Windows updates are already bad, but even worse when Microsoft uses my PC to update yours
Summary
Delivery Optimization can upload updates to other PCs, using your bandwidth and resources.
I turn it off: Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Delivery Optimization, or limit to local network.
Consider disabling BITS only if needed—it’s used by other Microsoft services.
Windows Update has always been one of those things that you tolerate instead of enjoying. Every month, Microsoft brings out a fresh batch of fixes and improvements, and every month, an increasing number of users find that the update has broken their PCs in new and unique ways. Keeping Windows secure is important, sure, but when an update either breaks a printer, or a game, or a feature that was otherwise perfectly working beforehand, the entire state of affairs doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. If this wasn’t enough, there’s something that a lot of Windows users don’t realize their PC may be doing on top of just downloading updates. Depending on how you’ve configured your system, Windows could also be using your internet connection to upload the update files to other PCs, whether they’re on your local network or strangers on the internet. It’s part of a feature called Delivery Optimization, and on paper, it’s a clever way to distribute updates faster. However, it’s also one of the very first settings I make sure to disable every time I install Windows on a new machine.
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If you’ve used Windows 11 for any length of time, you’ll understand.
Delivery Optimization sounds great on paper, doesn’t it?
Microsoft’s peer-to-peer update system has a sensible goal
Delivery Optimization is Microsoft’s attempt at reducing the strain on its update servers, while still speeding up downloads for users. So, instead of every Windows PC downloading its update straight from Microsoft’s servers, systems can also retrieve portions of those files from other computers that already have them loaded. It’s effectively a lightweight peer-to-peer network designed specifically for Windows Update. This idea does make plenty of sense on paper, since several PCs on the same home network can share the update after one machine downloads them, increasing efficiency. In fact, Microsoft also allows users to expand that pool beyond their local network and share their downloaded update files with other PCs on the internet.
Microsoft states that Delivery Optimization only shares update packages and does not expose personal files, documents, photos, or other private user data.
Now, whether or not Delivery Optimization actually makes a real and meaningful difference for you largely depends on your connection. If you’ve got a limited data plan, you may see additional upload activity that eats into the monthly allowance. On the other hand, those with uncapped broadband are more likely to notice occasional bandwidth usage rather than any increasing data costs. In either case, however, the feature improves update delivery efficiency, and Microsoft has built it specifically around Windows Update.
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I still disable it on every Windows device
It’s less about bandwidth and more about ownership
My problem with Delivery Optimization isn’t necessarily with what it does, but more about the fact that I don’t particularly want my PC participating in Microsoft’s update distribution network in the first place. When I build a gaming rig, buy a laptop, or reinstall Windows, it’s a reasonable expectation that my internet connection and system resources will be used primarily for my own needs. If my machine starts acting as a miniature update server for other devices so that the multibillion-dollar conglomerate’s servers can shed some load, I start questioning who really benefits from the arrangement. There are also no shortage of reports from users who have discovered substantial background upload activity linked to Delivery Optimization. Some have reported seeing their PCs consuming 9 to 10 Mbps of sustained upload bandwidth with the feature active. This does typically require the “PCs on the internet” toggle to be enabled in the settings, but the fact that it’s even possible is enough to make me uncomfortable. I have no issue downloading updates from Microsoft, but I do have an issue with becoming part of its distribution infrastructure. Adding to the whole mess is BITS, or Background Intelligent Transfer Service. Tied to Delivery Optimization, this Windows service manages how the OS handles background transfers, and it throttles that activity when you’re gaming, streaming, or downloading massive files. In theory, it’s a reasonable limiter to how much bandwidth Delivery Optimization can eat up, but I’d rather remove the possibility altogether than trust Windows to decide when my bandwidth is available for someone else’s updates.
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Here’s how to disable Delivery Optimization and BITS
It only takes a few minutes to take back control
Thankfully, disabling Delivery Optimization is pretty straightforward in Windows 11. All you have to do is open Settings, navigate to Windows Update, and select Advanced Options. Here, select Delivery Optimization, and disable the toggle next to Allow downloads from other PCs.
You can always just use Windows search and type in Delivery Optimization to get straight to this menu.
Turn off the toggle completely and Windows will return to downloading updates directly from Microsoft’s servers rather than participating in peer-to-peer distribution. There’s also a middle ground here that you can pick, where you can leave the feature enabled and switch it to Devices on my local network instead of Devices on the internet. Doing this will ensure that the update sharing is limited only to other computers within your own home, without exchanging update data with unknown systems elsewhere. It’s a more reasonable compromise for households with multiple Windows PCs. If you want to go a step further, you can always press Windows + R to bring up the Run dialog box and type in services.msc. Then, scroll down to Background Intelligent Transfer Service, double-click it, and change its Startup Type to Manual or Disabled. If it’s currently running, stop the service.
Personally, I recommend disabling Delivery Optimization first and only touching BITS if you’re still seeing unwanted background activity afterward. That’s because BITS is used by more than just Windows Update, so disabling it completely can affect other Microsoft services, too.
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Windows has steadily become more connected, more automated, and more eager to make decisions on behalf of its users. Sometimes, like in the case of Delivery Optimization, this crosses a line between convenience and assumption. Sure, it’s a feature designed around efficiency, but it still wrongly assumes that my bandwidth, hardware, and internet connection are resources Microsoft can borrow whenever they want. Maybe shaving a few minutes off update downloads across millions of PCs justifies the approach for Microsoft, but I believe ownership matters a lot more, as do thousands of other Windows users. When I sit down at my computer, I want to know exactly what’s using my resources and why, which is exactly why I spend an hour disabling tons of background Windows services that tend to eat up resources every single time I find myself staring at the desktop background of a new Windows 11 installation.
Diterbitkan : 2026-06-03 21:30:00
sumber : www.xda-developers.com
