affected by the VPN. This is another possibility to investigate.

Obviously, apps added to the exclusion list in Split Tunneling should connect directly to the internet rather than through the VPN tunnel. However, determining whether the Jagex authentication workflow involves additional processes would require further investigation..

I hope this helps.