Your PC is part of Microsoft's CDN
Delivery Optimization is the peer-to-peer layer under Windows Update: it fetches update pieces from Microsoft's servers, from other PCs on your local network, and — if the setting allows — from arbitrary internet machines, while sharing what it has already downloaded with them. The Store, Office and a few other components use the same plumbing. The upload side is the part nobody notices: while your PC looks idle, the DoSvc service quietly seeds what it has, which is why the upload counter climbs with no visible download in sight.
Where the dials are
Everything lives under Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Delivery Optimization, and the names there are less scary than the service behind them. The list below is the short tour of what each dial does.
- Allow downloads from other PCs: the master toggle — off means updates come straight from Microsoft only
- Devices on my local network: sharing that never leaves your LAN — harmless and genuinely useful with several PCs at home
- Devices nearby and on the internet: the option that uploads to strangers — the one most people want off
- Activity: real numbers for downloaded and uploaded data over recent days — check it before blaming the ISP
- Advanced options: absolute and percentage bandwidth limits plus a monthly upload cap
- The cache: Delivery Optimization Files in Disk Cleanup and Storage settings — safe to clear, it re-downloads what it needs
What to change — and what to leave alone
Disabling the peer-to-peer toggle does not break updates: Windows falls back to direct downloads from Microsoft and nothing else changes. If your upload is metered or a home server shares the same line, either switch to local-network-only or set the monthly upload cap and stop thinking about it. Leave the Delivery Optimization service itself alone: updates and Store installs depend on DoSvc, and disabling the service outright is a known way to break them. Several PCs under one roof genuinely benefit from LAN sharing — the second machine gets big updates at local speed instead of through the modem.
Questions and Answers
Should I turn off Delivery Optimization?
It is safe: updates keep working and come directly from Microsoft. If you have several PCs at home, keep at least local-network sharing — it saves re-downloading the same gigabytes.
Where are Delivery Optimization files stored?
In C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization\Cache. Clear them via Disk Cleanup or Storage settings, not by deleting the folder by hand.
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