How to increase download speed in Windows 10

It’s been a while since Windows 10 was launched, but users are still facing issues, especially with the downloading speed. After you have made sure that the solution does not lie with your service provider, use the steps below to ensure that your downloading speed is the best that it can be from your end. There are many ways to do this.

See also: How to change administrator in Windows 10

Method 1: changing the Wi-Fi properties

The first thing you can do is to change your Wi-Fi properties to a metered connection. This will allow you to have more control over your data usage. So when you download things from apps, some of them might work differently to control how they use the data. It’s not the best fix, but it’s a start. To do this:

1. Head over to “Settings” on your PC, then to “Wi-Fi Properties”.
2. Make sure that the switch for “Set as metered connection” is on.

Method 2: emptying the DNS Cache / TEMP folder

These steps may get a bit tricky, so read carefully and don’t select anything before understanding the instructions first.

1. Start by right-clicking the Windows / Start icon of your desktop screen. Scroll up and choose “Command Prompt (Admin)”.
2. User Account Control will ask you to confirm. Click “Yes”.
3. In the Administrator Command Prompt window that pops up, type in the following command: “ipconfig / flushdns”. Click Enter on your keyboard and close the window.
4. Use the shortcut Windows key + R to open the Run window. Once it’s up, type in “% TEMP%” in the text box and hit Enter.
5. This will prompt you to the TEMP folder. Select all the items in that folder (use Ctrl + A as a shortcut), right-click, and hit “Delete”. Close that folder.
6. There you go! Restart your computer or PC and now you can download faster.

Method 3: Changing the DNS folder

1. In the Control Panel, direct yourself to the Network and Sharing Center. From there, right-click to open “Change adapter settings” from the menu on the left side of your screen.
2. Find Properties. From the checklist, select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4).
3. Another window will pop up. From the first two options at the top, select “Use the following IP address:” and type in “208.67.222.222”. As the alternate, type in “208.67.220.220”.

That’s about it. It’s definitely not as tricky as the previous option and gets the job done in no time. Changing your DNS will instantly boost your downloading speed. Simply restart your PC to enjoy the fast speed.

Method 4: quitting background apps

You’re probably here if none of the aforementioned methods worked for you. The best thing to do in this case is to quit or close any tabs or apps you are not using. When everything is working at once, it can deduct from the speed of your downloads. This will also improve your Wi-Fi speed and ultimately save your devices from lagging or slow performance. There is an obvious way of doing this, but also one that is quick and will greatly improve your download speed. Follow these steps:

1. In your settings, (or better yet, use Cortana or Spotlight search) and look for “Delivery Optimization”. Select this option.
2. Under the advanced options, allow “Limit how much bandwidth is used for downloading updates in the background” and set it to a percentage of your bandwidth you want.

Those are all the ways you can take advantage of Windows 10 to improve your download speed. But remember: always check with your service provider first and take your issue to Windows support if you cannot solve it yourself.