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Abstract In WSe₂monolayers, strain has been used to control the energy of excitons, induce funneling, and realize single-photon sources. Here, we developed a technique for probing the dynamics of free excitons in nanoscale strain landscapes in such monolayers. A nanosculpted tapered optical fiber is used to simultaneously generate strain and probe the near-field optical response of WSe₂monolayers at 5 K. When the monolayer is pushed by the fiber, its lowest energy states shift by as much as 390 meV (>20% of the bandgap of a WSe₂monolayer). Polarization and lifetime measurements of these red-shifting peaks indicate they originate from dark excitons. We conclude free dark excitons are funneled to high-strain regions during their long lifetime and are the principal participants in drift and diffusion at cryogenic temperatures. This insight supports proposals on the origin of single-photon sources in WSe₂and demonstrates a route towards exciton traps for exciton condensation.