Sometimes PCs consume more data than normal. Is this the case for you? Well, you came to the right place to know which app on your PC causes consuming more data and how to fix it.
Data consumption is not a big problem for those who are using fiber unlimited internet connection. But it is not possible for all of us in all situations.
When the situation demands, we use a mobile hotspot to connect the internet to the laptop or desktop PC. At this time, the data is very limited and valuable. If your computer starts receiving 10Mb/S for 10 minutes, you need to say goodbye to your daily or monthly plan.
It’s really hard to recharge again because of the necessity of the internet. What a waste of money!
Don’t worry, here I faced the same problem before and I observed what are the reasons for excess data consumption on my PC. Now I’m gonna share all of them with you.
The first action you need to do is…
Pause Windows updates
Windows Operating Systems 10 or 11 have become more reliable than the previous versions. In order to achieve this, Windows has some default actions in it. It means without your action or command, Windows OS will adjust itself based on the available resources.
The automatic Windows updates are also one of the default tasks you can see on Windows 10 and 11 OSs.
If your PC is downloading Windows updates, no wonder, it can drain all your data in 5 to 10 minutes. Some update files are small and others are large. So if your PC consumes more data this is the first thing that you need to look after.
Fix it:
You don’t want to update your PC for some reason, especially to save your limited data resources. In this case, you can pause updates on your PC. We can’t cancel the Windows updates completely because Microsoft knows the value of updates. So they completely removed the option of canceling updates.
You just need to pause Windows updates to save data. You can select the pausing period from a day to 35 days. After the period, Windows will automatically download updates to keep the machine up-to-date.
Start >> Settings >> Update & Security >> Pause updates for 7 days (or) Select Advanced options >> Now choose the required date under pause updates
I recommend you keep your PC up-to-date because of using new features, security, etc.
- Useful Read: The list of computer uses
Pause or cancel driver updates
Another thing you need to look after is driver updates. The network drivers, audio drivers, etc, are small in size. You don’t need to worry much about them. But when it comes to the GPU drivers, the update files are from 300MB to 500 MB. This is not small data to ignore.
If your PC has AMD, NVIDIA, or ASUS GPU, then this is the most probable cause.
Fix it:
Turn off auto-updates on your GPU control panel. Download the updates whenever you feel that it is the right time.
However, it is recommended to keep your PC up-to-date. Here you can find the importance of drivers in a computer.
OneDrive uploads drain your data
Are you using OneDrive free cloud storage? I guess your answer is yes. If you are not using OneDrive, just ignore this step and move to the next one.
Microsoft offers free cloud storage of 5GB with OneDrive. Whether you are using a basic free plan or a business plan, cloud storage allows you to keep your files in sync anytime on any device.
If you sign in to your Microsoft account on any device (laptop or desktop), the OneDrive files will sync on it. In syncing, OneDrive requires a solid internet connection to download all your files from the cloud to the device.
Not only for downloads, but OneDrive also consumes a lot of data for the files that you upload to it. Make sure whether you are in this case or not and apply the fix below.
Fix it:
In Microsoft OneDrive we have two types of data consumption, one is upload, and the other is download.
You can pause syncing or downloading files to your device through these steps.
- Click on the OneDrive icon on the right side of the taskbar
- Tap on Help & Settings
- Among all the listed options select Pause syncing and choose the pausing time from 2 hours to 24 hours
Ok, what about uploading files? Well, just click on the uploading file to pause upload.
Turn off Microsoft Store auto-updates
Just like the Google Play Store and App Store, Microsoft brings the Microsoft Store into its Operating System.
Microsoft Store consumes data when the apps are downloading or updating. If you download or update an app on your own, you may not worry about data consumption. But when apps update automatically, it consumes your limited data without even notifying you.
It is suggestible to keep apps on your PC up-to-date. But it is not necessary for all conditions especially when you have a limited data source.
Fix it:
Turn off auto-updates in the Microsoft Store by following the step-by-step process
Start >> Microsoft store >> Click on see more at the top right >> Settings >> Turn off Update apps automatically
Are there any active downloads? Pause them
Are you using any file-downloading software like Internet Download Manager Free Download Manager or others? Check for the files that are in the active downloading list. These downloading files will consume a lot of internet data.
Fix it:
Open the file downloading software and click on pause to stop downloading the file temporarily. If you think the downloading file is not important to you, just remove it from your downloading list.
Turn off PC sync with Google Photos
Is your computer synced with Google Photos? If yes, then you need to apply the fix in this section. Click here to find out whether your PC has backup photos and videos.
Google Photos is a featured software powered by Google to store images and videos. Until June 1, 2021, it is completely free for everyone with unlimited storage access. But now, you can use 15Gb for free and after that, you need to pay $2 for 100GB of cloud storage.
If your PC is in the process of backing up your data (photos and videos), it will consume more data.
Fix it:
Just open the app Google Backup and sync and pause the uploading items. Cancel them if you think they are unimportant to you.
Close the background running apps using the taskbar
Apps consume data. Generally, they consume huge amounts of data when the software is updating. Some apps will notify you to update but some apps update automatically in the background.
If this is the case for you, it will cost you GBs of data. The background running apps make your PC run slowly. Click here to find out which factors make your PC slow along with fixes.
Fix it:
Remove the background running apps. Follow the steps listed here to remove background running apps on your PC.
Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager.
Then you can find all the running apps on your PC. Select a particular app that you want to remove and right-click on it.
Among the listed options, select End Task. That’s it. The app will close on your command.
Uninstall unwanted apps from your PC
Do you think there is something happening on your PC without your action or command? If you think so, this section will help you to solve the problem.
Sometimes when you are browsing the unwanted apps will enter on your PC. This action represents the malware attack that happened or is happening on your PC. I recommend you use anti-virus software to avoid data theft from hackers.
The spy apps on your PC always monitor you. In other words, they consume data on what you are doing on your PC. So it is harmful in both cases security and data loss. That’s why I’m saying this – Remove unwanted apps on your PC.
Fix it:
Here you can find how to uninstall or remove apps on your PC.
Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen (search bar) and type the control panel. The app will display, open it.
Click on Uninstall a program under the program section. The list of apps on your PC will display after the action you take.
Select an app that you want to remove and right-click on it. The uninstall option will display, click on it.
Now your PC will remove that app for you. Sometimes your system asks you to restart in order to completely remove it. Here you can find 3 simple ways to restart your PC.
Don’t allow apps to access your location
The companies always want to know about us. Our information helps them to earn more. Location privacy is also one of them which we need to keep secret and give permission to certain conditions.
How will turning off location save your data? Well, apps on your PC consume data. If you turn On your GPS, the app will send your location information to the host or company. It requires more data connection. Every app on your PC wants to find your location either directly or indirectly.
I know the value of your information. So I’m suggesting you turn off the GPS location.
Fix it:
How to do it? Follow me.
Settings >> Privacy >> Location (on the left sidebar) >> Turn Off the feature under Allow apps to access your location
Why don’t you buy a router?
Limited resources, limited output. A router is always better than a weak Wi-Fi signal. If you think only about the cost, you may lose your work potential. However, you can find routers on Amazon at a cheap cost.
Hope you fix the problem of PCs consuming more data with the information on this page. Share this information with your friends so that it can be helpful for them too.