Ways to reduce data usage in Windows 10

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You can utilize your Windows 10 machine to its full potential by linking it to the internet and it is best if you know how to reduce data usage. Because the efficiency this comes at a price since Windows 10 is a data-demanding operating system by nature. You should definitely watch how much data the Windows 10 OS uses if you are using a limited or capped data plan to access the internet on your PC.

These techniques are helpful even if you don’t have a restricted internet subscription. You must have realized by now that your Windows PC uses significantly too much data compared to a typical PC. As a result, you should apply the advice provided below to lower your Windows 10 computer’s data usage.

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Establish a metered connection.

Making your internet connection metered is one of the simplest methods to get your Windows 10 machine to reduce data usage. While connected to a metered network, your Windows computer will stop doing some background tasks that use a lot of data. These include the automatic download of Windows updates, the automatic update of programs, the automatic update of Start Menu tiles, and a few other tasks.

  1. On any Windows 10 PC, follow these simple instructions to make your internet connection metered.
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Next, select Network & Internet.
  4. Now, click on “Wi-Fi” in the left menu.
  5. Now, click on your connected Wi-Fi network on the right side.
  6. Finally, select the “Set as Metered Connection” option.
Note that if you are on an Ethernet connection, click on "Ethernet" from the left menu, and then click on the "Ethernet" icon on the right.

Turn off background applications

Windows 10 permits some background applications to run by default, which uses up a lot of data. To save yourself some data or reduce data usage in these situations, it is safer to turn off the offender or apps.

Find “Background applications” by going to “Settings,” selecting “Privacy,” and then clicking on it. Turn off the “Background applications” settings, then browse through and turn off any additional programs you believe are wasting your data or that you do not think you need.

Turn off Windows and automatic app updates over the internet

This update is enabled by default on Windows 10. If your Internet connection is metered, Windows 10 won’t upload updates automatically, but you can disable this feature if you prefer.

To disable automatic uploads across all networks, launch the Control Panel and navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update before selecting “Advanced Options” from the app that appears. Select “PCs on My Local Network” under “Choose How Updates are Delivered” or deactivate the feature altogether.

When connected to a metered Wi-Fi network, Windows 10 will not automatically update apps or app content for live tiles. On the other hand, you have the option of preventing this on any network you connect to.

If you don’t want Windows 10 to automatically update your Windows Store apps, just launch the Store. To modify your account settings, find your profile picture next to the search bar and click or tap on it. You can turn off automatic app updates by deselecting the corresponding box. The Windows Store app will still allow you to manually update your apps, but Windows will no longer automatically download app updates. You can still benefit from this even if you haven’t downloaded anything from the App Store. Many of the pre-installed programs in Windows 10 are updated from the Store.

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Turn off syncing with your computer

In addition to being a notable feature, this is a welcome addition to Windows 10. But there’s really no reason to keep it on 24/7. When you don’t need to keep things synchronized, you can turn it off, and it’s just as simple to turn it back on.

To disable syncing, go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.

Keep in mind that you can pick and choose which preferences to sync if you feel like it’s too much. For instance, syncing your web browser settings shouldn’t require as much data transfer as syncing your language settings or other Windows settings.

Defer Windows Update Notifications

Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users can defer the installation of new features for a few months by using a setting in Windows Update. Given the sizeable potential gains from implementing novel features, you shoukd not take this lightly. This has no effect on the installation of security patches.

Defer upgrades by navigating to Update and Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options. Defer upgrades by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

Important: If you put off upgrading, you won't be able to use the newest Windows features as soon as they become available.

Activate the off switch for live tiles.

Your Start menu’s live tiles also consume some data, though not too much. Although turning off live tiles won’t save a lot of data, you can do it if necessary.

You can stop a tile from automatically getting and showing new information. Start by right-clicking or long-pressing it in the Start menu, clicking “More,” and then choosing “Turn Live Tile Off.”

Save Data on Web Browsing

If you look at the Data Usage screen, you can see how much of your data consumption is attributable to your web browser.

A browser with a built-in compressing proxy is the best option for saving data while surfing the web. As data comes to you from other servers through your web browser, it is compressed.

Chrome users on iOS and Android can take advantage of Google’s official Data Saver extension, which provides the same data-saving capabilities as the native Chrome app. That add-on for Google will get you where you need to go. The “Turbo mode” in the Opera web browser performs similarly.

At last, obviously, not every one of these options needs to be used. You can reduce Windows 10's data consumption by following these steps, though your results will vary depending on the type of plan you have. 

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