The Background Bandwidth Usage
Windows 11 includes a built-in Maps application that allows you to download map data for entire cities or countries, ensuring you can navigate or search for locations even when you do not have an active internet connection. To ensure this data is never obsolete, Windows is configured by default to automatically ping Microsoft’s servers and download map updates in the background. While this is a useful feature on an unlimited desktop ethernet connection, it can consume gigabytes of precious bandwidth if you are tethered to a mobile hotspot or travelling with a strict cellular data cap.
Taking Manual Control of Map Data
To prevent these massive background downloads and conserve your bandwidth, you must delve into the specific settings for offline maps and turn off the automatic update functionality, switching it to a manual process.
Press the Windows Key and click the gear icon to launch the Settings application. In the left-hand navigation pane, select Apps. In the main window, click on Offline maps. Under the “Map updates” section, you will see a toggle switch labelled Update automatically. Click this toggle to switch it to the Off position. From now on, Windows 11 will leave your downloaded maps exactly as they are. When you want to update them (perhaps when you are back on a stable, unmetered Wi-Fi connection), you can return to this exact same screen and manually click the “Check for updates” button.