How to stop background apps from using the Internet

Background applications can use Internet traffic way too much that affects the performance and speed of the Internet. In this article you will find useful tips on how to solve the problem.

 Manual for Windows 

1. Click «Start» → «Settings» → «Network & Internet» → «Data usage» → «Usage details».
2. If you see that there are applications that use the Internet traffic, but you are not currently working with them, you will need to turn them off.

How to disable applications that use the Internet traffic on Windows:

1. On the keyboard press Ctrl+Alt+Del and choose “Task Manager”.
2. Click “Processes”.
3. Find necessary applications and click “End task”.

How to disable apps at startup on Windows:

1. On the keyboard press Ctrl+Alt+Del and choose “Task Manager”.
2. Click “Startup”.
3. By following these steps, you can prevent unnecessary applications from automatically starting up and consuming data traffic in the background when you turn on your computer.

Manual for macOS

1. Click the “Spotlight” icon (magnifying glass) in the upper right corner of the screen.
2. Type “Activity Monitor” and press “Return”.
3. Click the “Network” column to sort processes by memory usage.

How to disable applications that use the Internet traffic on MacOS:

Option №1

✅ If you see that there are applications at the top that use the Internet way too much, but you are not currently working with them, select them and click “Quit process (х)”.

Option №2

1. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select the “System Preferences” option.
2. Click “Users and Groups”.
3. Select your username from the list of users on the left-hand side and click on the "Login Items" tab at the top of the window.
4. In the list of login items, you'll see programs for which automatic launch is enabled. To remove a program, simply select it from the list by clicking on it once, and then press the button with the minus (-) icon.