5 Ways to Reduce How Much Data Your Win­dows 10 PC Uses

If you’re on a limited internet plan, Windows 10 can quietly chew through your data without you realizing it. Between automatic updates, background apps, and cloud syncing, your gigabytes can vanish fast. Here are five simple, effective ways to reduce your PC’s data usage.

1. Turn on Metered Connection

Why it works: This tells Windows you’re on a limited connection, so it holds off on most background downloads and updates.

How to do it:

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet if you’re wired).
• Click on your connected network.
• Scroll down and toggle Set as metered connection to On.

Windows will now limit non-essential data use on that connection.

2. Stop Background Apps

Apps love running in the background, checking for updates or syncing data. Most of the time, you don’t need them doing that.

How to do it:

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps.
• Toggle Let apps run in the background to Off — or turn off specific apps one by one.

This cuts down background data and can also speed up your PC.

3. Pause Windows Updates

Windows updates are important, but they can be massive. If you’re on a tight data budget, pause them temporarily.

How to do it:

• Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
• Click Pause updates for 7 days (you can extend this up to 35 days).

Just don’t forget to resume updates when you’re back on an unlimited connection.

4. Disable Automatic App Updates from the Microsoft Store

Apps you’ve installed from the Microsoft Store may auto-update in the background.

How to do it:

• Open the Microsoft Store.
• Click the three-dot menu in the top right > Settings.
• Toggle Update apps automatically to Off.

This prevents apps from updating unless you manually trigger it.

5. Limit OneDrive Sync

If you use OneDrive, it might be constantly syncing files — especially if you’re saving photos or large documents.

How to do it:

• Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray.
• Click Settings > Network.
• Under Upload and Download rate, set limits.
• Or pause syncing altogether when needed.

You can also choose which folders to sync under Settings > Account > Choose folders.

Final Tip

Keep an eye on which apps use the most data. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data usage to get a breakdown. From there, you can decide which apps to cut back or uninstall.

Managing your data on Windows 10 doesn’t take long — just a few tweaks can help you avoid overages or slowdowns. Try these tips and take control of your connection.