How to check what's hogging your internet connection
Bandwidth is a hot commodity, even more so when living in a rural area or a region with notoriously lousy internet service. But sometimes your slow internet is caused by your ISP. Tap or click here to see if your ISP is throttling your speeds.
If your ISP isn’t the problem, what is? Where can you go for the answers you need if you’re at home and noticing a lag?
Fortunately, there is a simple way to see what’s hogging your internet connection. Keep reading to find out how.
How to check what’s using the most bandwidth
Checking your bandwidth usage on a Mac and PC is super simple.
On a Mac, all you have to do is:
- Hit CMD + Space to open Spotlight.
- Search for or select Activity Monitor.
- Click on the Network tab.
Here, you’ll see a breakdown of bandwidth usage by app. Large downloads, 4K streams and apps pinging a server frequently may affect your network speeds. Continue to do this for all the devices connected to your network until you find the real issue.
You might also consider using software that can show you who’s using your internet or simply consult the router itself for nefarious, unauthorized guests. Are your neighbors stealing your internet? Tap or click here to find out what to do about it.
Windows users can see what’s using the most bandwidth by opening Task Manager. Here’s how:
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on Windows 10 or Ctrl + Shift + Esc on Windows 11.
- Choose Performance.
- Under the Wi-Fi chart, watch for unusual spikes in activity.
- After, hop back into Processes, sorting by Network Usage.
- The heaviest users will be filtered to the top, exposing any potential apps or malware going haywire.
Sometimes, the problem will be as simple as a clunky website serving you too many ads simultaneously. Be on the lookout for strange names you don’t recognize. If nothing seems amiss, however, what should you try next?
Why does rebooting your computer almost always fix it?
People and computers can be very similar in some ways. After a long day, energy runs low and completing certain tasks become more difficult.
Sometimes the best thing to do is shut down and rest. Computers are the same way. When a computer is in use, applications are starting and shutting down all the time. After a while, it can really overload your computer’s memory.
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