That said, there is a solution to this problem. You may use any following bandwidth limiters on your Windows computer to restrict the bandwidth of certain applications and programs. Many tools can restrict your selected apps to use a certain amount of bandwidth. This is maybe necessary if you are on a limited data plan. Following are some bandwidth limiters for your system that may help you in restricting bandwidth for any app on your PC.
NetLimiter
NetLimiter is a good tool for limiting bandwidth allocation to selected apps. It is easy and simple to use.
NetLimiter Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetLimiter NetBalancer Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetBalancer GlassWire Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using Bandwidth Analyzer Paessler PRTG Network Monitor Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using PRTG Network Monitor NetFlow Analyzer Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetFlow Analyzer Free Closing Words
Download NetLimiter When you download it, open the app. A list of all apps will be shown to you which are on your system. How much speed they are taking for downloading and uploading will also be shown in DL and UL columns, respectively. This provides information on each app, using which you can easily identify which app is taking up more bandwidth.
Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetLimiter
NetBalancer is a free-to-use utility to limit the bandwidth consumption of each app/program individually. However, it also comes in a paid version which unlocks several other options to control from the tool as well.
NetBalancer
Note: A paid version of the app is required to limit the bandwidth consumption of individual apps. NetBalancer is easy and simple to use, primarily because its interface is convenient to understand and navigate about. Download NetBalancer When you open it after downloading, a window will appear that has all applications listed as well as their network usage information. A graph will also be there which tells you which application is consuming more bandwidth. You can adjust the bandwidth for any app by double-clicking it and adjusting its downloading and uploading rates, similar to NetLimiter discussed above. For advanced users, there is an option for creating filters with ease. All options are present in the menu.
Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetBalancer
GlassWire
GlassWire is a convenient tool for home users using which they can limit the bandwidth usage for individual apps on their system. Download GlassWire The paid version of the tool allows you to manage each app’s internet usage by limiting its uploads and downloads, leaving room for more internet-hefty tasks. Apart from the limitations feature, the tool monitors all incoming and outgoing traffic, thus enabling you to micro-manage the data and packets being transmitted through your network.
Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using Bandwidth Analyzer
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
The PRTG Network Monitor can also be used to limit individual apps’ uploading and downloading bandwidth. Similar to SolarWinds Bandwidth Analyzer, PRTG Network Monitor is also heavy software but gets the job done. The tool also offers a 30-day trial period. Download PRTG Network Monitor Similar to SolarWinds’ product, PRTG also offers a wide range of options to monitor and control. The tool can be used to perform a deep analysis of your entire network. However, since the tool requires deep knowledge of networking, users may experience some difficulty configuring the bandwidth of individual apps due to the complexity of the tool.
Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using PRTG Network Monitor
NetFlow Analyzer
NetFlow Analyzer comes in different editions, and one of them is free to use. The free version gets the job done, thus can be used to limit the bandwidth of individual apps on your Windows PC. Download NetFlow Analyzer Free The tool is comparatively easy to use, as its User Interface (UI) illustrates data using graphical representations. This can be useful in understanding which app is consuming the most amount of bandwidth, using which you can put a cap on its upload and download bandwidth. Like PRTG Network Monitor, it also runs in a web browser.
Steps for Limiting Bandwidth using NetFlow Analyzer Free
The process of creating sensors and setting a bandwidth limit on an individual application on your system is very much the same as PRTG Network Monitor and provides a similar UI. You can read the steps above to limit bandwidth on an app that is hogging up your internet.
Closing Words
We have discussed the best bandwidth limiters in this post. You can choose to go with any one of them if you want to control your traffic and want to restrict your apps to use as minimum bandwidth as possible. Which tool would be your first choice?
