Select Start > Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, then select your network’s properties. Turn off Metered connection. For a wired connection, select Ethernet instead and choose the network.
Applies to: Windows 11.
Turn off Metered connection for Wi-Fi
- Select Start > Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi.
- Select the properties of the network you’re connected to, such as Contoso-Home properties.
- Turn off Metered connection.
Windows now treats the network as unlimited. Updates and app syncing go back to normal.
Ethernet and cellular
- Ethernet: Select Settings > Network & internet > Ethernet, select the network, and turn off Metered connection.
- Cellular: Select Settings > Network & internet > Cellular and turn off Metered connection. Cellular is metered by default, so only turn it off if your plan has unlimited data.
What a metered connection does
A metered connection tells Windows to save data. Some updates won’t download by themselves, and some apps sync less. It’s useful on a phone hotspot or a plan that charges for data. Turn it back on the same way if you start using a limited plan again.
If the setting is greyed out
Your organization may control it on a work or school PC. Ask your IT support person.
When to leave it on
Turning metering off is right for home broadband with no data cap. Leave it on, or turn it back on, when:
- You’re using your phone as a hotspot, so Windows doesn’t eat your mobile data with a large update.
- Your home or travel internet has a monthly data allowance.
- You’re on satellite or rural internet that’s slow or charged by usage.
- You’re traveling and connected to paid hotel or airport Wi-Fi.
Metering doesn’t slow down your browsing, streaming, or games. It only holds back background downloads that Windows and some apps would otherwise do on their own.
Keep the connection metered but let some things through
- Windows updates: go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and turn on Download updates over metered connections.
- OneDrive: select the OneDrive cloud icon on the taskbar, open Settings > Sync and back up > Advanced settings, and turn off Pause sync when this device is on a metered network.
- A data limit: instead of metering, go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Data usage and select Enter limit. Windows warns you as you get close.
Let new devices set up on a metered connection
When a connection is metered, Windows also holds back driver and app downloads for newly connected devices, such as printers or webcams, so they may not work fully at first. To allow them, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices and turn on Download over metered connections.
If Windows still acts like the connection is metered
- You turned it off on the wrong network. If you’re connected by both Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Windows may be using the other one. Check both pages.
- It’s a phone hotspot. Windows marks many phone hotspots as metered automatically when it detects them. Turn it off for that hotspot’s properties, just like any Wi-Fi network.
- The change didn’t stick. Select Manage known networks on the Wi-Fi page, choose the network, select Forget, reconnect, and turn off Metered connection again.
- Check the real setting. Open Command Prompt and run
netsh wlan show profile name="Your Network". Under Cost settings, Unrestricted means not metered and Fixed means metered.
Frequently asked questions
Will this make updates download again?
Yes. With the connection unmetered, Windows Update downloads as usual. If you’d rather hold them back, you can stop Windows 11 updates for a while instead.
How do I do this in Windows 10?
The setting lives in a slightly different place, shown in setting a metered connection in Windows 10.
Which apps pay attention to the metered setting?
Windows Update, Microsoft Store app updates, OneDrive, and Windows’ own background tasks do. Many other programs, such as game launchers and third-party cloud storage apps, ignore it and need their own settings changed.
Does a metered connection make Windows less secure?
Not much. Windows still downloads important security updates on metered connections. Only larger, less urgent updates wait.
Is the setting saved per network?
Yes. Each Wi-Fi network remembers its own setting, so turning metering off at home doesn’t change it for your phone hotspot or a café network.
Background on the setting is in the Microsoft Support article Metered connections in Windows. On a capped plan, these tips to reduce data usage on a Windows 11 laptop also help.
Matt Jacobs writes and maintains the guides on Support Your Tech, which he started in 2017. He spent most of his career keeping small-business PCs running and still takes the occasional consulting job, so the steps here come from fixing the same problems on other people’s computers. Every guide is checked on his own Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac, iPhone and iPad before it goes up.