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So I just installed windows 10 and came to know that windows 10 downloads updates automatically and sends windows updates to nearby PCs to reduce microsoft's expenses. I can't afford this as my Wi-Fi connection is limited and it really affects my streaming speed and ping in games.

I can set my wi-fi connection to metered but heres what happened-

enter image description here

There "Set as metered connection" setting is faded and I can't click or interact with it. So I cannot set my connection as metered. An update is already downlading on windows off my wifi so maybe I can't set it as metered because it would interrupt the update?

Can somebody please help me?

EDIT: Guys I finally found the answer!! I was not the system admin so that is why it didn't let me set the connection to metered.

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  • If this really is about windows updates, why not look at the update specific settings rather than trying to control them through a side-effect of setting the connection as metered? Oct 21, 2016 at 8:07
  • i checked the update specific settings but there was no option called "download updates manually". And this is not completely update specific. Windows also uses your connection to send windows downloads to other PCs nearby to decrease microsoft's bandwidth cost.. Oct 21, 2016 at 8:14
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    So far as I'm aware, all of those options are changable through the advanced options in the windows update settings. So, again, if your question is about getting windows to change its behaviour around updates (both download and the peer-to-peer sharing), then please make that clear in your question, rather than asking about a completely different feature that you believe may have the side effect of changing those options. Oct 21, 2016 at 8:19
  • Please update the question with the precise version of Windows 10, like v1607 . You can find out by running winver.exe from the search. Apr 25, 2017 at 17:30
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    @music2myear , you're right. I wish I had noticed that. I've used three different sets of answers for v1511, v1607, and v1703 , because one of my external office networks has been hit hard by Windows Update in the past. I'll leave the many answers for this and other questions in place. I just wish it were easy to search for the v1511 answer versus the v1703 answer, like this site enables. Apr 25, 2017 at 18:13

5 Answers 5

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You can always go to the Update and Security settings page, hit Advanced Options and there, select (mark) the Defer Upgrades option. This will make Windows not download updates for you in the background.

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    but it still does not prevent security updates from automatically downloading. The metered connection setting prevents ALL the updates Oct 21, 2016 at 9:12
  • And would this also prevent Windows from offering downloaded upgrades to nearby computers?
    – Arjan
    Oct 21, 2016 at 9:13
  • Security updates usually are small in size (some megabytes only). Oct 21, 2016 at 9:35
  • Arjan, yes, it will, because you won't basically have the updates to share with your nearby computers. Oct 21, 2016 at 9:35
  • ...well, I'd assume at some point one will install the updates, maybe using a different connection. Would Windows not decide to share to nearby computers after that?
    – Arjan
    Oct 22, 2016 at 15:10
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You can use netsh wlan set profileparameter name="Your profile name" cost=Fixed in an elevated promt to change your connection to metered and netsh wlan set profileparameter name="Your profile name" cost=Unrestricted to change it back.

The name of the profile is usually your wifi SSID - you can check this using netsh wlan show profiles and check your current settings using netsh wlan show profile name="Your profile name".


Shamelessly stolen from this answer.

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  • +1 just for the admission of guilt lol! Thank you though, helped me as I use my phone to tether while remote! May 21, 2019 at 19:10
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You need to log in with an administrator account in order to set a WiFi connection to metered.

Note that when you are logged in as a standard user, not only can you not change the setting, but you can't see the setting either; the settings panel will show the "Metered connection" option as off regardless of what the actual setting is. Note that this setting is global, not per-user.

A standard user can check the setting from the command line:

netsh wlan show profile name="whatever"

Look under "Cost Settings" and if the Metered connection setting is turned on, the Cost will be set to Fixed, meaning "The use of this connection is unrestricted up to a specific limit." (See NetworkCostType Enum on MSDN.)

If the Metered connection setting is turned off, the Cost will be set to Unrestricted, "The connection is unlimited and has unrestricted usage charges and capacity constraints."

There is also a third option, Variable, "The connection is costed on a per-byte basis." However, I'm not aware of any way to choose that from the GUI.

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Not sure about other versions, but on Windows 10 Home edition, I can only set a metered connection when logged in as an admin. I made a separate non-admin user for myself to use daily for enhanced security. When I am logged in as a non-admin, the metered connection switch is grayed out and turned off.

I can only enable it when logged in as an admin, and unfortunately, it does not retain this setting across other system user accounts. In other words, if you don't have admin rights on your user account, you cannot set a metered connection.

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The greyed out connection properties shown under a standard user account might be misrepresenting the connection's actual cost setting. I logged in as admin and set my connection to metered. When I view my connection properties from my standard user account, it looks like my connection is still "unmetered" and the toggle is greyed out. BUT, the netsh show profile command returns "cost=fixed".

Connection properties viewed from standard user account

Cost settings

Cost                   : Fixed
Congested              : No
Approaching Data Limit : No
Over Data Limit        : No
Roaming                : No
Cost Source            : User
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  • How does this answer the author’s question?
    – Ramhound
    Mar 16, 2018 at 13:00
  • There is already an answer which talks about changing the costs to fixed.
    – Ramhound
    Mar 16, 2018 at 13:05

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