How to Boost Internet Speed on Windows 11 with Metered Connection

 Do you ever feel like your internet is slower than it should be, even though you're paying for a high-speed plan? The culprit might not be your ISP - it might be Windows 11 itself. By switching your Wi-Fi to metered connection can boost your internet speed.

 

By default, Windows treats your home Wi-Fi as "unmetered." This gives the operating system and your installed apps a free pass to use your internet bandwidth whenever they want in the background. For example, downloading massive updates, using Delivery Optimization feature, apps updates, etc. can consume your internet speed in the background.

The solution is a simple. Switching your Wi-Fi to Metered Connection will help you boost internet speed.

How Wi-Fi Metered Connection Boost Your Internet Speed on Windows 11

Turning on a metered connection tells Windows to stop all “unnecessary” background data usage. When you enable metered connection, Windows will:

• Skip non-essential background updates.
• Disable Delivery Optimization (stopping your PC from acting as a server for others).
• Prevent the Microsoft Store from updating apps automatically.
• Restrict background data usage for most other apps.

How to Turn it On Wi-Fi Metered Connection in Windows 11

1. Open Settings by pressing the Win + I key.

2. Go to Network & internet > Wi-Fi > click on your Network Name.

3. Next, click your Wi-Fi properties

4. Toggle the Metered connection switch to On.

(Note: You will need to do this for each separate network you use.)

Limitations of Choosing Metered Connection on Windows 11

Because metered connection is designed to save data, it has few limitations. For example, major Windows system update will not work, you can’t use VPN in metered connection, apps will not update in the background, and real-time cloud syncing will not work.

Here is how to handle the most common issues:

To fix Windows update, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and enable "Download updates over metered connections."

To use VPN, go to Settings > Network & internet > VPN and turn on "Allow VPN over metered networks."

Updating Apps: Since the Microsoft Store stops auto-updating, you can update apps manually.

The biggest downside is that cloud services - like OneDrive or Google Drive - may stop syncing your files in the background. If you rely heavily on real-time cloud syncing or find that your apps aren't sending notifications, you may want to disable this feature.

Final Thought

For those who want maximum performance for their foreground tasks, switching to a metered connection is one of the easiest ways to reclaim your bandwidth on Windows 11.