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How To Set Wi-Fi As Metered Connection in Windows 11

A metered connection helps you save data when you have a data limit. Here is how to turn on metered connection for Wi-Fi in Windows 11.

Windows 11 makes it easy to connect to a Wi-Fi network. All you have to do is select the network from the network panel, type the password, and click the connect button. As soon as you connect, you can access the internet, and Windows will automatically download necessary updates and files as needed.

When you don’t have access to traditional Wi-Fi networks, you can quickly create a Wi-Fi hotspot in your mobile phone and then connect to it from Windows 11. The good thing is, when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, Windows will treat it like any other network. i.e., it will not restrict you in any way.

That being said, when using mobile data for the internet or if your internet connection has a data limit, you can turn on the metered connection setting for that Wi-Fi network.

For example, my mobile data is limited to 1.5GB per day. As you can guess, it is good enough for a mobile phone but not for a computer. If I create a hotspot and connect to it, Windows might consume it in no time. This is especially true if it downloads any available updates. In that case, I can set the Wi-Fi connection as a metered connection to limit the data usage.

Table of contents:

What is a metered connection?

A metered connection has a data limit and restricts Windows background internet activity. When metered connection feature is active, Windows will not download updates in the background, stop Store app updates, etc. Additionally, apps that respect metered connection setting will limit their data usage. For example, OneDrive will stop syncing on a metered connection.

If you are low on data, it is always an excellent option to turn on the metered connection in Windows 11.

Without delay, let me show you how to set Wi-Fi as a metered connection in Windows 11.

Set Wi-Fi as a metered connection

To set a Wi-Fi network as a metered connection, you need to connect to that network and use the Windows 11 Settings app. Here is how to do it.

  1. Use the “Win + I” shortcut to open Settings.
  2. Choose “Network & Internet” on the sidebar.
  3. Click on the “Wi-Fi” option.
  4. Click on the “Manage known networks” option.
  5. Press on the Wi-Fi network.
  6. Turn on the “Metered connection” option.
  7. Close the Settings app.
  8. With that, you set Wi-Fi as a metered connection.

Same steps with screenshots and addition details:

You need to open the Windows 11 Settings app, as with most things. You can either use the “Start key + I” shortcut or click on the “Settings” icon in the Start menu. Alternatively, right-click on the Start menu and select “Settings.’

Choose the “Network & Internet” option on the Settings app sidebar. As you can tell, this is where you will find most of the internet and network settings like a hotspot, VPN, airplane mode, proxy, and more.

On the “Network & Internet” page, click on the “Wi-Fi” option. This will show additional Wi-Fi network options.

open Wi-Fi network settings

Here, click on the “Manage known networks” option. As you can tell from the name, this page shows all the networks your system connected to at least once.

manage known networks

On this page, click on the Wi-Fi network you want to set as a metered connection. If you cannot see the network, make sure you are connected to it at least once. If possible, connect to it right now and follow the steps again. You should see the target network.

open Wi-Fi properties

After that, turn on the “Metered connection” option.

set Wi-Fi as a metered connection in Windows 11

Windows will set that specific Wi-Fi network as a metered connection as soon as you do that.

From now on, Windows 11 will automatically regular its background internet activity to reduce data usage. Apps that respect the metered connection setting will also dial back the internet usage.

Metered connection command

Besides the Settings app, you can also use commands to set a Wi-Fi network as a metered connection. You need to find the Wi-Fi profile name and then execute the netsh command to turn on the metered connection on that network. It is pretty easy to do. Let me show you how.

First, right-click the Start menu and select the “Windows Terminal (Admin)” option.

After that, make sure the “PowerShell” tab is opened in Windows Terminal. Otherwise, you can open it from the top bar dropdown menu. In the PowerShell window, execute the below command to see all the Wi-Fi profiles.

netsh wlan show profiles

From the list, note down the Wi-Fi profile name of the network you want to set as a metered connection.

After that, use the below command to set the Wi-Fi network as a metered connection in Windows 11. Don’t forget to replace “NETWORK_NAME” with the actual network name you got earlier.

netsh wlan set profileparameter name="NETWORK_NAME" cost=Fixed

To turn off Wi-Fi metered connection, use the below command

netsh wlan set profileparameter name="NETWORK_NAME" cost=Unrestricted

Close the Terminal window.

That is it. With that, you set a Wi-Fi network as a metered connection in Windows 11.

From now on, Windows 11 will automatically regular its background internet activity to reduce data usage. Apps that respect the metered connection setting will also dial back the internet usage.

As you can see, it is pretty simple to turn on the metered connection in Windows 11.

I hope this simple and easy Windows 11 how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.

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