---
title: Configuring network extensions
framework: xcode
role: article
role_heading: Article
path: xcode/configuring-network-extensions
---

# Configuring network extensions

Customize the various capabilities of your app’s networking stack, such as proxying DNS queries or creating packet tunnels.

## Overview

Overview Network Extensions allow you to customize and extend the core networking features of iOS and macOS. For example, your app can implement a virtual private network (VPN) client for a flow-oriented or packet-oriented custom VPN protocol, which an enterprise might require to facilitate secure remote access to resources not available on the public internet. Prior to implementing a customized networking stack, follow the steps in the Add a capability section of Adding capabilities to your app to add the capability to your iOS or macOS app, and select the Network Extensions capability from Xcode’s Capabilities library.

After you add the Network Extensions capability, Xcode updates your app’s entitlements file to include the Network Extensions Entitlement, which is an array that comprises the app capabilities you enable. If Xcode automatically manages your app’s signing, it also enables the Network Extensions capability for your app’s App ID in your developer account. note: If you remove the Network Extensions capability in Xcode, you must manually update the configuration of your app’s App ID in your developer account to disable Network Extensions. Enable the required app capabilities Before your app can use the Network Extension framework to customize and extend the core networking features of iOS and macOS by implementing specific app capabilities, you must configure your Xcode project to include the necessary entitlements by performing the following steps: Select your project in Xcode’s Project navigator. Select the app’s target in the Targets list. Click the Signing & Capabilities tab in the project editor. Locate the Network Extensions capability. Enable one or more app capabilities by checking the corresponding checkboxes.

Xcode automatically updates the Network Extensions Entitlement array in your app’s entitlements file to include the enabled app capabilities. important: App capabilities may have specific restrictions and use cases, such as only being available on supervised iOS devices. For more information, see the documentation for each capability. The following table lists the app capabilities that Network Extensions support:  |   |   |   |   |   |  tip: To learn more about the APIs you use to create apps that extend and customize the device’s networking capabilities, see the WWDC videos Network Extensions for the Modern Mac, Advances in Networking, Part 1, and What’s New in Network Extension and VPN.

## See Also

### Network

- [Registering your app with APNs](usernotifications/registering-your-app-with-apns.md)
- [Configuring Group Activities](xcode/configuring-group-activities.md)
- [Configuring media device discovery](xcode/configuring-media-device-discovery.md)