Windows 10 Data Usage

Keep track of your data usage on your Windows device by following the instructions here.

 

Customers with home editions of Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 are able to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge. However, customers are advised that the upgrade requires approximately 3GB of data usage which will be deducted from your monthly quota unless the download is performed during the overnight off-peak period from midnight to 6 AM.

How big is the Windows 10 upgrade?

At present the Windows 10 upgrade is about 3 GB in size. Further updates may be required after the upgrade is complete, for example to install additional Windows security updates or applications that need updating for Windows 10 compatibility.

 

Managing Windows 10 updates

Unlike earlier versions of Windows, it's not possible to disable automatic updates received from Microsoft. This is accepted in the end user license agreement presented when installing Windows 10.

We recommend that customers set their home WiFi connection as a "metered" connection which will prevent unexpected data usage from occurring. Windows includes a built-in "Data Usage" tool by default which will show how much data the computer has used and which application or service is responsible.

We also recommend customers disable the Windows feature for sharing updates with other computers outside of your local network as this will incur data usage charges if updates are uploaded to a machine outside of your home network. It is fine to send updates to devices on your local network and is recommended as a way to reduce your internet use if you have multiple machines.

 

Setting your WiFi connection as metered

We recommend you set your home WiFi network to "metered" as follows:

1. Click on the WiFi network icon on the task bar and click the "Properties" link for your network.

2. Switch on "Set as metered connection".

Data Usage Monitoring

Just like your smart phone, Windows 10 will monitor your internet data usage and show which apps are using the most.  You can access this feature from the Settings window under "Network & Internet" as follows:

Update Delivery

Windows 10 can source updates from other PCs in addition to Microsoft itself. This can speed up downloads and reduce internet use, however we recommend you only allow your PC to share updates with other machines on your home network. This behaviour can be configured under "Update & Security" from the settings window as follows: