Check Data Usage in Windows 11 and 10: By App, Set a Limit, and Use Less

To check data usage in Windows 11, open Settings, Network & internet, Advanced network settings, then Data usage. Windows shows how much data each connection, Wi-Fi, Ethernet or mobile, used in the last 30 days, and which apps used it. On the same page you can enter a data limit with a reset date, so Windows warns you before you go over, and reset the counter. In Windows 10, it is Settings, Network & Internet, Data usage. The counts are per PC and per connection: they do not include other devices on your network, and they are a good guide rather than a bill-accurate meter. To use less, set the connection as metered, limit Windows Update's bandwidth, and pause cloud sync on a limited connection.

Ethan works from a cabin two weekends a month, where the only internet is a phone hotspot with a 30 GB monthly allowance. Twice the allowance ran out by Saturday afternoon, and he could not tell why. Jake opened the Data usage page on Ethan's laptop and the answer was right there: the "System" entry had used 9 GB, mostly a Windows feature update, and OneDrive had used 6 GB syncing a photo folder. Jake set the hotspot as a metered connection, added a 25 GB limit in Windows with a warning, capped Windows Update's background bandwidth, and paused OneDrive on that network. The next month, the laptop used under 8 GB. This page explains every way to see and control data usage in Windows 11 and 10, what the numbers mean, and how to keep a limited connection from running dry.

Why check data usage on a PC?

On a home broadband connection with no cap, data usage rarely matters. It matters a great deal on mobile data, a phone hotspot, satellite or rural internet with a monthly allowance, travel SIMs and in-flight Wi-Fi, and home plans with a data cap where going over costs money or slows the connection. A PC can use far more data than a phone, because it downloads larger updates, syncs whole folders to the cloud, and plays video at higher quality on a bigger screen.

Windows has had a built-in data meter since Windows 10, and it answers the three questions people actually have: how much has this PC used, which apps used it, and how do I stop it using too much. It is free, needs no extra software, and is accurate enough to find the cause of a surprise in a few minutes, as it did for Ethan. The sections below show where to find it in both versions, how to read it, and what to do with what you learn.

How much data common activities use

Knowing roughly what each activity costs makes the numbers on the Data usage page meaningful, and helps you plan a limited allowance. These are typical ranges; real figures vary with the service, the quality setting and the screen.

The pattern is clear: text and music are cheap, video is expensive, and big downloads, games and system updates, can use a month's mobile allowance in an afternoon. On Ethan's 30 GB hotspot, ten hours of HD video would use the whole allowance by itself, which is why lowering video quality is one of the first things to change on a limited connection.

How to check data usage in Windows 11

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet in the left menu.
3. Select Advanced network settings, then Data usage.
4. At the top, choose the connection to view, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet, if you have more than one.
5. Read the total for the last 30 days, and scroll down for the list of apps and how much each used.

A quicker route on some versions is the Data usage link on the Wi-Fi or Ethernet properties page, or the small data figure shown under the network name on the Network & internet page. Both lead to the same screen. If you check often, press Windows + R and type ms-settings:datausage, which opens the page directly; a desktop shortcut with that address does the same in one click. The page shows the current 30-day window, so a total of 40 GB means the last 30 days, not this calendar month, unless you set a limit with a reset date, which changes the view to match your billing period.

The totals are kept per network adapter, not per network name. Wi-Fi usage covers every Wi-Fi network you joined, home and away, unless you look at a specific connection's details. That is useful to know when you want to check only the hotspot: set a limit on that connection, as described below, and Windows tracks it against its own allowance.

How to check data usage in Windows 10

1. Open Settings with Windows + I.
2. Select Network & Internet.
3. On the Status page, look for the data usage figure under your connection, or select Data usage in the left menu.
4. Choose the connection under Show settings for, and select View usage per app to see the app list.

Windows 10 shows the same 30-day totals and the same per-app breakdown, with slightly different layout. Data limits, background data restrictions and resetting the counter are on the same page. Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, and home PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates keep receiving security fixes until October 2027; the data usage page works the same throughout.

Data usage by app: reading the list

The app list is where the answers are. Each entry shows an app or Windows component and the data it used over the last 30 days on the selected connection, sorted from most to least. Browsers are usually near the top, because streaming video, video calls and web apps all run through them; the browser's line includes every website you visited, so a large browser number on its own does not tell you which site used it.

Cloud storage apps such as OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive are the next common heavy users, especially after you add a folder of photos or videos, since every file is uploaded once. Game launchers can download tens of gigabytes for a single game or update, often in the background. Video calling apps use roughly a gigabyte or more per hour of HD video. And then there is System, which surprises most people; it has its own section below.

Use the list to decide what to change. If a game launcher used 40 GB on a hotspot, set it not to update automatically on that network or schedule updates for when you are home. If OneDrive dominates, pause syncing while on a limited connection. If the browser is the big one, the cause is usually video, and lowering video quality is the fix. Ethan's list, once read, made the decisions obvious: System and OneDrive accounted for almost half the allowance, and both could be controlled.

One more reading tip: compare the list over time. An app that used little last month and a lot this month changed something, such as a new sync folder, an update or a new feature. The Data usage page always shows the last 30 days, so checking it on the same date each month, or after each trip, quickly shows these changes.

What "System" means in data usage

The System entry, sometimes shown as Windows or a similar label, covers data used by Windows itself rather than by an app you opened. The largest part is usually Windows Update: monthly security updates are typically a few hundred megabytes, and a full feature update can be several gigabytes, although updates between closely related versions, such as from 24H2 to 25H2, can be small. Delivery Optimization, which helps distribute updates, Microsoft Store app updates, Microsoft Defender's security intelligence updates, and other background services also count here.

A large System number therefore usually means Windows downloaded updates, which is normal and important for security. The answer is not to block updates but to control when and how they download: set limited connections as metered, so Windows defers most updates on them, and cap Windows Update's bandwidth. If System is large on your home connection, that is usually fine. If it is large on a hotspot, the metered setting is what was missing, as it was for Ethan.

You can see how much Windows Update and Delivery Optimization downloaded more precisely in Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Delivery Optimization, Activity monitor, which shows download statistics for the current month, including how much came from Microsoft and how much from other PCs.

Delivery Optimization is worth understanding, because it is the part of System people most often misread. It lets your PC download pieces of updates from other PCs, either only on your local network or, if allowed, from PCs on the internet, and it can upload pieces to others in the same way. On a home network with several Windows PCs, that saves internet data, since one PC downloads an update and the others fetch it locally. On a capped or mobile connection, uploads to internet PCs are the thing to turn off, which the Delivery Optimization page lets you do in one switch.

Set a data limit and get a warning

Windows can warn you as you approach an allowance. On the Data usage page for a connection, select Enter limit (on Windows 10, Set limit or Enter limit). Choose a limit type:

• Monthly: for plans that reset on a date each month. Enter the reset date and the allowance in MB or GB.
• One time: for a data pack that lasts a set number of days, such as a travel SIM.
• Unlimited: no allowance, but Windows still tracks usage from the reset date you choose, which is useful for matching your billing cycle.

After you set a limit, the page shows how much you have used and how much remains, and Windows shows a notification as you near the limit. It does not cut off your connection at the limit; it warns. A limit by itself does not reduce how much Windows downloads; the metered connection setting does that, so turn it on for the same network as well. Ethan set 25 GB on the hotspot, below the real 30 GB allowance, so the warning comes with room to spare.

To remove or change a limit, return to the same page and select Edit limit or Remove limit. A limit applies to one connection, so you can have a limit on the hotspot and none on your home Wi-Fi.

Where each data control lives in Windows 11 and 10

The data controls are spread across a few Settings pages, and the paths differ between the two versions. This table brings them together.

You do not need all of them. For most people on a limited connection, the metered switch and a limit with a warning do most of the work, and the Delivery Optimization limits handle the rest.

Reset data usage statistics

To start counting from zero, for example at the start of a new billing period or before a trip, use the Reset button on the Data usage page (on Windows 10, Reset usage stats), and confirm. The counter for that connection clears; other connections are not affected. Resetting does not change any limits or settings; it only clears the numbers. If you set a monthly limit with a reset date, Windows resets the count automatically each month on that date, so manual resets are rarely needed.

How to reduce data usage in Windows 11 and 10

The most effective change is to set limited connections as metered. A metered connection tells Windows to save data: most Windows updates are not downloaded automatically, some apps reduce background activity, and OneDrive can pause syncing. In Windows 11, open the Wi-Fi network's properties in Settings and turn on Metered connection; our guide to setting a metered connection covers every connection type. Windows remembers the setting for each Wi-Fi network, so your phone hotspot can be metered while your home Wi-Fi is not.

Second, limit Windows Update's bandwidth. In Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Delivery Optimization, Advanced options, you can set an absolute limit in Mbps or a percentage of bandwidth for background and foreground downloads, and a monthly upload limit. On the same Delivery Optimization page, turn off Allow downloads from other devices, or limit it to devices on your local network, so your PC does not upload updates to others over a capped connection. Our guide to controlling Windows Update covers pausing updates for a short trip.

Third, pause cloud sync on limited connections. OneDrive can pause syncing for 2, 8 or 24 hours from its icon near the clock, and by default it pauses automatically on metered networks. Other cloud apps have similar options. Fourth, turn down video quality: streaming in standard definition uses a fraction of HD, and video calls can be set to lower resolution. Fifth, stop automatic updates in game launchers and the Store while on the limited connection.

Those five covered Ethan's cabin weekends completely. A sixth, for people who share a hotspot with others, is to check each device: Windows only counts its own usage, so a phone or tablet on the same hotspot may be the real culprit.

On a family PC with several accounts, the Data usage page shows the PC as a whole, not each person separately: an app used by two people appears once, with their usage combined. If you need to know who used what, the router or a per-user tool is the place, but in most homes the app list is enough, since the heavy users, a game launcher, a sync folder, a streaming browser, usually point to one person anyway. A quick conversation then does more than any setting.

A worked example: planning a 30 GB month

Here is how Jake planned Ethan's cabin month once they knew the numbers, a method you can copy for any allowance. Start with what cannot be avoided. Ethan has about eight hours of video meetings across his two weekends. At a typical 1.5 GB per hour in HD, that is 12 GB, but with incoming video limited to standard quality in the meeting app and his own camera at a lower resolution, it comes down to around 6 GB. Email, documents and browsing for work over four days add perhaps 2 GB.

Next, the evening extras: two films in standard definition at about 1 GB per hour, roughly 4 GB, and music while he works, well under 1 GB. That plan totals about 13 GB, leaving a comfortable margin under the 25 GB warning and the 30 GB allowance for anything unexpected. What the plan leaves out is just as important: no Windows updates on the hotspot, no OneDrive sync, no game downloads. Those happen at home on Sunday nights.

The first month on this plan used 12.4 GB on the laptop. The arithmetic is simple, and doing it once turns a monthly surprise into a predictable budget that you only revisit when your work or habits change.

Stop background data usage in Windows 11

Apps can use data when you are not looking at them, through background activity. In Windows 11, many apps have a Background app permissions setting under Settings, Apps, Installed apps, the app's menu, Advanced options, where you can set the app to never run in the background. That stops it fetching new content when closed. In Windows 10, the equivalent is Settings, Privacy, Background apps.

Background restrictions are worth applying selectively. Mail, calendar and chat apps need background activity to deliver messages on time, so leave those alone. News, weather, shopping and game apps rarely need it, and restricting them saves both data and battery. Ethan restricted six apps he never relied on for alerts and noticed no difference except a slightly smaller System and apps total.

On the Data usage page in Windows 10, there is also a Background data option that restricts what Store apps and Windows features do in the background when you are near a limit, or always. In both versions, a metered connection reduces background data for Windows itself without per-app changes. Desktop programs, such as game launchers and sync tools, do not use these settings; control them in the programs themselves, usually with options to not update automatically or to pause on metered networks.

How much data does Windows Update use?

It varies by month and by update type, but the scale is predictable. Monthly cumulative security updates for Windows 11 are usually a few hundred megabytes per PC, sometimes more. Optional preview updates are similar. Microsoft Defender's security intelligence updates are small but frequent. Microsoft Store app updates depend on how many apps you have; on a PC with many Store apps, a month of updates can add up to a gigabyte or more. A full Windows feature update, such as moving to a new version, can be several gigabytes, while small enablement updates between closely related versions download quickly.

Windows reduces the download size with express updates that fetch only changed parts, and Delivery Optimization can fetch parts from other PCs on your home network instead of the internet. On a limited connection, metering is the best protection: Windows then asks before downloading most updates, and you can install them when you are back on an unlimited network. Security updates matter, so do not leave a PC unpatched for long; Ethan's laptop now updates at home on Sunday evenings, before the cabin trips.

Other ways to see data usage: Task Manager, Resource Monitor and your router

Settings gives 30-day totals. For what is using data right now, open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look at the Network column on the Processes page, which shows current network use per app; our guide to opening Task Manager covers the quick ways in. Task Manager's App history page also shows Network and Metered network usage for apps over the past 30 days, a useful second view.

For more detail, Resource Monitor, opened by typing resmon in the Run box, has a Network tab listing every process, the addresses it is talking to, and how much it is sending and receiving per second. It is the tool for catching a background program that uses data in bursts.

For the whole household, your router is the place to look. Many routers show data usage per device in their app or admin page, and mobile carriers show the hotspot's total in their app. Windows only counts the PC it runs on, so if the router or carrier total is much higher than the PC's figure, another device is responsible. On a phone hotspot, the phone's own data usage screen shows how much each connected device used, as well as the phone's own apps.

Check network totals with PowerShell

For a quick technical view, PowerShell can show how much data each network adapter has sent and received since it was last started. Open PowerShell and run Get-NetAdapterStatistics. The ReceivedBytes and SentBytes columns show the totals for each adapter; divide by 1,073,741,824 to convert to gigabytes. These counters restart when the adapter or the PC restarts, so they suit short checks, such as measuring how much a single download or meeting used, rather than monthly tracking.

A simple test: note the Wi-Fi adapter's ReceivedBytes, play an hour of video, and check again. The difference is what that hour cost, on your connection and settings, which is more useful than any typical figure. Ethan measured his meeting app this way and found that turning off HD for incoming video cut an hour's usage by more than half.

Do you need a third-party data monitor?

For most people, no. The built-in page covers the questions that matter: totals, apps, limits and warnings. Third-party network monitors, such as GlassWire or NetLimiter, add real-time graphs, alerts when a new app connects to the internet, and, in some cases, the ability to set per-app speed or data limits, which Windows cannot do. They are useful for people who want to catch a specific misbehaving program or enforce a hard cap on one app.

If you install one, choose a well-known tool from its official site, and remember that network monitors see all your traffic, so trust matters. Avoid running several at once, which can conflict. For a single laptop on a hotspot, Windows' own tools and the phone's hotspot screen together answer almost everything; Ethan never needed more.

Is Windows data usage accurate?

Accurate enough to find the cause of high usage, but not a substitute for your provider's meter. The figures can differ from your bill for several reasons: providers count data at their end, sometimes with rounding or minimum charges; Windows counts per adapter, so data used before a reset or on another adapter is elsewhere; VPN traffic may be counted differently; and other devices on the same connection are not included. The 30-day window can also differ from your billing period unless you set a limit with the right reset date.

In practice, Windows tends to be close for a single PC on its own connection, such as a laptop on a USB modem, and lower than the provider's total on shared connections. Treat the provider's figure as the bill and the Windows figure as the explanation. When Ethan compared, his carrier's hotspot total and Windows' figure for the laptop were within a few percent; the rest was his phone.

If you need a figure you can rely on for billing disputes, use the provider's records, and keep screenshots of the provider's meter on key dates. Windows' numbers are best used for decisions: which app to pause, which setting to change, and whether a change worked. Used that way, a few percent of difference never matters, and the app list gives you something no provider meter can, the reason behind the total.

Watching a household data cap

Some home internet plans have a monthly cap; some US cable providers cap usage at around 1.2 TB in many areas, with fees for going over, and satellite and fixed wireless plans often have much smaller allowances. A household with several PCs, phones, TVs and consoles can approach those limits, especially with 4K streaming and game downloads. Windows' Data usage page helps with the PCs, but the household view comes from the provider's account page or app and the router.

The practical approach: check the provider's meter weekly in the first month, find the biggest users through the router's per-device view, and then use each device's own settings. For Windows PCs, that means the steps on this page. For TVs and streaming boxes, it means lowering video quality in the streaming apps. For consoles, it means scheduling game downloads and updates. Most households find one or two devices account for most of the usage, often a TV streaming in 4K for hours a day, and a single setting change brings the total well under the cap.

Data usage for remote work

Working from a limited connection, as Ethan does at the cabin, adds a few specific data users. Video meetings are the biggest: turning off incoming HD video, or your own camera when not needed, cuts usage sharply, and most meeting apps have a setting to limit video quality on slow or metered connections. File sync for work files, through OneDrive, SharePoint or other services, can upload and download large files without you noticing; pausing sync and syncing only the folders you need keeps it in check.

A VPN adds a small overhead to every connection, typically a few percent, and routes all traffic through your employer, which may also mean cloud backups and updates run over the limited link. Ask IT whether large downloads, such as updates, can wait until you are back on an unlimited connection. And remember that work laptops managed by IT may have update and sync settings you cannot change; if the data usage is too high, tell IT, since they can usually adjust policies for remote staff on capped connections.

Data usage not showing or not working

If the Data usage page is empty, stuck at zero, or missing the app list, the most common cause is the Data Usage service being stopped. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, find Data Usage, and make sure its startup type is Automatic and it is running; start it if not. Some system tweak tools disable it to save resources, which breaks the page and some metered features. After starting it, the page begins counting again from that point; earlier data is not recovered.

Other causes: the PC was recently reset or upgraded, which clears history; you are looking at a different adapter than the one you used; or the counter was just reset. If everything looks right but numbers still do not appear, restart the PC. Disabling the Data Usage service is not recommended, since it uses very little and supports metered connections and data limits; "can I disable data usage service" is a common question, and the answer is yes, but you lose these features.

Mobile data, hotspots and travel

Laptops with built-in mobile broadband or an eSIM show a Cellular connection in Settings, with its own data usage and limit options, and Windows treats cellular connections as metered by default. Our guide to mobile data, SIM and eSIM on Windows covers setting them up. When you connect through a phone hotspot, Windows sees an ordinary Wi-Fi network, so it does not know the data is limited unless you set that network as metered yourself, which is the step most people miss.

For travel, three habits save most data: set every new hotspot or hotel network you use with a data cap as metered when you first join, pause cloud sync for the trip, and download maps, music and videos at home before you leave. If you are sharing your laptop's connection with other devices through Windows' own Mobile hotspot feature, remember those devices' data passes through your PC's connection too; our guide to sharing your connection with Mobile hotspot covers it.

Windows' data usage page is one of its most useful and least known tools. Check the 30-day totals and the app list, set a limit with your real reset date, mark limited connections as metered, and tame Windows Update, cloud sync and video. Ethan's cabin weekends now end with data to spare, and the one time his allowance ran low again, the app list showed it was his daughter's tablet on the hotspot, not his laptop.

Revision note. Written October 3, 2026, expanding our 2016 guide to finding the amount of data used in Windows into a complete guide for Windows 11 and 10. It covers the Data usage page in both versions, usage by app, what System means, data limits and resets, reducing and stopping background usage, Windows Update data, Task Manager, Resource Monitor and routers, accuracy, fixes when the page is empty, and mobile data and travel. Streaming figures are typical published rates; check your service's own settings. May your allowance always last the month.