If your Windows 11 PC feels sluggish online, the problem is rarely magical — it’s usually fixable with a targeted combination of settings, driver updates, and simple network housekeeping. This guide pulls together the most reliable, up‑to‑date ways to speed up internet on Windows 11, explains why each change helps, and highlights the trade‑offs and risks before you press Apply. Read this if you want a practical checklist to increase internet speed on Windows 11, whether you’re chasing faster web browsing, more stable video calls, or lower latency for gaming.
Windows 11 ships with several networking improvements and new platform support that can materially affect real‑world throughput and latency. Notably, Microsoft added OS‑level support for Wi‑Fi 7 starting in Windows 11 version 24H2 — but that capability only becomes useful if your PC has a Wi‑Fi 7 adapter and the proper drivers. In many cases the single biggest jump in stability and throughput still comes from using a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi‑Fi. (support.microsoft.com, howtogeek.com)
Beyond hardware, Windows 11 runs background services (Windows Update, Delivery Optimization, cloud sync, Edge background tasks) that can consume bandwidth. A methodical approach — update drivers/Windows, verify your router and bands, remove or throttle background consumers, and apply a few targeted NIC tweaks — will usually produce measurable gains without buying new hardware. The tips below document what to change, why it helps, and what to test afterward.
Benefits:
How:
How:
How (Settings):
How (Edge):
How:
How:
What to test (run as administrator):
How (GUI):
How:
Take small, reversible steps and measure after each change. That method lets you find the sweet spot for your home or home‑office network without breaking connectivity or introducing instability.
Source: bgr.com How To Get Faster Internet Speeds On Windows 11 - BGR
Background
Windows 11 ships with several networking improvements and new platform support that can materially affect real‑world throughput and latency. Notably, Microsoft added OS‑level support for Wi‑Fi 7 starting in Windows 11 version 24H2 — but that capability only becomes useful if your PC has a Wi‑Fi 7 adapter and the proper drivers. In many cases the single biggest jump in stability and throughput still comes from using a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi‑Fi. (support.microsoft.com, howtogeek.com)Beyond hardware, Windows 11 runs background services (Windows Update, Delivery Optimization, cloud sync, Edge background tasks) that can consume bandwidth. A methodical approach — update drivers/Windows, verify your router and bands, remove or throttle background consumers, and apply a few targeted NIC tweaks — will usually produce measurable gains without buying new hardware. The tips below document what to change, why it helps, and what to test afterward.
How Windows 11, drivers, and routers interact (overview)
Why the operating system matters
Windows is more than a user interface — it negotiates wireless features, implements TCP/IP stack tuning, and exposes delivery/peer update features that can use upload and download bandwidth. Features introduced in newer builds (for example Wi‑Fi 7 support) require the OS plus vendor drivers to be aligned. In short, OS support without the right driver or hardware is only a promise, not performance. (support.microsoft.com, intel.com)Why the network adapter and router matter
The router defines available radio bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz), channel widths, and QoS/shaping behavior. The wireless adapter (or Ethernet port) defines which of those features it can use. For example, Wi‑Fi 7 offers Multi‑Link Operation and 320 MHz channels that can boost throughput — but only if the router, adapter, driver, and OS all support the feature. If any link in that chain is missing, you’ll see smaller gains. (support.microsoft.com, pcworld.com)Quick checklist — 10 high‑impact actions to speed up internet on Windows 11
Follow these in order; test after each step so you can measure what actually helps in your environment.- Use Ethernet for best stability and peak throughput (if possible).
- Update Windows 11 and your network drivers to the latest vendor packages.
- Verify Wi‑Fi band (2.4/5/6/6E/7) and channel width; move to 5 GHz or 6 GHz where available.
- Change DNS to a fast public resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Google 8.8.8.8) for faster name resolution.
- Clear browser cache (Microsoft Edge) and Windows temporary files to remove corrupted caches that slow browsing.
- Turn off or throttle Delivery Optimization and other background update/upload features.
- Limit background apps and startup programs that consume network resources.
- Check and, where appropriate, adjust TCP/IP autotuning and NIC offload features (use caution).
- Prioritize adapters (interface metric) so Ethernet is preferred over Wi‑Fi when both are connected.
- Use router QoS and perform local speed tests to isolate ISP vs. local issues.
1) Use Ethernet (the fastest, most reliable choice)
If you can plug in a cable, do it. Gigabit Ethernet is more consistent than wireless and usually offers lower latency. For heavy uploads, large file transfers to local servers/NAS, or competitive gaming, a wired link reduces jitter and interference-induced drops. If you can’t run a cable, consider powerline adapters (MoCA or high‑quality powerline) or place the router closer to your PC. (howtogeek.com, itpro.com)Benefits:
- Lower latency and more consistent throughput.
- Less variability from interference or distance.
- Predictable performance for local transfers (backups, NAS).
2) Update Windows 11 and your Wi‑Fi/Ethernet drivers
Why: performance and protocol features (Wi‑Fi 7, 6E, regulatory channel updates, bug fixes) are delivered through driver and OS updates. A Wi‑Fi 7 adapter will behave like Wi‑Fi 6E until both the OS version and driver explicitly enable the 802.11be features. Microsoft documents that Wi‑Fi 7 support arrives with Windows 11 24H2, and Intel and other vendors publish updated drivers that explicitly add Wi‑Fi 7 capabilities. (support.microsoft.com, intel.com)How:
- Open Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Update drivers from the PC/motherboard/laptop vendor first; use the adapter vendor (Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom) if OEM drivers aren’t available.
- Confirm the adapter’s radio types with: netsh wlan show drivers — look for "802.11be" to verify Wi‑Fi 7 support. (support.microsoft.com)
3) Check your Wi‑Fi band and channel width
Why: 2.4 GHz is crowded; 5 GHz and 6 GHz provide wider channels and less interference. Wi‑Fi 6E and 7 add 6 GHz and wider channel options. If your router supports 6 GHz or Wi‑Fi 7, move latency‑sensitive devices there. (support.microsoft.com, pcworld.com)How:
- In Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi > (your network) > Properties. Check “Network band” or “Link speed.” If you see more than one band or 6 GHz, that indicates MLO or 6 GHz capability. (support.microsoft.com)
- On the router: ensure 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios are enabled and not set to auto‑restrict channel width. Use 80 MHz or 160/320 MHz on supported devices for best throughput (watch for interference).
4) Switch to a faster DNS (improves page load speed, not raw throughput)
Why: DNS affects lookup times; a faster resolver reduces the time it takes to resolve domain names and can make pages appear to load faster. It doesn’t increase your ISP download cap, but it reduces latency for initial connections. Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google (8.8.8.8) are widely used public resolvers known for fast responses. (windowscentral.com, techradar.com)How (Settings):
- Settings > Network & internet > Ethernet or Wi‑Fi > Hardware properties > Edit DNS settings.
- Choose Manual and enter your preferred IPv4/IPv6 DNS addresses (e.g., Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1).
- Changing DNS at the router level applies to your whole home network and is usually preferred if multiple devices will benefit.
5) Clear Microsoft Edge cache and Windows temporary files
Why: Browser cache can get corrupted and cause long load times or repeated downloads, and Windows temporary files can indirectly affect system responsiveness. Clearing the browser cache removes stale cookies and cached objects that may block or slow content loads. However, removing temporary files seldom increases raw network throughput — instead it prevents local bottlenecks and corrupted resources from slowing browsing. Treat claims that clearing temp files will “magically” increase your internet speed with caution. (support.microsoft.com, lifewire.com)How (Edge):
- In Edge: Settings (three dots) > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data > Choose what to clear.
- Select Cached images and files, Cookies and other site data, set Time range and Clear now. Optionally enable “Choose what to clear every time you close the browser.”
- Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files. Choose categories (Temporary files, Delivery Optimization files, etc.) and remove them.
- Or run Disk Cleanup and check Delivery Optimization Files if present.
6) Disable or throttle Delivery Optimization and background updates
Why: Delivery Optimization (peer‑to‑peer update sharing) can upload and download update blocks in the background, which may throttle interactive work or saturate a limited home broadband plan. Windows exposes settings to limit or disable this behavior. If you need predictable bandwidth during work hours, limit Delivery Optimization or set your connection as Metered. (learn.microsoft.com, support.microsoft.com)How:
- Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization. Toggle “Allow downloads from other PCs” to Off or restrict to “Devices on my local network.”
- Alternatively, set your Wi‑Fi/Ethernet connection to Metered (Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi/Ethernet > the network > Metered connection = On) to limit background downloads.
7) Limit background apps, cloud sync, and startup programs
Why: Many cloud clients (OneDrive, Dropbox), video/photo sync, and poorly configured apps can run constant background transfers. Reducing or scheduling those processes frees bandwidth for active work. Use Windows tools to find network‑hungry apps. (makeuseof.com)How:
- Task Manager > Startup: disable unnecessary startup items.
- Settings > Apps > Advanced app settings or Background apps: limit which apps can run in the background (Settings path varies by app).
- In Task Manager > Network column you can see current per‑process network usage; sort and identify heavy consumers and close or reconfigure them.
8) NIC tuning: Autotuning and Large Send Offload (advanced, use with caution)
Why: The Windows TCP stack includes receive‑window autotuning and NIC offloads (LSO, checksum offload). These are designed to improve throughput, but buggy NIC drivers or older routers/firewalls can interact poorly with autotuning and offload features. The safe rule: leave autotuning enabled and offloads enabled unless you encounter problems; if you do, selectively test toggling them. Microsoft documents autotuning levels and recommends the Normal default in most environments. (learn.microsoft.com)What to test (run as administrator):
- Check autotuning status:
- netsh int tcp show global
- To set autotuning to Normal (recommended default):
- netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal
- If troubleshooting a problematic router/firewall you suspect is incompatible, you can set autotuninglevel=disabled temporarily and test. If the disabled setting helps, you’ve identified an incompatibility — but re‑enable after tests if not needed. (learn.microsoft.com)
- Some NICs have buggy LSO implementations; disabling LSO has been known to help in specific cases. Use vendor tools, Device Manager advanced properties, or PowerShell (Disable‑NetAdapterLso) to toggle. Always test and keep notes so you can revert. (speedguide.net)
9) Force Ethernet priority (interface metric) when both Wi‑Fi and Ethernet are connected
Why: Windows chooses routes based on metric values. If a lower‑priority automatic metric sends traffic over Wi‑Fi instead of wired, you’ll get worse latency and throughput even though the PC is plugged in. Explicitly set metrics so wired connections take precedence. (woshub.com)How (GUI):
- ncpa.cpl to open Network Connections.
- Right‑click adapter > Properties > IPv4 > Properties > Advanced.
- Uncheck Automatic metric and set a low number (e.g., 5) for Ethernet and a higher number (e.g., 25 or 35) for Wi‑Fi.
- Get current interfaces:
- Get‑NetIPInterface
- Set metric:
- Set‑NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias "Wi‑Fi" -InterfaceMetric 35
10) Use router QoS / prioritize traffic and test thoroughly
Why: If multiple devices share a small broadband link, router QoS can reserve bandwidth for critical applications (video calls, gaming) and prevent background syncs from saturating upload capacity.How:
- Use the router’s QoS settings (names may vary: QoS, Traffic Prioritization, Smart Queue).
- Prioritize by device (MAC address) or by application/port as your router supports.
- If your router lacks QoS, consider a firmware upgrade (manufacturer build), a better consumer router, or open‑source firmware on compatible hardware.
- Run baseline speed tests (speedtest.net or alternative) wired and wireless.
- Run tests after each tweak to isolate what helped.
- Use monitoring tools (GlassWire, NetLimiter, built‑in Task Manager) to watch processes and bytes in real time. (makeuseof.com, howtogeek.com)
Advanced troubleshooting flow (short)
- Is the problem everywhere or only on one device? If only one device, concentrate on device drivers and local settings.
- Is Ethernet faster than Wi‑Fi on the same PC? If yes, Wi‑Fi interference or adapter/radio configuration is the likely cause.
- Run speed tests to an external site and to your router/NAS to separate ISP vs. local network problems.
- Reboot modem, router, and PC after major changes (firmware updates, driver installs).
- If ISP speeds or latency are consistently below plan, collect modem/router logs and contact your ISP with test evidence.
What to avoid and common pitfalls
- Don’t install unsigned or unofficial drivers from random websites — prefer OEM and vendor downloads.
- Avoid blanket “registry TCP optimizations” found in forums without backing data. Tweaks that sound drastic (completely disabling autotuning, wholesale copy‑paste TCP optimizer profiles) can reduce throughput or break modern TCP behaviors. Microsoft’s TCP autotuning defaults are tuned for most scenarios. (learn.microsoft.com, thewindowsclub.com)
- Turning off Delivery Optimization without understanding consequences may impact how updates download; if you share devices on a constrained network, consider “Devices on my local network” rather than fully switching it off. (learn.microsoft.com)
- Clearing caches and temp files helps with browser responsiveness and local system responsiveness — it won’t increase your ISP’s bandwidth cap.
Measured expectations — how much improvement should you expect?
- Switching from 2.4 GHz to 5/6 GHz often reduces latency and raises throughput by tens to hundreds of Mbps in congested environments.
- Switching from Wi‑Fi to wired Ethernet normally yields the most consistent improvement: lower jitter and higher stable throughput, especially if your Wi‑Fi signal is weak or congested.
- DNS changes typically reduce page load latency (DNS lookup times) rather than increasing raw download speeds.
- Driver and OS updates that enable new standards (Wi‑Fi 7) can produce multi‑gigabit local speeds in ideal conditions, but real‑world gains depend on router, adapter, and internet plan.
Final checklist to run now (a single quick pass)
- Plug in Ethernet and test speed. If it’s better, use wired when you need performance. (howtogeek.com)
- Run Windows Update and update Wi‑Fi/Ethernet drivers from OEM/vendor pages. (intel.com)
- Change DNS to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) and test page load times. (windowscentral.com)
- Clear Edge cache (Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data) and clear Windows temporary files (Settings > System > Storage). (support.microsoft.com, lifewire.com)
- Set Metered connection / disable Delivery Optimization during work hours. (support.microsoft.com)
- Check NIC settings and try autotuning/LSO tweaks only if troubleshooting and able to revert. (learn.microsoft.com, speedguide.net)
Conclusion
Speeding up internet performance on Windows 11 is a multi‑layer task that mixes hardware, OS, and network configuration. The simplest, highest‑value moves are: prefer Ethernet when possible, keep Windows and NIC drivers current, choose less congested Wi‑Fi bands (5 GHz/6 GHz), clear browser caches when browsing is slow, use a fast DNS resolver, and limit or schedule background update and sync services like Delivery Optimization. For advanced users, disciplined NIC tuning (autotuning/LSO) and router QoS can squeeze additional gains, but those must be tested and measured.Take small, reversible steps and measure after each change. That method lets you find the sweet spot for your home or home‑office network without breaking connectivity or introducing instability.
Source: bgr.com How To Get Faster Internet Speeds On Windows 11 - BGR
