Forum Discussion
OneDrive affects Internet connection speed - everything is synced
Hi, on one computer in my household, OneDrive causes extreme internet connection slowness.
The computer is running Windows 10, everything up to date.
OneDrive says in the system tray that the sync is up to date and nothing is currently syncing. It is not causing any visible traffic in Task Manager.
With OneDrive running and active, Speedtest.net reports a download speed of less than 5 Mbps, and surfing the internet becomes near impossible.
When I pause OneDrive sync, Speedtest.net reports a download speed of over 100 Mbps.
Turn OneDrive sync on again and the connection speed goes back to a crawl.
It's repeatable and consistent.
OneDrive sync is up to date, so it's not actually moving any data when the connection speed is slow. It appears to slow down the Mbps throughput for the whole internet connection for some reason.
Any ideas what to do about that, other than constantly pausing OneDrive sync, so the internet is usable again?
This is OneDrive Personal, as part of a M365 Family subscription.
1 Reply
The issue you're experiencing, where OneDrive significantly slows down your internet connection even when it's not actively syncing, is unusual but not unheard of. This behavior can be caused by several factors, including background processes, network configuration issues, or conflicts with other software.
Check for Background Activity
Limit OneDrive's Bandwidth Usage
Disable Files On-Demand
Reset OneDrive Cache
Check for Conflicting Software
Update Network Drivers
Disable Peer-to-Peer Updates
Check for Windows Updates
Reinstall OneDrive…etc.
Temporary Workaround
If you need a quick fix while troubleshooting, you can pause OneDrive sync when you need full internet speed:
Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select Pause syncing > 2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours.
If the problem persists, we would need more detailed information, such as which OneDrive it is (version) or more detailed information about the digital environment.
Does this issue happen only on this PC or with other devices in your home?
If you connect the PC to a different Wi-Fi network, does the problem persist?
Have you tried disabling any third-party antivirus or firewall temporarily to rule out interference?
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
