How to Reduce Data Usage on Windows 10.
Ameen Abdulrazaq | aabdulrazaq@techspecialistlimted.com | July 2020
Countries throughout the world have been on lock-down due to the corona virus outbreak. Millions of people are working from home, students are attending school remotely, and no one’s heading to ballparks or movie theaters.
We’re all spending more of our lives online. And therefore, I have decided to share with you a guide on how to reduce data usage on windows 10 laptop or desktop computers.
The use of internet has increased considerably in the last few weeks. It has also changed the way in which windows OS function.
Windows 10 is a data thirsty operating system. Those who have moved from Windows 7 to Windows 10 can certainly testify.
As a result, I have listed a couple of methods that will help you to reduce the data usage on Windows 10 OS below.
❖Set Up Metered Connection
The first things you can do to reduce data usage is set up Metered Connection.
Setting up a metered connection will let Windows 10 know you don’t want unnecessary data
consumption.
To set up a metered connection:
• Go to Start
• Click Settings
• Then click Network & Internet
• Select WiFi or Ethernet tab.
• Select a network from the list of networks
- Scroll down and then toggle on Set as metered connection.
Note: You can as well repeat this step for the other networks available on WiFi and Ethernet.
❖Use Data Saver Web Browsers to Reduce Data Usage
Generally, browsers like Firefox or Chrome consume a lot of data in the background which you are not aware of. Browser like Opera will help you to reduce data usage.
There are some features in opera which you need to enable to reduce the data usage. For example, Turbo mode in opera browser.
Chrome consumes a lot of internet data. However, Data Saver extension can be downloaded for chrome and limit the data usage. This chrome extension compresses the web pages before you access them. You can also see the data used by a website with this extension.
❖Turn Off Background Apps to Reduce Data Usage
By default, Windows 10 keeps some apps running in the background and they consume a lot of data. You can easily turn off some of these apps by going to Settings > Privacy > Background apps. Then toggle off apps you don’t need.
❖Turn Off Sync Settings to Reduce Data Usage
You can reduce data usage by turning off the sync settings. Generally, most of your documents, photos that you use are saved in a “cloud”. These documents are uploaded to One Drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Hence, turning off sync will definitely help to reduce data usage.
This can be done by going to Settings > Account > Sync your settings. Now, turn off the Sync settings
❖Turn on Battery Saver
Turning on the battery saver mode automatically reduces data usage. This option disables the push notifications which in turn reduces the data consumed.
To turn on the battery saver, going to Settings > System > Battery. Now turn On the Battery saver status until next charge status toggle.
❖Disable Automatic Windows Updates
To Reduce Data Usage Disabling automatic windows update will reduce date usage. But you don’t need to disable the feature permanently.
Updates can be paused until you are ready to install them. Note that you can only pause updates for up to 35 days.
To temporarily disable automatic updates on Windows 10, follow these steps:
• Open Settings.
• Click on Update & Security.
• Click on Windows Update.
• Click the Advanced options button.
- Under the “Pause updates” sections, choose the time range to disable automatic updates.
Conclusion
Of course, not all these Methods have to be implemented. Depending on the type of data plan you subscribe to, this article will guide you on How to Reduce Data Usage on Windows 10.
