Set your Windows 10 Internet connection as metered

There is no outright way to stop updates in Windows 10, but the OS does understand that
certain Internet connections charge by the amount of data consumed – such as in-flight or
hotel Wi-Fi – or have a data cap – such as your mobile hotspot. Hence, Windows 10 has an
in-built option to set these connections as ‘metered’, which will reduce the overall data usage,
including no automatic downloads for OS updates.

Here’s how to signify a connection as metered and stop automatic download of Windows 10
updates:

1. Open the Start Menu, and click the Settings gear icon.
2. Choose Network & Internet.
3. Select Wi-Fi on the left. Make sure you’re connected to the network that you usually
make use of, and then click on it.
4. Under Metered connection, flick on the toggle that reads Set as metered
connection.

Windows 10 won’t download – and thus won't be able to install – any updates while you’re
connected to that Wi-Fi network. The metered connection switch is specific to each network,
so you’ll need to do it for all the Wi-Fi networks you connect to, if you’d like to put a stop to
updates in general.

You can’t easily set an Ethernet connection as metered, because Microsoft assumes that your
wired Internet gives you unlimited data. That may not be true for a lot of people – you
probably have to deal with a FUP – so you’ll need to make a registry edit to prevent
automatic updates over your Ethernet connection.

A warning before you proceed – the Registry Editor is a powerful tool, and you can get your
system into trouble if you’re not careful. That said, stick to the instructions below, and you
shouldn’t have any trouble.

Here’s how to set an Ethernet connection as metered to prevent automatic download of

Windows 10 updates:

1. Open the Start Menu, and type in “regedit”. Do not press Enter.
2. Right-click it, and choose Run as administrator. Grant it administrative access upon
request.
3. Once it opens, use the left-side navigation to locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4. Click the right direction arrow, and find SOFTWARE. Keep doing the same until
you reach Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > NetworkList >
DefaultMediaCost.
5. Right-click DefaultMediaCost, and choose Permissions.
6. In the new dialog box, click Advanced.
7. In the next window, click Change next to the Owner field at the top.
8. In the object name field, enter your Windows user name, or the Microsoft account that
you use to log in.
9. Then click Check Names to validate.
 10. Hit OK on the Select User or Group window, and then hit OK on Advanced Security
Settings window.
11. Back in the Permissions window, locate your user name in the top pane.
12. Under the lower pane, next to Full Control, check the check-box named Allow, and
click OK.
13. Back in the Registry Editor, locate Ethernet key in the right pane, and double-click it.
14. Change the value from “1” to “2”, and then click OK.

That’s all. You can close Registry Editor, and return to work. Windows 10 won’t reflect your
metered setting in the Network window since it’s not built to do so. But automatic Windows
10 updates shouldn’t happen.

To download updates from now on, open the Windows Update page, and then choose
Download. To enable automatic updates over Ethernet, open Registry Editor, navigate to
DefaultMediaCost, and change the Ethernet value back to “1”. Remember that “1” stands
for unlimited, and “2” means metered.