What Is the Route Command?

The route command is a Unix utility for managing the network routing table. On macOS, it's available via Terminal and lets you control where network packets are sent.

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  Requires sudo (administrator privileges)

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  Adds, deletes, or changes network routes

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  Affects where packets are sent—VPN or direct

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  Changes take effect immediately

Basic Route Command Syntax

# View current routing table
netstat -rn

# Add a route
sudo route add [-net|-host] <destination> <gateway>

# Delete a route
sudo route delete [-net|-host] <destination>

Viewing Current Routes

# Show all routes
netstat -rn

# Output columns:
# Destination - Target IP/network
# Gateway     - Next hop
# Flags       - Route status (U=up, G=gateway)
# Netif       - Network interface (en0, utun0)

# Find default route
netstat -rn | grep default

Adding Routes to Bypass VPN

Route a Single IP Direct

# Bypass VPN for specific IP (e.g., Google DNS)
sudo route add -host 8.8.8.8 -interface en0

Route a Subnet Direct

# Bypass VPN for local network
sudo route add -net 192.168.1.0/24 -interface en0

Route Through Specific Gateway

# Route through your home router
sudo route add -net 10.0.0.0/8 192.168.1.1

Common VPN Bypass Scenarios

# Access local devices while on VPN
sudo route add -net 192.168.1.0/24 -interface en0

# Route to local printer
sudo route add -host 192.168.1.100 -interface en0

# Bypass VPN for specific service IP
sudo route add -host 54.230.100.50 -interface en0

Finding the Right Interface

# List network interfaces
ifconfig

# Common interfaces:
# en0   - WiFi
# en1   - Ethernet (or second WiFi)
# utun0 - VPN tunnel

# Find active interface for default route
route get default | grep interface

Route Command Flags

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  -net — Route to a network (use with CIDR notation)

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  -host — Route to a single IP address

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  -interface — Specify output interface (en0, utun0)

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  -gateway — Specify next hop IP address

Deleting Routes

# Delete specific host route
sudo route delete -host 8.8.8.8

# Delete network route
sudo route delete -net 192.168.1.0/24

# Delete default route (careful!)
sudo route delete default

Limitations of Manual Routes

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  Temporary — Routes reset when VPN reconnects

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  IP-based only — Can't route by application

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  Requires sudo — Need admin password each time

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  Manual process — Must re-run after network changes

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  Error-prone — Wrong route can break connectivity

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  CDN problem — Services use many IPs you can't track

Making Routes Persistent (The Hard Way)

You can script route commands to run after VPN connects, but it's complex:

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  Create shell script with route commands

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  Set up LaunchDaemon to run on network change

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  Or configure VPN client post-connect script

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  Still only works for specific IPs, not apps

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  Breaks when service IPs change

SplitTunnel: The Easier Alternative

Instead of wrestling with route commands, SplitTunnel provides per-app routing:

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  No Terminal required

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  Route by application, not just IP

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  Persistent across VPN reconnects

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  Visual interface for managing routes

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  No sudo or admin password needed

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  Handles CDN services automatically

When to Use Route Command

The route command is still useful for:

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  Quick one-off testing

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  Diagnosing routing issues

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  Learning how network routing works

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  Temporary fixes when you don't need persistence

For day-to-day per-app VPN control, SplitTunnel is the practical choice.