Windows 10 Fall Creators Update: Limit Windows Update bandwidth
Microsoft added a new feature to the Windows Update functionality of the most recent Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Insider build that allows you to limit the Windows Update bandwidth.
Microsoft did not mention the new feature in the Windows 10 Insider Preview build 16237 post on the official Microsoft website.
Note: This is a preview build feature. While it is likely that it will be part of the Fall Creators Update version that Microsoft plans to release in a couple of months, there is no guarantee for that as Microsoft may pull the feature in a future build before it its RTM.
Limit Windows Update Bandwidth
All current versions of Windows ship without settings to limit the bandwidth of Windows Update. While you can use third-party programs such as Netbalancer Free to limit the bandwidth usage, it is probably not something that most Windows users consider doing.
The new functionality is baked in which means that you just have to know where to activate it to make use of it.
Start by opening the Settings application. The easiest way to do that is to use the shortcut Windows-I. Go to Update & Security when the Settings window opens, and click on the advanced options link on the page.
Advanced Options
Locate the "delivery optimization" link on the Advanced Options page and click on it. You can make several changes to the behavior of Windows Update on it, for instance to pause updates, or bypass the policy to download updates only on non-metered connections.
Delivery Optimization
You need to click on "advanced options" (again) on the Delivery Optimization page that opens. Before you do, I suggest you check the "allow downloads from other PCs" setting. While it states downloads only in the setting title, it actually means downloads and uploads.
So, if you don't want that your PC uploads update data to PCs from the local network, or local network and Internet, you better make sure the preference is set to off.
Advanced options
The Advanced Options page, the second that goes by that name (probably subject to change), lists three bandwidth limiting options.
- Download limit -- limit how much bandwidth is used for downloading updates in the background.
- Upload limit -- limit how much bandwidth is used for uploaded updates to other PCs on the Internet.
- Monthly upload limit -- limits the monthly upload bandwidth.
If you have disabled the "download from other PCs" option, which coincidentally also determines if update data from the PC is uploaded to other Windows PCs, then you may ignore the upload settings as they serve no purpose.
The download limit supports a percent value only. You can set the limit to as low as 5% of the overall bandwidth, or all the way up to 100%.
If your Windows 10 PC is configured to upload update data to other PCs of the network and/or the Internet, you may limit the upload bandwidth as well using the same percentage slider.
You may also set a total upload limit for update data; the lowest value is 5 Gigabytes per month, the highest 500 Gigabytes per month.
Microsoft has added a handy Activity Monitor page to Windows 10 that you find linked on the Delivery Optimization page.
It lists download and upload statistics for updates, provides separate values for "from Microsoft", "from PCs on your local network" and "from PCs on the Internet", and displays average speeds, again separated in "user initiated" and "background transfers".
Group Policy
Microsoft added the option to limit the maximum download bandwidth in percent to the Group Policy Editor as well in the past (it is not a new policy).
You find the option under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Deliver Optimization > Maximum Download Bandwidth (percentage).
Enable the policy there, and change the value of 0, which means unlimited, to a value between 1 and 100 percent.
Administrators may configure the policies "maximum download bandwidth (in KB/s)", "maximum upload bandwidth (in KB/s)", "monthly upload data cap (in GB)", and "minimum background QoS (in KB/s)" as well there.
Verdict
The option to limit the bandwidth that Windows Update uses while downloading or uploading updates in the background is a welcome addition in my opinion. It is helpful for Windows users who notice that Windows Update uses too much bandwidth at times, for instance when it impacts other activities on the computer. (via Deskmodder)
Now You: What's your opinion on the new feature?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277