Whether you work remotely on a mobile phone hotspot, connect through a metered satellite connection, or manage a laptop with capped monthly broadband allowances, unmonitored background downloads and streaming applications can quickly exhaust your data package. In Windows 11, Microsoft provides a comprehensive network monitoring engine built directly into the operating system. With it, you can view real-time data consumption across both Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters, pinpoint exactly which applications consume bandwidth, configure monthly data limits, and reset usage counters at the start of every billing cycle.
Why Monitor Network Data Usage in Windows 11?
Tracking your data footprint helps diagnose hidden network resource hogs and prevent costly ISP overage charges:
- Application Transparency: Break down bandwidth consumption over the past 30 days on an app-by-app basis (including system services like Windows Update and OneDrive).
- Adapter Separation: View independent statistics for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and cellular LTE/5G connections.
- Budget Alerts & Limits: Set strict monthly or one-time data caps with automatic warnings before reaching bandwidth thresholds.
- Billing Cycle Alignment: Reset usage statistics periodically to align with your mobile carrier’s monthly renewal date.
How to View Network Data Usage by Application in Windows 11
Inspecting how much bandwidth individual programs consume over the preceding 30-day window takes just a few steps:
- Open the Settings app on Windows 11 (Win + I).
- Click on Network & internet in the left navigation sidebar.
- Scroll down and select Advanced network settings.
- Under the More settings section, click on Data usage.
- At the top of the screen, use the dropdown menu to select the network adapter you wish to inspect (e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
- Review the detailed breakdown below. Windows 11 ranks installed applications from highest to lowest data consumption, displaying exact usage in gigabytes or megabytes for web browsers, games, communication tools, and background cloud synchronisation daemons.
How to Set a Monthly Data Limit with Warnings
To ensure you do not inadvertently exceed a cellular hotspot or metered broadband limit, configure a proactive data cap:
- On the Data usage settings screen, click the Enter limit button located next to your active network adapter.
- Select your preferred Limit type:
- Monthly: Automatically resets every month on your specified billing date.
- One time: Perfect for temporary travel passes or pre-paid mobile tethering bundles with expiration dates.
- Unlimited: Tracks total data consumption without displaying cap warnings.
- Specify the Monthly reset date (e.g., the 1st of each month).
- Enter your Data limit value and select either MB or GB.
- Click Save.
Windows 11 will monitor real-time consumption and display an alert notification when your usage nears the threshold.
How to Reset Network Data Usage Statistics in Windows 11
If you switch to a new mobile plan or want a clean slate at the start of a new project cycle, you can reset all usage counters to zero.
Method 1: Reset via Settings Interface
- Navigate to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Data usage.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the window.
- Under the Reset usage stats heading, click the Reset button.
- Confirm the prompt by clicking Reset once more. All application counters for that network adapter will immediately reset to
0 MB.
Method 2: Force Reset Data Usage via Windows Command Prompt / PowerShell
If the graphical Settings interface fails to reset corrupted usage statistics, delete the Windows Network Cost Processor cache manually:
- Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an Administrator.
- Stop the Diagnostic Policy Service by running:
net stop DPS - Delete the contents of the SRU (System Resource Usage) database directory:
del /F /S /Q "%windir%\System32\sru\*" - Restart the service:
net start DPS
Rebooting your PC completely purges all historical network usage logs, restoring the tracking engine to baseline.