Delivery Optimization: How to get Windows updates faster

Delivery Optimization: How to get Windows updates faster

Traditionally, Windows updates were downloaded straight from Microsoft’s servers to your PC. This meant that Microsoft had to have a huge infrastructure to deliver updates to millions of users worldwide and that, sometimes, the speed of downloading updates was frustratingly slow. To improve the situation, Microsoft developed a feature called Delivery Optimization, which allows your computer(s) to grab updates from users on the local network or the internet and upload updates to other users. If you want to know more about what Delivery Optimization does, how it works, and whether to turn it on or off, read this guide:

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What is Delivery Optimization? What does it do?

Delivery Optimization is a feature of Windows 10 and Windows 11, which allows these operating systems to download updates using peer-to-peer sharing on the local network or the internet. Its purpose is to use less bandwidth for downloading updates, which can sometimes be quite large.

This feature can download Windows updates from other computers on the same network as you or from other computers on the internet that are close to you, as well as Microsoft Store apps, Microsoft Defender updates, Microsoft Edge updates, Xbox Game Pass, and other items. For more information, I recommend this page from Microsoft: Types of download content supported by Delivery Optimization.

Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

When Windows 10 or Windows 11 download an update or app using Delivery Optimization, they look for other computers on your network or from the internet (depending on how you set this feature to work) that have already downloaded the same update or app. Delivery Optimization doesn’t download the entire file from one place but breaks it into smaller parts. Next, it gets parts of that update or app from the computers that have it and parts from Microsoft while aiming to finish this process as fast as possible. For the last step, Delivery Optimization creates a local cache for updates where it stores the files it has downloaded for a short time. Those files are then available for uploading to other computers on the network or the internet, depending on how you set this feature to work.

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Delivery Optimization is available starting with Windows 10 version 20H2, and it’s also included in all versions of Windows 11. When enabled, you have two settings to choose from:

  • PCs on my local network (in Windows 10) or Devices on my local network (in Windows 11) - this setting allows Windows to download updates from other computers on the same network as you. When you choose this option, it is a good idea for your network profile to be set to Private instead of Public.
  • PCs on my local network, and PCs on the Internet (in Windows 10) or Devices on the internet and my local network (in Windows 11) - allows Windows to download updates from other computers in your network, as well as other computers on the internet that are relatively close and provide you with updates that are downloaded faster than from Microsoft’s servers.

Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Who benefits from Delivery Optimization?

Two parties benefit from enabling this feature on your Windows computer:

  • Microsoft optimizes the bandwidth necessary to deliver updates to all Windows computers with Delivery Optimization enabled. This means slightly lower costs with their internet bills and slightly less hardware resources utilized by Microsoft’s servers, which handle the delivery of updates.
  • When enabling this feature, you get updates faster and can save on bandwidth costs at a network level. However, if your internet connection is billed based on your bandwidth usage, you need to consider how you configure Delivery Optimization. More details are in the next section of this article.

Should I turn off Delivery Optimization?

If you search for Delivery Optimization on Google, Bing, and other search engines, you will find many articles that recommend turning off this feature. While doing this is easy, it’s not a great idea. This is the approach I recommend:

  • If you are on a local network with two or more Windows computers using the same version, you should enable it and choose any settings you prefer.
  • When your computer is not part of a network, or you have a laptop that connects to many networks, it’s a good idea to enable this feature and use the second setting: PCs on my local network and PCs on the Internet (in Windows 10) or Devices on the internet and my local network (in Windows 11). This way, even if you can’t get updates from other computers on a local network, you can get updates from other computers on the internet, which can deliver updates at good speeds. This setting should help your PC get updates faster than when having Delivery Optimization turned off.

IMPORTANT: If your internet plan is billed based on your usage, you should never enable this setting because it allows other computers on the internet to download updates from you, which will increase your costs.

Delivery Optimization turned off

Delivery Optimization turned off

How to turn on Delivery Optimization

If you decide to enable Delivery Optimization, I’ll show you how it is done. First, I’ll share the steps for Windows 10 and then for Windows 11:

How to turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

If you want Windows 10 to grab online updates from others and vice versa, enable Delivery Optimization. First, open the Settings app (Windows + I) and go to Update & Security.

In Windows 10 Settings, go to Update & Security

In Windows 10 Settings, go to Update & Security

In the left sidebar, choose Delivery Optimization. Then, on the right, click or tap the “Allow downloads from other PCs” switch to enable it. Lastly, choose the setting you prefer:

  • PCs on my local network
  • PCs on my local network and PCs on the Internet

Turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Delivery Optimization is now turned on, and it will automatically download updates for Windows 10, Microsoft Store apps, Microsoft Edge, and others from other computers on the same network and/or the internet, depending on how you have set it.

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TIP: For more information about managing updates in Windows 10, I recommend this guide: The complete guide to Windows 10 updates.

How to turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

In Windows 11, the steps for enabling Delivery Optimization are different: open Settings (Windows + I). On the left, go to Windows Update; then, on the right, click or tap Advanced options.

In Windows 11 Settings, go to Windows Update > Advanced options

In Windows 11 Settings, go to Windows Update > Advanced options

Scroll down the list of options for Windows Update until you see Delivery Optimization, and click or tap on it. It is found in the Additional options section.

Click or tap on Delivery Optimization

Click or tap on Delivery Optimization

This is where you set whether Windows can grab updates online from others. To enable Delivery Optimization, enable the “Allow downloads from other PCs” switch by clicking or tapping on it. Then, choose if you want to allow downloads from:

  • Devices on my local network
  • Devices on the internet and my local network

Turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Turn on Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Delivery Optimization is now enabled, and you can get Windows 11 updates faster from other computers on your network and/or the internet, depending on how you’ve set this feature.

TIP: If you want to know more about managing updates in Windows 11, read this guide: The complete guide to Windows 11 updates.

How to turn off Delivery Optimization

Turning off Delivery Optimization is relatively easy. However, the steps involved are different in Windows 10 and Windows 11. So let’s take them one by one again:

Disable Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

In Windows 10, open Settings (Windows + I) and go to Update & Security. In the column on the left, choose Delivery Optimization. On the right, turn off the “Allow downloads from other PCs” switch.

How to turn off Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

How to turn off Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Now, other computers on your network or the internet can no longer grab updates from your Windows 10 computer, and you can’t grab updates from them either.

Disable Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

The steps for turning off Delivery Optimization in Windows 11 go like this: open Settings (Windows + I) and choose Windows Update on the left. On the right, click or tap Advanced options.

Go to Windows Update > Advanced options in Windows 11 Settings

Go to Windows Update > Advanced options in Windows 11 Settings

Then, scroll down to Delivery Optimization and click or tap on it.

Click or tap Delivery Optimization

Click or tap Delivery Optimization

Turn off the “Allow downloads from other PCs” switch.

How to turn off Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

How to turn off Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Delivery Optimization is now turned off.

What happens if I turn off Delivery Optimization?

If you disable this feature, this is what happens:

  • Microsoft can’t save on bandwidth costs when delivering updates to your computer(s).
  • Delivery Optimization no longer creates a local cache for storing files that are used in sharing updates with other computers.
  • Your computer(s) download all updates straight from Microsoft’s servers, which means their download speed could be lower, and you no longer save on bandwidth like you do when using Delivery Optimization to download updates from other devices on your local network.
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How to limit the bandwidth used for Delivery Optimization

If you choose to enable Delivery Optimization and allow it to get and share updates with others on the internet, this feature’s use of your available bandwidth might be a concern. Luckily, Microsoft is providing you with the necessary tools to set in detail how Delivery Optimization uses your bandwidth. Here’s how they work:

How to limit the bandwidth used for Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

If you’re using Windows 10, open Settings and go to Update & Security > Delivery Optimization using the steps shared in the earlier sections. Beneath the options for enabling Delivery Optimization, look for the Advanced options link and click or tap on it.

Click or tap Advanced options

Click or tap Advanced options

You see several controls for limiting how Delivery Optimization uses your bandwidth for downloading and uploading updates. You can select Absolute bandwidth, check the boxes for limiting how much bandwidth is used, and specify how many megabits per second you want to use for downloading updates in the background and the foreground (meaning when you keep the Windows Update page open as the main window on your desktop). You can also set the percentage of measured bandwidth used by Delivery Optimization.

Set the bandwidth limits for Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Set the bandwidth limits for Delivery Optimization in Windows 10

Scroll down this window to see controls for setting your bandwidth used by Delivery Optimization for uploading updates to other computers on the internet. Check the options that interest you and set them as you want. Under them, you also see a chart with how your bandwidth was used this month for uploading updates to other computers.

Check your upload settings

Check your upload settings

When you’re done configuring your limits, close the Settings app.

How to limit the bandwidth used for Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

If you’re using Windows 11, open Settings and go to Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization. Then, click or tap Advanced options.

In Delivery Optimization, go to Advanced options

In Delivery Optimization, go to Advanced options

Now you see the settings for controlling how Delivery Optimization uses your bandwidth to download and upload updates from/to others. Check the Absolute bandwidth box and then set the limits you want for downloading updates in the background and the foreground (when you keep the Windows Update window active on your screen). Alternatively, you can set the percentage of measured bandwidth used by Delivery Optimization.

Set the bandwidth limits for Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Set the bandwidth limits for Delivery Optimization in Windows 11

Scroll down the list and find the Upload settings. Set the limits you want for how your bandwidth is used for uploading updates to other PCs on the internet. Beneath these settings, you see a chart with how your bandwidth was used this month for this task.

Set your upload settings for Delivery Optimization

Set your upload settings for Delivery Optimization

When you are happy with your settings, close the Settings window.

Check how Delivery Optimization uses your bandwidth

When Delivery Optimization was first implemented into Windows 10, many complained that they didn’t want to lose control over their internet bandwidth and didn’t want to increase their costs uncontrollably. As a result, many publications recommended users to disable Delivery Optimization. In response to those worries, Microsoft also offers an Activity monitor, where users can see how many megabytes of updates are downloaded and uploaded each month. Here’s how to access those reports:

How to check how much bandwidth Delivery Optimization uses in Windows 10

Windows 10 users should open Settings and go to Update & Security > Delivery Optimization. Under the options for enabling Delivery Optimization, look for the Activity monitor link and click or tap on it.

Click or tap Activity monitor

Click or tap Activity monitor

Now you see charts with download and upload statistics. You can see which percentage of updates were downloaded from Microsoft, from Microsoft’s cache server, PCs on your local network, and PCs on the internet. For each source, you also see how many megabytes were downloaded. Then, you have a similar statistic for uploading updates to others. You see how many megabytes of updates were uploaded to PCs on the internet and to PCs on your local network.

Check your download and upload statistics

Check your download and upload statistics

If you feel that Delivery Optimization is uploading too much data to others, you can use the settings shared in the earlier chapter to limit the bandwidth used by this feature.

How to check how much bandwidth Delivery Optimization uses in Windows 11

If you’re using Windows 11, open Settings and go to Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization. Then, click or tap Activity monitor.

In Delivery Optimization, go to Activity monitor

In Delivery Optimization, go to Activity monitor

Now you see the download and upload statistics for Delivery Optimization. Just like in Windows 10, you see how many updates in megabytes or gigabytes were downloaded from each source and how much data you’ve uploaded to others.

Check your download and upload statistics

Check your download and upload statistics

If you’re unhappy with your upload statistics, you can always change the limits imposed on Delivery Optimization and how it uses your internet bandwidth.

Did you set Windows to download updates from the local network or the internet?

Now you know everything about the Delivery Optimization feature, how it works, and whether you should turn it on or off. I prefer to have it enabled. Since my local network isn’t exactly big in the number of PCs it includes, I allowed this feature to download and upload updates from/to other computers on the internet. What about you? Did you keep Delivery Optimization turned on? Do you want to allow it to download updates only from other PCs on the local network or from the internet? Comment below and share your perspective.

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