How to Completely Disable ‘Delivery Optimization’ (Peer-to-Peer Updates) via Group Policy in Windows 11

Windows Delivery Optimization is a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking feature designed to reduce bandwidth consumption on Microsoft’s servers. Instead of every PC downloading Windows Updates and Store apps directly from the internet, Delivery Optimization allows your PC to download fragments of updates from other PCs on your local network, or even from random PCs across the internet. While excellent for home users with slow connections, it is a significant security and bandwidth management concern in enterprise environments. IT administrators generally prefer to control update distribution centrally (via WSUS or SCCM) rather than allowing client workstations to unpredictably swap update payloads with external peers.

This guide explains how to completely disable Delivery Optimization (Peer-to-Peer Updates) system-wide using the Group Policy Editor in Windows 11.

Disable Delivery Optimization via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block on P2P update sharing and force the machine to only pull updates from authorized HTTP sources, we must deploy an administrative template. Note that this requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions.

1. Log into Windows 11 with an Administrator account.
2. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
3. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
4. In the left-hand navigation pane, strictly follow this exact path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Delivery Optimization

5. In the right-hand pane, locate the policy named Download Mode.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Enabled.
8. In the “Options” pane below, click the drop-down menu for “Download Mode” and select Bypass (100). (Note: Selecting ‘Bypass’ completely skips the Delivery Optimization framework and forces the use of the legacy Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) directly from Microsoft or your local WSUS server).
9. Click Apply, then click OK.

Verify the Bandwidth Lockdown

To enforce the change immediately across the system without requiring a reboot, open an elevated Command Prompt and execute gpupdate /force.

To verify the restriction is active, press the Windows Key + I to open Settings, and navigate to Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization. You will notice a prominent message stating, “Some of these settings are managed by your organization.” The master toggle switch for “Allow downloads from other PCs” will be completely greyed out and permanently locked in the Off position. The workstation will no longer act as a peer-to-peer node, ensuring predictable, secure update traffic routing.