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How to Disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization (3 Methods)

Tutorial on how to disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization in Windows 11 and 10 using Registry Editor

To disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization on Windows 10 or 11, open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization and turn off Allow downloads from other PCs. For a system-wide lock that survives Settings changes, use the registry: set DODownloadMode under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization to 0. This stops Windows from sharing your bandwidth to upload update files to other PCs over the internet.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: May 25, 2026

How to Disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization in Windows 10 & 11

Key Takeaways

  • Delivery Optimization uses your bandwidth to upload update files to other PCs on your network and over the internet — disabling it stops the upload side of that exchange
  • Three methods to disable it: Settings (quickest), Group Policy (Windows Pro/Enterprise), or Registry Editor (works on every edition, survives Settings UI changes)
  • The registry value is DODownloadMode under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization — set it to 0 for HTTP-only (no peer sharing)
  • Windows still receives updates normally after disabling Delivery Optimization — they just come straight from Microsoft’s servers rather than from other PCs
  • Winhance can apply this with a toggle alongside other update and bandwidth tweaks — no registry editing needed

Quick Steps

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization
  2. Turn off Allow downloads from other PCs
  3. For a stronger, policy-level lock, open regedit and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization (create the keys if they do not exist)
  4. Add a DWORD (32-bit) value named DODownloadMode and set its data to 0
  5. Or run the one-liner: reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization" /v DODownloadMode /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
  6. Restart your PC

In This Guide

This guide covers three different ways to disable Windows Update Delivery Optimization on Windows 10 and Windows 11:

What Is Delivery Optimization and Why Disable It?

Delivery Optimization (DO) is a peer-to-peer system Windows uses to distribute update files between devices. Instead of every PC pulling updates straight from Microsoft, your machine can both download from and upload to other Windows PCs — both on your local network and across the open internet, depending on how it is configured.

The idea is that it takes load off Microsoft’s servers and can help PCs on slow connections get updates faster. The flip side is that your machine uses your bandwidth — often in the background and with very little warning — to upload data to strangers’ PCs across the internet. On a metered connection, a capped data plan, or a slower line, that is a real problem.

In my years doing computer repairs, “my internet randomly feels slow” and “my data usage is way higher than it should be” were two of the most common complaints. Delivery Optimization was often part of the answer. Disabling it puts that bandwidth back under your control without affecting your ability to receive Windows updates.

Method 1: Disable Delivery Optimization in the Settings App

This is the simplest method and works on every edition of Windows 10 and 11. It does not require admin command lines or registry edits — but it can be toggled back on by anyone with admin access to Settings, so it is not a hard lock.

  1. Open Settings (Windows + I)
  2. Go to Windows Update > Advanced options
  3. Scroll down to Additional options and click Delivery Optimization
  4. Turn the toggle Allow downloads from other PCs to Off

The change applies immediately — no restart needed. Your PC will now pull updates straight from Microsoft and will no longer upload update fragments to other devices.

Note: If the toggle is greyed out or missing, your edition of Windows or a group policy is already controlling this setting. In that case, skip ahead to Method 3.

Method 2: Disable Delivery Optimization via Group Policy Editor

Group Policy Editor is available on Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Pro, and Enterprise editions. Home editions do not include it by default — if you are on Home, use Method 3 instead. This method is best when you already manage other Windows Update policies through Group Policy.

  1. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter
  2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Delivery Optimization
  3. Double-click Download Mode on the right
  4. Select Enabled, then under Options > Download Mode choose HTTP only, no peering (0)
  5. Click OK and close Group Policy Editor
  6. Restart your PC, or run gpupdate /force in an admin Command Prompt to apply immediately

Setting Download Mode to HTTP only tells Windows to fetch updates exclusively from Microsoft over HTTP, with no peer-to-peer activity in either direction. Under the hood this is the same setting as the registry value in Method 3 — Group Policy just writes the registry key for you.

Method 3: Disable Delivery Optimization via Registry Editor

The registry method works on every edition of Windows — Home, Pro, and Enterprise — and applies the setting as a managed policy, which means Settings cannot quietly turn it back on. This is the approach I recommend if you want the change to stick.

Step 1: Open Registry Editor

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.

Step 2: Navigate to the DeliveryOptimization Policy Path

Paste the path below into the Registry Editor address bar and press Enter:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization

If the Windows key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft does not exist, right-click Microsoft, choose New > Key, and name it Windows. Then right-click that new Windows key, choose New > Key again, and name it DeliveryOptimization.

Step 3: Create the DODownloadMode DWORD

With the DeliveryOptimization key selected on the left, right-click the empty white space in the right pane and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DODownloadMode exactly as shown and press Enter.

Step 4: Set the Value Data

Double-click DODownloadMode and set the value data to 0. This is HTTP only mode — Windows downloads updates straight from Microsoft and no peer-to-peer sharing happens in either direction. Click OK, close Registry Editor, and restart your PC.

One-Liner: Disable Delivery Optimization From the Command Line

If you would rather skip Registry Editor entirely, the same change can be applied with a single reg add command. Right-click the Start button, open Terminal (Admin), and run:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization" /v DODownloadMode /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

This creates the full key path if it does not already exist and sets DODownloadMode to 0. The command works identically in Command Prompt and PowerShell. Restart your PC afterwards so the Delivery Optimization service picks up the new value.

To reverse the change, delete the value:

reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization" /v DODownloadMode /f

Tip: DODownloadMode = 0 is HTTP-only (the cleanest “off”). Setting it to 1 allows peering on the local LAN only — a reasonable middle ground if you have multiple PCs at home and want to save bandwidth without sharing to the public internet. 100 is “Bypass” (falls back to the older BITS service entirely).

Disable Delivery Optimization (and More) With Winhance

If you would rather not touch the registry or Group Policy at all, my free open-source tool Winhance handles Delivery Optimization with a single toggle alongside other update, privacy, and bandwidth tweaks. You see exactly what each toggle does before you apply it, and every change is reversible from the same UI.

For related guides that pair well with this one, see how to lock your Windows version to stop forced feature updates, uninstall problem updates and clear the update cache, and disable Windows telemetry.

Common Issues and Solutions

The Settings toggle is greyed out

This usually means a group policy or another registry value is already controlling Delivery Optimization. The Settings UI greys out when the setting is policy-managed. Use Method 3 (registry) to set DODownloadMode directly, or check Group Policy under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Delivery Optimization.

gpedit.msc is missing on my PC

Group Policy Editor is not included on Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home by default. Use Method 3 (registry) instead — it applies exactly the same policy, just written directly to the registry rather than through the GPO interface.

The change does not seem to do anything

First, make sure you restarted your PC after applying the change. Then double-check that DODownloadMode is under exactly this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization. There is a similar-looking path under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization (without the Policies segment) that does not have the same effect — it is the user preference, not the policy. Settings UI changes write to the preference path; policy writes go to the Policies path.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does setting DODownloadMode to 0 actually do?

Setting the value to 0 puts Delivery Optimization into HTTP only mode. Windows downloads updates from Microsoft’s servers over plain HTTP and no peer-to-peer sharing happens — neither downloading from other PCs nor uploading to them. This is the cleanest “off” state for Delivery Optimization.

Will this stop Windows from receiving updates?

No. Windows still downloads and installs updates as normal — they just come straight from Microsoft instead of through peer-to-peer sharing. If you also want to control when updates install, see my guide on how to lock your Windows version to stop automatic feature updates.

What is the difference between DODownloadMode 0, 1, and 100?

0 is HTTP only — no peer sharing in either direction. 1 is LAN only — peer sharing happens between PCs on the same local network but not over the internet (useful if you have multiple PCs at home and want to save bandwidth). 2 is group mode (corporate networks). 3 is the default — internet peering enabled. 100 is Bypass mode, which falls back to the older Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) entirely.

Can I reverse this change?

Yes, easily. Go back to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization and either delete the DODownloadMode value to restore the default behaviour, or change the value data to a different mode. From the command line, run reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization" /v DODownloadMode /f.

Does this work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Yes. The Settings path, the Group Policy path, and the registry path are identical on Windows 10 (22H2) and every released build of Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2). I have tested all three methods on machines running each version.

If you want a one-click solution that handles Delivery Optimization plus most other Windows privacy and update tweaks, Winhance covers all of it with explicit toggles you can flip back at any time.

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