Microsoft began shipping a feature that improved the performance of programs that sent TCP data via a network. This feature first arrived in Windows Vista and has been prevalent since then, including in Windows 10. For some, this feature can prove beneficial in optimising the network, however, it isn’t always beneficial and several users find it better to disable the feature altogether, which ultimately leads to a faster connection speed.
The feature in question is known as Window Auto-Tuning. By default, it is set to ‘normal’ mode, which essentially means it is on. In order to disable this feature, a user will need to use the Command Prompt. Ghacks has discovered the method of disabling this feature, and has shared a tutorial that details the steps needed:
- Tap on the Windows-key, type cmd.exe, hold down Shift and Ctrl keys, and hit enter.
- Confirm the UAC prompt that opens.
- Run the command netsh interface tcp show global.
That will then show the configuration options currently set. If “Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level” is set to normal, then run the following command to disable it:
netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
A message will be returned saying “OK”. At the point, the new setting has been set. Check the internet speed using a site such as fast.com to see if there have been any improvements – this method isn’t guaranteed to improve everyone’s connection speeds, but it can for some. If you found it doesn’t help your speed, the change can be reverted by running the following command:
netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal
Update:
Microsoft has responded to the advice given here by explaining that the above advice is not going to improve your speed. However, the Windows Networking Team then goes on to explain a change that they made in Windows 8.1 onwards that will improve a user’s speed and doesn’t need any adjustment. You can read the company’s response here.
Let us know in the comments if this trick helped improve your internet speed!
