Keep Windows Update Sharing Local—Set a Monthly Data Cap

Windows 11 can download pieces of updates and Microsoft Store apps from other PCs, then upload pieces your computer already has to other devices. The feature is called Delivery Optimization. It can make updates faster and reduce repeat downloads in a home or office with several Windows machines, but the wrong sharing option can also spend upload bandwidth or data you meant to reserve for calls, streaming, games, and cloud backups.

The useful fix is not always to disable Delivery Optimization. On an ordinary home network, limiting peer sharing to local devices keeps the best part: the second PC can reuse update data already downloaded by the first. On a metered connection, hotspot, fixed-wireless plan, or congested upstream link, Windows also provides bandwidth controls and a monthly upload cap.

Check the monthly evidence before changing anything

Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization > Activity monitor. Microsoft says this page breaks down downloads by source, average download speed, uploads, and the amount of help the PC received from other devices during the current month.

Those numbers answer the question better than a generic speed test. If uploads to internet peers are near zero and Windows updates are not colliding with important work, Delivery Optimization probably is not the reason a connection feels slow. If the PC has uploaded gigabytes, or the timing lines up with video-call problems and game latency, the sharing mode deserves attention.

Delivery Optimization does not expose personal documents, photos, or other files. It divides eligible Windows updates, Microsoft Store apps, and certain Microsoft product downloads into pieces, then retrieves or shares those pieces according to the selected setting. Turning peer downloads off changes where update data comes from; it does not turn off Windows Update.

Local-only is the sensible home default

Return to the main Delivery Optimization page and expand Allow downloads from other devices. Windows offers two peer scopes: Devices on my local network, or devices on both the internet and the local network.

Choose local network if you have more than one Windows PC behind the same router. Transfers between those PCs stay on the LAN, so the household may avoid downloading the same update separately for every machine. This is especially useful when the internet connection is slow but the local Wi-Fi or Ethernet network is reasonably fast.

If you have only one Windows PC, peer sharing provides less benefit. Turning Allow downloads from other devices off stops the computer from exchanging update pieces with other PCs. Microsoft says updates and Store apps will still come through Windows Update and the Microsoft Store, with Delivery Optimization retrieving them from Microsoft rather than peers.

Internet peer sharing can help in some unreliable-network situations, but it is the least attractive option for a capped plan or weak upload connection. Home broadband is often asymmetric: the download speed may look generous while the upload side is much smaller. Saturating that narrow upstream path can raise latency for everyone even if a download test still looks acceptable.

Cap the traffic instead of guessing

If you want to keep internet peers available, open the Delivery Optimization bandwidth controls. Windows lets you set an absolute download limit in megabits per second or a percentage of measured bandwidth, with separate controls for foreground and background downloads. Lower limits protect capacity for other devices but make updates take longer.

The upload controls are more direct. Set a percentage limit for bandwidth used while uploading update data to internet peers, then choose a monthly upload limit. Microsoft's consumer settings support a monthly cap from 1GB to 500GB. The percentage limit and monthly ceiling can work together: one controls how quickly data leaves, while the other controls the total amount shared during the month.

There is an important limitation. Microsoft says Delivery Optimization's bandwidth limits apply to automatic update downloads, not downloads you start manually. Clicking Check for updates or manually downloading an app from Microsoft Store can use more bandwidth than the Delivery Optimization limit. Schedule those actions for a less busy time if the connection is the bottleneck.

Tell Windows when the entire connection is capped

A Delivery Optimization upload limit controls one Windows service. Marking the network as metered tells more of the operating system to conserve data. For Wi-Fi, go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, select the connected network, and enable Metered connection. For Ethernet, open the Ethernet network page and use the same switch.

Microsoft says Delivery Optimization will not automatically download or send update pieces to internet peers on a metered or capped connection. Windows may also restrict background syncing, pause some Store downloads, and automatically fetch only priority Windows updates. That broader behavior is useful on a phone hotspot or limited rural plan, but it can delay noncritical updates, so check Windows Update when convenient.

Corporate PCs may not expose every control. Group Policy or mobile-device management can set the Delivery Optimization mode, bandwidth ceilings, VPN behavior, and business-hour limits. If a setting is missing, greyed out, or changes back, an administrator may be enforcing it.

Delivery Optimization is not a hidden turbo switch, and disabling it will not repair a weak router, congested Wi-Fi channel, bad cable, or slow internet provider. Treat it as one measurable source of traffic. Check Activity monitor, keep peers local when that helps, cap internet uploads when needed, and reserve the metered switch for networks where every gigabyte matters.