browser can’t load pages through split-tunnel bypass but works fine with VPN fully on or if i quit PIA

i've been using PIA with the VPN on for the whole system (Windows 11) but wanted to use bypass for the browser. when this is set up, the browser can't really load all pages correctly. the weird thing is it will load some sites but not others (and is super slow to load). if i quit PIA completely the browser works fine. i've tried turning off kill switch and messing with DNS settings but nothing seems to work. has anybody had this happen?

I emailed support and they said to test the browser with split-tunnel on and off, to check if the IP changes. a good idea, but the whole problem is that i can't access whatismyip.com when in bypass mode. i feel like this is a DNS issue but haven't figured out where it's happening. note: this happens with all browsers (firefox, chrome, edge).