How to Limit Data Usage in Windows 10
Limiting bandwidth on your computer will stop you from wasting data. It’s very helpful to manage this setting if you have a specific data limit as it can stop you from being overcharged.
First, let’s look at how to control your network usage and apply a bandwidth limit using the tools that come with Windows 10.
Enable a Metered Connection in Windows 10
One way to limit bandwidth in Windows 10 is to enable a metered connection.
Enabling this feature will mean that some updates for Windows won’t be installed automatically (except critical updates) and some Microsoft Store apps might lose some functionality or not work properly. It will also disable peer-to-peer updates that are designed to help with Microsoft’s server load.
To enable a metered connection, press Windows key + I to open Settings and click Network & Internet. Choose either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on what method you use to connect to the internet.
If you selected Wi-Fi, click Manage known networks, select your network from the list, click Properties, and slide Set as metered connection to On.
If you selected Ethernet, click your connection from the list and slide Set as metered connection to On.
Set a Data Usage Limit in Windows 10
Alternatively, you can set a custom data usage limit. This will automatically enable the metered connection feature. This won’t disconnect your internet when you hit the limit, but you will receive warning notifications as you near it.
To begin, press Windows key + I to open Settings and go to Network & Internet > Data usage.
In the Overview section, you will see your different internet connections and how much data each has used in the last 30 days. Click one if you want to see that breakdown per app.
Choose which connection you want to limit using the Show settings for dropdown. Once selected, click Set limit.
Here you can choose a time period for the data limit and what the MB or GB limit should be. Click Save when done.
You will now see a bar graph that shows how much data has been used and how much is remaining. Click the Edit limit option to change the settings or Remove limit to scrap it.
Below this is the Background data section. Here you can limit what Store apps and Windows features can do in the background. This can be enabled all the time or when you’re close to reaching your data limit (if you have one set).
How to Limit Data Usage Using Third-Party Tools
Windows 10 has some helpful features to help you set a bandwidth limit and use less amount of data, but you might need something more advanced. If so, these two third-party tools are great choices.
1. NetBalancer
NetBalancer will show you a list of all the active processes on your system and any associated network usage. Beneath this is a live graph so you can see at a glance where any bandwidth spikes occur. Hover your mouse over the graph and you’ll be able to see which processes were sapping your bandwidth at that moment.
To limit a program’s bandwidth, find it on the list and double-click it. You can use the Download Priority and Upload Priority dropdowns to adjust its usage based on preset filters. This is handy if, for example, you still want a program to be unrestricted, but want other programs to use the bandwidth first if they need it. Alternatively, choose Custom from the dropdown to define your own limits.
2. NetLimiter
When you launch NetLimiter you’ll see a list of all your open applications, along with their current bandwidth usage. Of course, some applications will naturally use more bandwidth than others, but it’s handy to identify those which are consuming more than they need to.
The default limit is set to 5 KB/s for download and upload, which you can quickly enable by checking the box for a particular row. To edit those defaults, right-click the limit figure to open the rule editor. On the Rule tab, you can change the bandwidth boundaries.
