This article explains how to monitor and limit the amount of data you use each month in Windows 10.

What to Know

  • Open Task Manager > App History tab. The Network column shows data usage figures for each app.You can also open Windows Settings, then select Network & Internet > Data Usage > View usage per app.To limit data use, open Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Data Usage > in Data limit, choose Set limit.

How to Check Data Usage With the Windows 10 Task Manager

You can monitor data usage for specific apps through the Windows Task Manager:

  • Right-click a blank space on the Windows taskbar, then select Task Manager.
  • In Task Manager, go to the App history tab.
  • You’ll see a list of your applications along with several columns. The Network column contains the actual data usage figures for each application, represented in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). If your data connection is metered, you may be interested in the figures shown in the Metered network column.
  • By default, the data shown in the App history tab is compiled over the last 30 days. To reset this counter and start new, select Delete usage history.

Not all of your applications display in the Task Manager, most notably web browsers other than Microsoft Edge. To see data usage for these programs, you must access Windows Settings.

Right-click a blank space on the Windows taskbar, then select Task Manager.

In Task Manager, go to the App history tab.

You’ll see a list of your applications along with several columns. The Network column contains the actual data usage figures for each application, represented in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). If your data connection is metered, you may be interested in the figures shown in the Metered network column.

By default, the data shown in the App history tab is compiled over the last 30 days. To reset this counter and start new, select Delete usage history.

How to Monitor Data Usage in Windows 10 Settings

You can view data usage for your apps in the Windows Settings:

  • Open the Start Menu, and select the gear to open Windows Settings.
  • Select Network & Internet.
  • Select Data usage in the left pane.
  • An overview of your Wi-Fi and Ethernet usage display, including the total amount of data (MB or GB) utilized on each network over the last 30 days. To see a breakdown by application, select View usage per app.
  • To see data spent on a different network, select a different option from the Show settings for drop-down menu.

How to Limit Your Windows 10 Data Usage

Along with using data-hungry applications less often, there are restrictions that you can put in place to alleviate some of your usage concerns:

Open the Start Menu, and select the gear to open Windows Settings.

Select Network & Internet.

Select Data usage in the left pane.

An overview of your Wi-Fi and Ethernet usage display, including the total amount of data (MB or GB) utilized on each network over the last 30 days. To see a breakdown by application, select View usage per app.

To see data spent on a different network, select a different option from the Show settings for drop-down menu.

  • Open the Start Menu, and select the gear to open Windows Settings.
  • Select Network & Internet.
  • Select Data usage in the left pane.
  • In the Data limit section, select Set limit.
  • Set a usage limit (in MB or GB) for a specific time interval (ideally corresponding with your billing cycle), then select Save.
  • In the Background data section, select Always to prevent Windows 10 from performing tasks in the background that involve sending and receiving data over a Wi-Fi network.
  • Changes take effect automatically when you close Windows Settings.

In the Data limit section, select Set limit.

Set a usage limit (in MB or GB) for a specific time interval (ideally corresponding with your billing cycle), then select Save. 

In the Background data section, select Always to prevent Windows 10 from performing tasks in the background that involve sending and receiving data over a Wi-Fi network.

Changes take effect automatically when you close Windows Settings.

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