“Why is my internet so slow?” is a question that we hear often. Since Microsoft handed out Windows 10 for free, it goes like how to increase internet speed on Windows 10? Hence, in this article, we explain why your internet is slow, how to speed up your internet connection, and more. Here’s how to fix Windows 10 slow internet problems.
Why Is My Internet So Slow?
Your internet may slow down for several reasons. However, the main culprits are:
- Poor signal (WiFi).
- Bandwidth intensive tasks (video streaming, downloads, etc.).
- ISP throttling.
- Internet plan offers low bandwidth.
How To Increase Internet Speed?
To address the above issues. Are you on WiFi? Then try moving closer to the router to get the best signal. Do you stream HD videos, download large files, or play bandwidth intensive games? Then, it is best to expect lag on other devices connected to the same internet connection. Also, you are better off leaving the download to run overnight whilst you sleep.
Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Ask them what amount of bandwidth they offer for download and upload. If you plan only includes 25 Mbs download then consider upgrading to something more. You can check your connection’s download speed at fast.com. However, if your Windows 10 slow internet issues persist, here’s what else you can do.
Windows 10 Slow Internet Fixes
The first thing you want to do is check that peer to peer update is not in effect on your computer. Secondly, you need to monitor and shut down some background applications. Thirdly, you may need to modify Windows Update settings to make your internet faster. Also, get rid of OneNote & uninstall OneDrive.
Other solutions include disabling Large Send Offload, your FireWall (third-party), Windows Auto-Tuning, updating your Network drivers and, lastly, adjusting your bandwidth settings. Let’s look at each solution a bit more in-depth. Note, please restart your computer after each adjustment/fix (it’s a hassle, I know…).
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Disable Peer To Peer Update
In an attempt to help everyone get Windows updates faster, Microsoft may share your internet connection with other Windows 10 users. However, you may not want to do this. Here’s how to stop peer to peer updates,
- Firstly, click Start and type Settings to open it.
- Next, select Update and Security.
- Then, click Advanced Options.
- In the menu that appears, click Choose How Updates are Installed.
- Then, click Delivery Optimization.
- Lastly, click the toggle to turn off peer to peer update under Allow downloads from other PCs.
Stop Background Apps
Do you run apps like Skype, Spotify, or Netflix? Then, these apps may run in the background after you close them. While this occurs, they use up your bandwidth. Hence, your internet connection slows down. Here’s what you can do to prevent this.
- Firstly, right-click the taskbar.
- Then, select Task Manager.
- Here, in the menu, click the Performance tab.
- Then, select Open Resource Monitor.
- Finally, click the Network Tab to view which applications use the most bandwidth.
Once you know which apps use the most of your bandwidth, you can then stop them from running in the background once you close them.
- Click Start and open the Settings app.
- Then, click Privacy.
- In this section, locate and open Background apps.
- Lastly, in the list of apps that appear, click the toggle to disable the apps that use the most bandwidth.
Modify Windows Update
Ok. You do not need to disable Windows Update. You need it for important bug fixes and whatnot. However, you can choose to manually install the update at a time that is more convenient to you. For example, during the hours you sleep.
- Click start and launch the Control Panel.
- Then, select Administrative Tools.
- Here, click Services.
- Then, scroll down to Windows Update.
- Right-click on Windows Update, and then select Properties.
- Lastly, select Manual to install updates manually instead of Automatically.
Uninstall OneNote
Let’s not waste time on this one. Simply do the following,
- First, open your Start menu and search for PowerShell.
- Next, right click on the app and then choose to Run as administrator.
- Lastly, copy-paste the below command and hit enter.
Remove OneNote with a PowerShell commandGet-AppxPackage*OneNote* | Remove-AppxPackage
Disable Large Send Offload (LSO)
In computer networking, large send offload (LSO) is a technique for increasing egress throughput of high-bandwidth network connections by reducing CPU overhead. It works by passing a multipacket buffer to the network interface card (NIC). The NIC then split them into separate packets. The technique is also called TCP segmentation offload (TSO) when applied to TCP, or generic segmentation offload (GSO).¹
- Firstly, click the start button and right-click This PC.
- Then, select Properties.
- In the left-hand side, click Device Manager.
- Click Network Adapters to expand.
- Then, double-click your computer’s Network card.
- Lastly, select the Advanced tab and then select Large Send Offload V2 (IPv4). Set the value to Off.
You may also set the value to off for the IPV6 option if it appears on the menu. Once complete, click OK to save the changes. The next thing you can do is turn off third-party firewall services.
Turn Off Firewall
Some third-party firewall services like AVG may interfere with your connection speed. If you have any such service installed, try disabling the firewall and then check your connection. If it improves, then you can safely say that the firewall causes problems. Why not use the default Windows Defender and Firewall by Microsoft?
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Stop Windows Auto-Tuning
The Receive Window Auto–Tuning feature lets the operating system continually monitor routing conditions such as bandwidth, network delay, and application delay. Therefore, the operating system can configure connections by scaling the TCP receive window to maximize the network performance.²
- Firstly, press and the Windows Key+ X.
- Then, select command prompt admin or Windows PowerShell (admin).
- In the box, type netsh interface tcp show global
- Hit enter.
- A list appears. Look at the list for Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level. Is it set to normal? Then, you may want to disable it.
- Type netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled and hit enter to disable it.
On a side note, you can use netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal to re-enable the feature at any time.And, for your reading, some persons advise not to disable the feature.
Update Network Drivers
This is a simple method. All you need to do is go to your computer’s manufacturer’s page to check for driver updates. If there are any, download and install all the necessary updates for your computer’s drivers.
Adjust Bandwidth Settings
- Firstly, press the Windows key+R.
- Then, type gpedit.msc in the search box and then press OK.
- The Group Policy interface appears. Click Computer Configuration (in the left-hand corner).
- Then, go to Administrative Templates, then Network, and finally QoS Packet Scheduler.
- Here, click on Limit reservable bandwidth.
- Lastly, in the interface that appears, first choose Enabled and then change the Bandwidth limit (%) from 100 to 0.
- Hit apply to save your changes.
That’s all the tips we have. Hopefully, you can say goodbye to your Windows 10 slow internet issues once and for all. Also, most of the tips work for other versions of Windows.
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