11 Tips to Increase Internet Speed in Windows 11 (Updated 2025)

In the digital age, a fast internet connection is essential for a smooth online experience, whether you are streaming, gaming, working, or browsing. However, even with the right plan, various factors like weak Wi-Fi signal, problems with the Wi-Fi router, background apps, and browser cache can slow down your internet speed. This article explores common reasons behind slow internet connection and some effective ways to fix the problem, Increase Internet speed in Windows 11, and enjoy a faster and smoother online experience.

What Causes a Slow Internet Connection?

There can be multiple reasons why you are experiencing slow internet connectivity. Problems with your router, such as temporary glitches or outdated firmware, can contribute to slow internet. Regularly power cycling your router, updating its firmware, and ensuring it is centrally located can help improve signal distribution and overall network speed.

It may be Resource-hungry applications running in the background can consume bandwidth, leading to a slower internet experience, again Outdated or corrupted network drivers can significantly affect internet performance.

Accumulated cache and cookies in web browsers can slow down internet browsing. Malicious software on your devices can compromise your internet speed by consuming bandwidth or conducting malicious activities.

How to Increase Internet Speed?

Whatever the reason, here we have a few effective tips help optimize and boost internet speed on Windows 11.

Restart your Router and modem

This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to fix a slow internet connection. Restarting your router and modem clears their internal caches and resets their settings, which can resolve many common issues.

• Unplug both devices from the power source, wait for about 30 seconds, and then plug them back in.
• In addition, we recommend restarting your Windows 11, this will clear temp glitches, and restart running process.
• Wait for a few minutes until they are fully operational, and then check your internet speed using Online speed test tool like fast.com or speedtest.net.

Move Your Router to a Better Location

Another common reason for slow internet speed is the location of your router. The Wi-Fi signal strength depends on the distance and the obstacles between the router and your device. If your router is too far away or there are walls, floors, or other objects blocking the signal, you will experience a weaker and slower connection.

• Try to place your router in a central, elevated, and open location that can cover the most area in your home.
• Also, you can also use a Wi-Fi extender or a mesh network to boost the signal coverage in your home.
• You should put your router up high to maximize coverage.
• Position your router away from other electronics or large metal objects to minimize interference

Update to the Latest Windows Update

One of the first things you should do to boost your internet speed is to make sure that your system is up to date. Windows updates often come with performance improvements and bug fixes that can enhance your internet connectivity.

Each Windows update comes with performance improvements and can affect the internet connectivity.

• Press the Windows key + I to Open the Settings app
• Choose Windows Update from the left pane, then click on Check for updates.
• If new updates are available, allow them to download and install, and restart your computer to apply changes.

Update your router firmware:

Router firmware is the software that controls how your router functions and communicates with your devices. Keeping your router’s firmware and your Wi-Fi adapter driver to date ensures that you have the latest improvements and optimizations for better speed and stability. Manufacturers release updates to address bugs, enhance security, and optimize performance, ensuring your equipment operates at its best for faster and more stable internet speeds.

Now check if there is any improvement in your internet speed.

Close Unnecessary Background Running Applications

Sometimes, the culprit behind slow internet speed is not your connection but your device. If you have too many applications or tabs running in the background, they can consume a lot of bandwidth and leave less for your main tasks. close unnecessary background applications helps fix the issue.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to Open the Task Manager
• Switch to the Performance tab and click on Open Resource Monitor.
• Switch to the Network tab and Look for the services that are consuming the most bandwidth per second.
• Right-click on the services and choose End Process.

Another reason why your internet might be slow is that there are too many devices connected to your network at the same time. Each device consumes some bandwidth and can reduce the available speed for others.

The more devices connected, the slower your internet speed will be.

To avoid this, you can try disconnecting any devices that you are not using or that do not need internet access. Now Check if there’s an improvement in the internet speed or not.

Switch to Faster DNS server

DNS stands for domain name system and it is a service that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example, when you type www.google.com in your browser, DNS converts it into 142.250.181.238, which is the IP address of Google’s server. By default, your device uses the DNS server provided by your ISP, which may not be the fastest or the most reliable. To increase your internet speed, you can change your DNS server to a faster and more secure one, such as Google DNS or Cloudflare DNS.

• Press the Windows key + R, type ncpa.cpl and click ok to open the network connection window,
• Right-click on Active network adapter (WiFi adapter) select properties,
• Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and enter the preferred and alternate DNS server addresses in the corresponding fields. (for example, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Google Public DNS).

Click on OK to save the changes. Now open the command prompt as administrator, and run the command ipconfig /flushdns. This will clear the corrupt DNS cache that might be causing slow internet connectivity. Now reboot your computer and check your internet speed is faster or not.

Use an Ethernet Cable

One of the best ways to increase your internet speed on Windows 11 is to use a wired connection instead of a wireless one. A wired connection, such as an Ethernet cable, can provide a faster and more stable internet connection than a Wi-Fi connection, as it eliminates the interference and signal loss that can occur with wireless networks.

Wi-Fi is great, but wired connections are faster and more reliable

If you have high-priority devices like a desktop, gaming console, or smart TV, it might be worth your while to plug them into your router with an Ethernet cable instead of relying on Wi-Fi.

Scan Your System for Malware

Virus or Malware infection is another potential cause of slow internet speed on Windows 11. Malicious software can infect your system and use your network connection to send or receive data without your knowledge or consent. This can not only slow down your internet speed but also compromise your security and privacy.

• To protect yourself from malware, you should always use a reliable antivirus program and keep it updated.
• You should also scan your system regularly for any signs of infection and remove any suspicious files or programs.
• You can use Windows Security or any third-party antivirus software of your choice.

Clear Browser cache and your browsing history

The primary purpose of a browser cache is to increase data retrieval performance and fast browsing experience. However, accumulated cache and cookies in web browsers can slow down internet browsing. Regularly clearing browser cache and cookies, as well as disabling unnecessary browser extensions, are effective strategies for maintaining a smooth online experience on Windows 11.

• Open Chrome settings, Go to Privacy and Security, then click on Clear browsing data
• Alternatively, you can type chrome://settings/privacy and press the enter key to open clear browsing data popup
• Make sure that all the necessary cache data is checked: Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files. Then click Clear data.

In addition, click on Extensions or type chrome://extensions/ disable or remove unused Chrome extensions that might slow down browser performance and cause slow loading pages.

Disable the Metered Connection

Windows 11 has a feature called metered connection that allows you to limit the data usage on certain networks, such as mobile hotspots or capped plans. It helps to save the internet data, But on the negative side, it can be a primary reason behind a slow internet connection.

If you are using a metered connection on a network that does not have any data limits, disable it to increase internet speed in Windows 11

• Press the Windows key + X and select settings
• Choose Network & Internet from the left pane.
• Click on Properties under your current network.
• Toggle off next to Set as metered connection.

Restart the system and check if there’s any improvement in the internet speed.

Disable VPN (If configured for encryption)

VPN stands for virtual private network and it is a service that allows you to access the internet securely and anonymously by encrypting your traffic and routing it through a remote server. VPNs can be useful for protecting your privacy, bypassing geo-restrictions, or accessing blocked content. However, VPNs can also slow down your internet speed by adding extra layers of encryption and routing. If you don’t need a VPN for a specific task, you can disable it and see if that improves your internet speed.

Connect ISP (Internet service provider)

Sometimes, the problem is not with your router or devices, but with your internet service provider (ISP). You should contact your ISP and ask them to check your connection and troubleshoot any issues.

If you have a low-speed plan that does not meet your needs or expectations, you might need to upgrade to a higher-speed plan that can provide more bandwidth and faster speeds.