Solved This Windows feature secretly eats up RAM and slows your PC over time


Borg 386

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If you never take advantage of Delivery Optimization, it might be a good idea to turn it off.

Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t managed to fully optimize the Delivery Optimization feature—it might be useful for what it does, but it takes up more of your computer’s system resources over time.

Apparently, one user (spotted by Neowin) mentioned that Delivery Optimization “will eat up all your memory and just sit there for fun.” Then, a Reddit user named Niff_Naff ran some tests and found that “the service can eat up loads of your system memory” over time:

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro, Win 10 pro, Win 13.7 Pro Chinese Ver
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    It's a Dell Dude
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900 2.40 GHz
    Motherboard
    Father is bored too...
    Memory
    64.0 GB of transcendental dimensional RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
    Sound Card
    N/A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" Samsung Monitor/Alternative Dimensional Viewing Portal
    Screen Resolution
    Fuzzy after a couple drinks
    Hard Drives
    2 or 3, depending on if it's a night they're arguing about having a "split personality crisis" because I partitioned the drive.
    PSU
    Shockingly active
    Case
    Don't get on my case....man
    Cooling
    Scotch on the rocks on the weekends.
    Keyboard
    Steel Series Lighted Glow in the dark something or another
    Mouse
    Currently being stalked by the cat...
    Internet Speed
    DSL
    Browser
    Defeated by Mario...wait...OH...BRowser...
    Antivirus
    Yep
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Thanks.

That's one of the first things I ever do after a clean install of Windows.

I don't know about Windows 11 Home (I use Pro) but in Windows 10 Home Edition the option to turn this off was always 'grayed out' until after you've run Windows Update for the first time after a clean install. The option was available in Windows 10 Professional before running Windows Update for the first time. It's probably the same in Windows 11.

I've always considered this a bit of a 'sneaky' move by Microsoft - Home Edition users see that they can't change the setting and then they probably forget all about it after they've run Windows Update for the first time and it stays on forever.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12400F 2.50 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760 DS3H AX DDR4
    Memory
    32GB (4x8GB) Kingston Fury RGB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ GL2460 (24 inch - oldie but a goodie)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 870 EVO x 2 (250GB and 500GB) plus several external Samsung SSD's.
    PSU
    Corsair HX 750
    Case
    DeepCool
    Cooling
    Stock CPU cooler. 5 case fans (2 front, 2 top and 1 rear)
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    500/40 Fibre
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Turn off anything that hogs RAM in the background.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Education For 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP ZBook G2
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7 5500u
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Family Graphics 5500 AMD Firepro 4150M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Audio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Mouse
    HP USB Mouse
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro For Workstations 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Zbook G4
    CPU
    Xeon 1535m v6
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Quadro Pro 4100
    Sound Card
    Bang and Olufson Audio
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
    Mouse
    HP USB Mouse
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Turned off Delivery Optimization on my three PC's a while ago and never looked back.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 2H25
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    AMD 9900X
    Motherboard
    MSI X870E Carbon
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD 9070 XT
    Sound Card
    built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 24"
    Hard Drives
    Sabrent 1 TB NVMe, 4 x SSD (need to check models), 4 x 3.5" HDD, 8-16 TB, all WD
    PSU
    Seasonic 850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL (which I likw)
    Cooling
    Corsair AIO for CPU, fans for case
    Keyboard
    Das Keyboard 4
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 (white)
    Internet Speed
    1 TB download
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender
    Other Info
    Also have Lenovo T14S laptop (me) and Lenovo Slim 71 (wife)
Sure, but how do you know?
As far as DO goes the negatives seem to outweigh the positives:

Recent reports show it can unexpectedly eat large amounts of RAM over time, slowing your system.

It uses your internet to download and upload update pieces from/to other PCs, which can slow browsing, gaming, or calls.

The background process also uses disk I/O resources.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
DO is required to download MS Store apps or updated apps. Just saying.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
DO is required to download MS Store apps or updated apps. Just saying.
True. But I do not believe disabling this particular setting prevents or affects (other than what the settings indicate) the client PC from updating MS Store or other apps. I believe it operates as it states. Personally I use this because as gamer who plays racing type games that really depend upon low latency, it prevents undesired traffic affecting the network performance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    EVGA home brew
    CPU
    Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v
    Motherboard
    EVGA X99 FTW K
    Memory
    32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Centurion true 7.1 headset. (5 speakers in each earpeice)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG C4 55"
    Screen Resolution
    4K 144hz
    Hard Drives
    Various models of SSDs ~10TB No HDDs installed.
    PSU
    be quiet! BN516 Straight Power 12-1000w 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Corsair 780T modified to dual 200mm intake fans
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 Platinum
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 RGB Elite
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build 26200.8457
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad Workstation P72
    CPU
    Intel i7 8750H @ 2.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 01YU291
    Memory
    16 GB (all Samsung) DDR4-3200 SODIMM (non-ECC) PCIe 3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630 & NVIDIA Quadro P600
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC3286 & Focusrite Saffire 24 Pro DSP
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3"
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD Samsung 860 EVO SATA 3
    1TB SSD Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe PCIe 3 x 4
    2TB SSD Samsung 990 PRO M.2 NVMe PCIe 3 x 4
    PSU
    230W
    Cooling
    fan
    Keyboard
    UltraNav
    Mouse
    Kensington wireless Orbit
    Internet Speed
    640Mbps
    Browser
    DuckDuckGo and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    CM246 Chipset
There are a number of settings for Delivery Optimization in the Local Group Policy Editor.

Delivery Optimization GPO.webp


On both my Windows 11 25H2 machines the Deliver Optimization service is set to Manual (Trigger start). It only starts up when Windows Update and/or The MS Store app is downloading. In this state it uses hardly any resources on either computer. I also have the 'Allow downloads from other devices' setting disabled in Windows Settings. Overall, it behaves itself and doesn't have any memory leaking issues.

Finally I haven't seen anywhere MS commenting on issues with Delivery Optimization. They supposedly made changes to this service
in the updates to 25H2 26200.4762 and 24H2 26100.4762.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus ProArt Z790 Creator WiFi - Bios 3107
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 64gb 5600MT/s DDR5 Dual Channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X 24GB
    Sound Card
    External DAC: Cambridge Audio DACMagic200M - Headphone Amp: Topping L50
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Panasonic MX950 Mini LED 55" TV 120hz
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160 120hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB (OS)
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Files)
    Lexar NZ790 4TB
    LaCie d2 Professional 6TB external - USB 3.1
    Seagate Expansion 16TB external - USB 3.2
    Seagate One Touch 18TB external HD - USB 3.0
    PSU
    Corsair RM1200x Shift
    Case
    Corsair RGB Smart Case 5000x (white)
    Cooling
    Corsair iCue H150i Elite Capellix XT
    Keyboard
    Incase Ergonomic USB (Microsoft clone)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    Fibre 900/500 Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    AMD Radeon Software & Drivers 26.1.1
    Hasleo Backup Suite
    Dashlane password manager
    Kensington Verimark fingerprint reader
    Logitech Brio 4K webcam
    Orico 10-port powered USB 3.0 hub
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivobook X1605VA
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-13900H
    Motherboard
    Asus X1605VA bios 309
    Memory
    32GB DDR4-3200 Dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    *Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics G7
    Sound Card
    Realtek | Intel SST Bluetooth & USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16.0-inch, WUXGA 16:10 aspect ratio, IPS-level Panel
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 60hz
    Hard Drives
    512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Ergo Trackball
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    720p Webcam
    WiFi & USB to ethernet
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