How to minimize Internet data usage in Windows 10

Ever wondered where’s your data vanishing post the upgrade to Windows 10? Well, if you are held up in an area with limited modem speed you are bound to face such issues. If you have noticed that Windows 10 loves to feast on data, in no time would you see them disappearing strangely. Even though we can set the connection to “Metered” the data still fast diminished without any clue.

Wondering what’s leading to this heavy internet usage? Want to find out what’s causing your data to disappear? Today we will not only guide you through how to set your connection as “Metered” under the settings, but will also show you how to limit Windows 10 data.

Tips to Save your Data Consumption on Windows 10 OS

• Select “Metered” as your Data Connection

Changing your data connection to “Metered” under the Settings is one of the most basic steps in order to send a signal to the Windows 10 that will restrict massive updates and self-regulating app downloads. In order to change the setting to “Metered” you need to click on the “Start” button (the windows key on your keyboard), then go to “Settings” in the menu, select “Network and Internet” from the list, now go to “Wi-Fi” and then click on “Advanced Options”.



The box that opens now will display the second option as “Metered connection”. Click on the slider beneath it to put it “ON”.

• Switch Off Background Apps

Windows 10 allows some of the background apps to function by default which in turn consumes a lot of data. The notable culprit here is the “Mail” application that depletes the majority of data. In such cases, it is rather safe to switch off of these offenders or apps in order to save yourself some data.

Go to “Settings”, click on “Privacy” and now locate “Background apps”. Switch off the “Background apps” options and then scroll through and switch off any other apps that you think you do not require and are finishing your data.

• Set “One Drive” Off

One Drive is one of the other background apps in the Windows 10 that depletes your data in no time. It is indeed one of the most crucial apps in the Windows 10 OS disabling which can be a radical step, however, not many of us need it running in the background at all times. Yes, the One Drive does help you sync your files which makes life simpler, but that can be even done in the next cyber café. This may take a while for you; however, it will save you some substantial data over the period.

• Read: How to uninstall OneDrive

In order to deactivate the One Drive, right clicking on the “Task Bar” will open up a list. Select “Task Manager” from the list and click on it or alternatively use your keyboard shortcuts, such as, CTRL + SHIFT + ESC all at once. Under this you will see a series of tabs and the one that you need to click on is the “Startup” tab. This will further open up a list and here you need to scroll down and select “Microsoft OneDrive”. Now deactivate this option to stop “One Drive” from automatically syncing the files in the background. You can also disable other drives, like the Google Drive or the Dropbox in order to save data.

• Deactivate PC Synchronization Function

Even though you may admire the PC sync function being the Windows 10 trademark feature, the fact is that it eats up a considerable portion of your data. So you really do not want it to run at the background unless required, hence, it’s a better idea to keep it switched off till the time you need to sync files. In order to switch the PC sync off you need to find the “Settings” option, go to “Accounts”, and find the option that says “Sync your settings” and now just slide it to “OFF”.

• Disable Notifications

“Notifications” is another section where you have the opportunity to save some data. Simply disable the notifications if you do not need to be constantly informed of the current activities by the background apps. Simply right click on the “Action Centre” icon and click on the “Turn on quiet hours” to turn it off.

• Deactivate Live Tiles

Opting to keep the “Live Tiles” option “On” will keep the News application running in the background which will constantly keep you updated with the latest Feeds. Facebook, Twitter, Mail or Weather are certain apps that are interconnected with the Feed and will keep retrieving the News automatically. In case if you are not interested in the Feeds you can deactivate it the “Live Tiles” and opt out of it. Right click on the option “Tile” and select the option that says “Turn live tile off” and you are done!

• Disable Bandwidth sharing !

Windows 10 have come up with an improvement in its Windows Update option that allows it to sync updates from a local network PC in a P2P (peer-to-peer) style named “Windows Update Delivery Optimization” or WUDO.

WUDO is ideal for situations if your OS is set up with “Metered” connection but have more than one computer using the Windows 10 operating system. However, if the computers in the local network are of the same built, you can make use of only computer to update the other.
In order to deactivate this configuration click open “Settings” option from clicking on the windows start key and then settings.



Then select “Update and Security”.


Go to “Windows Update”.


Finally select “Choose how updates are delivered”.


Once you reach this option slide it to “OFF” and there you go!


WUDO is a dicey feature offered by Windows 10 since in its Home and Pro versions the WUDO is set in such a way that it transports Windows Update info to other computers via the internet, but only to computers in the local network in Education and Enterprise versions. So in situations where you are bound in a limited modem speed it is a better idea to stay away from sharing updates online with other computers.
Turn off Auto update of offline Maps in windows 10

Just go to Settings -> System -> Offline Maps . Turn off the option Automatically Update Maps.

• Disable Windows 10 auto Update ! Read here

Delay Windows Update ! Only for Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users

Yes! You also have this convenient feature in Windows 10 which allows you to actually delay/defer the Windows Updates. So if your PC is running an OS which is either Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, you will find an option in the settings section of the Windows Update that will let you delay/defer the procedure of new features download for quite a few months. This definitely makes a huge impact as any update to the new features can be significantly big.

And what’s more, delaying the Windows Update will not disturb either the download process or the installation procedure of the security updates! Also, it will not affect the downloading of the features forever, but only for a limited period.

Go to the “Setting” option, click open the “Update and Security”, now select “Windows Update” and then click “Advanced Options”. Toggle towards the bottom and click on the check box next to the option that says “Defer Upgrades”. However, remember that by turning this on will also defer “Microsoft Updates”.

Please note that you need not apply all the options that we mentioned here and you should rather apply the ideas based on the type of connection that runs on your OS. However, when applied tactfully these ideas will help you control the data consumption by Windows 10 in a much better fashion, thereby helping you save a good amount of data.

Happy data saving :-)