How To Prevent Downloading On A Metered Connection In Windows 10
67This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off to download device software (drivers, info, and apps) over metered connections in Windows 10.
There is no outright way to stop updates in Windows 10, but the OS does understand that certain Internet connections charge by the amount of data consumed – such as in-flight or hotel Wi-Fi – or have a data cap – such as your mobile hotspot. Hence, Windows 10 has an in-built option to set these connections as ‘metered’, which will reduce the o
verall data usage, including no automatic downloads for OS updates.
Windows 10 won’t download – and thus won't be able to install – any updates while you’re connected to that Wi-Fi network. The metered connection switch is specific to each network, so you’ll need to do it for all the Wi-Fi networks you connect to, if you’d like to put a stop to updates in general.
You can’t easily set an Ethernet connection as metered, because Microsoft assumes that your wired Internet gives you unlimited data. That may not be true for a lot of people – you probably have to deal with a FUP – so you’ll need to make a registry edit to prevent automatic updates over your Ethernet connection.
A warning before you proceed – the Registry Editor is a powerful tool, and you can get your system into trouble if you’re not careful. That said, stick to the instructions, and you shouldn’t have any trouble.
This tutorial will apply for computers, laptops, desktops,and tablets running the Windows 10 operating system (Home, Professional, Enterprise, Education) from all supported hardware manufactures, like Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba,Lenovo, and Samsung.