Disabling the Metered Connection — It Might Be the Culprit
Here’s where I hit a snag — it turns out Windows 11 can slow down your internet if it thinks your Wi-Fi or network is “metered.” Honestly, I didn’t even know that was a thing until my speeds suddenly plummeted after switching to a Wi-Fi network flagged as metered. It’s like Windows tries to save data in the background without giving you a heads-up. The odd part is, sometimes Windows treats even unlimited or home networks as metered — probably in an attempt to be cautious, but it ends up throttling your speeds right when you need them most.
To check this, go into Settings — click the gear icon — and then head to Network & Internet. From there, select Wi-Fi and click on your network’s details. Look for an option called “Metered connection”. If it’s switched on, turn it off. Easy, right? Well, it’s not always that simple; because Windows might flag your network as metered even if it’s not, especially on older devices like my ASUS laptop, where this setting feels buried in advanced options. Still, turning that off can make a noticeable difference — freeing up your bandwidth and giving your speeds a much-needed boost.
If you’re using Ethernet, don’t think you’re off the hook. Head to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > More network adapter options. Right-click your active Ethernet adapter, select Properties, and see if there’s anything about data limits — some setups mark wired connections as metered too. If you’re comfortable with it, some folks tweak registry settings to turn off metered connections entirely. For that, open regedit and look under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion\\NetworkList\\Profiles. But honestly, I wouldn’t mess with the registry unless you’ve tried everything else first — it’s more advanced and carries risks.
Running the Windows Troubleshooter — Usually a Good Starting Point
If turning off the metered option didn’t do the trick, my next move was running the built-in Windows troubleshooter. I’ve found it diagnoses and sorts out quirky issues more times than I can count. It’s like Windows has a sixth sense for spotting problems you might miss. To access it, search for “Troubleshoot settings” in the Start menu, then open that. Look for “Network and Internet” troubleshooter. Alternatively, right-click the network icon in the system tray and select “Troubleshoot problems”. It’s quick, often surprisingly effective, and worth a shot.
Follow the prompts, and it might reset network adapters, fix DNS snafus, or resolve IP conflicts you weren’t even aware of. If issues persist, you can try running commands like netsh winsock reset or netsh int ip reset in an elevated PowerShell or Command Prompt. After running them, a restart usually helps. I’ve had days where doing this made the difference between sluggish internet and full-speed browsing again. Even if the troubleshooter reports no issues found, it’s still worth trying — sometimes Windows just misses a problem, but these resets can clean things up.
Check for Hidden Background Apps and Network Usage
Still experiencing slow connections? That’s when I started scrutinising background processes. Believe it or not, some apps or services run quietly in the background and chew through your bandwidth without you noticing. One late-night troubleshooting session, I opened Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and switched to the Performance tab. From there, I clicked on Open Resource Monitor at the bottom — it’s a bit sneaky, but it shows detailed network activity.
In Resource Monitor, under the Network tab, you can see which processes are taking up the most bandwidth. Sometimes, it’s just a Windows update downloading in the background, or a cloud sync app pushing files. Other times, malware or poorly-behaved software might be the culprit. If you spot a process using way too much data and you’re sure it’s not vital, right-click and select End Process. Be cautious, though — killing critical system processes can cause instability. Only do this if you’re confident about what you’re ending. Also, disable any VPNs or proxies temporarily, as they can also slow your connection. This step helped me reclaim bandwidth and get my speeds back to normal.
In short, double-check these basics: disable the metered setting, run network troubleshooters, and monitor what’s running in the background. It might seem a bit patchwork, but putting these pieces together can finally get your internet back on track.
Hopefully, this guide was helpful — it took me ages to figure it out. Windows settings can be unintuitive, so sometimes you just have to dig a little. Good luck, and don’t give up on cracking that speedy connection!