You can speed up your Windows network connection with this ExpressVPN hack

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• You can speed up your Windows network connection with this ExpressVPN hack

Is your Windows network connection slower than you'd like? A quick search of the web provides you with multiple libraries of advice on how to speed things up, but the quality is, well, variable. You could easily waste time on a long list of difficult settings based on an obscure XNUMX weblog post, only to find that your speeds are worse than they originally were (and that's if your connection is working). , always and at all times). However, what if you get advice from someone you know you trust? As, let's say, the VPN market leader ExpressVPN? So maybe it's worth paying a little more attention. The company's Windows VPN app includes a setting called "Optimize Windows network to maximize Windows speed," which is intended to improve network and Internet speeds. The option is quite simple, it only changes certain Windows settings and it could have a positive impact on your speed. And the best You can apply these settings now, even if you are not using ExpressVPN. It only takes a few minutes, and if it doesn't work, no problem, just restore the original settings, reboot and you're back to normal.

(Image credit: ExpressVPN)

Windows ExpressVPN network acceleration settings

ExpressVPN explains that: "Windows default network settings for Windows 2 and XNUMX are not optimized for today's fast Internet traffic and VPN speeds," and enabling its Optimar setting means that your app has applied the latest configuration recommended by Microsoft. Assuming you're using Windows XNUMX, these network settings may have already been altered by other apps you've installed, so it's always worth going over them. The ExpressVPN app applies these XNUMX Windows TCP settings:

• It enables a feature called Windows Receive Windows Auto-Tuning, an intelligent technology that automatically adjusts data transfers to work better with varying network conditions.

• Disables the Windows scaling heuristics. Like autotuning, this tells Windows to look for connectivity issues and also tries to compensate for any issues it finds. This is theoretically fine, but not always and at all times it works and many network acceleration guides advise turning it off.

Are any of these going to help you? We cannot say for sure. To make it easier to find, check your broadband speeds with a place like SpeedTest.net or nPerf.com before and after any adjustments, to get a clear picture of the changes.

1. Open the Windows command prompt

The easiest way to manually apply these settings is to use the Windows command prompt. Click Start, type CMD, and command prompt should be chosen by default (if not, use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to choose it). When highlighted, click Run as administrator, and click Yes when asked if you want to let this app make changes to your device. Don't see the Run as administrator message? Right-click Command Prompt and choose the menu option, or highlight Command Prompt, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and press Enter.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2. Check your current Windows network settings

Before making any changes, it's important to check your existing settings, as you can restore them later if the settings don't work. Copy and paste the command netsh int tcp global show at the command prompt and press Enter. Search the list of factors and note the Windows auto receive levelthe. This is the second setting for our Windows XNUMX system, and it may say "Disabled," "Very Limited," "Limited," "Normal," or "Experimental." now copy and complain netsh int tcp teach heuristics on the command line and press Enter. This weather, find the heuristic value of scaling windows, see if it is on or off, and save the details.

3. Apply ExpressVPN settings

If your Windows Scaling Heuristics setting is enabled today, copy and paste the command netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled at the command prompt, then press Enter to shut it down. If the Windows Auto Receive adjustment level is set to something other than "Normal", copy and paste the command netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal in the command window, then press Enter. Was heuristics already disabled and autotuning set to normal? So you're already using ExpressVPN's recommended settings. It gives you a boost to set up your first-rate computer, but if not, you don't need to do anything. However, if you have made a change, it is essential to close all applications and restart when done. TCP changes may not be fully active until the time your system reboots.

(Image credit: nPerf)

4. Test your system's network speed

Tweaks applied, go back to the speed test sites you previously tested, run a few more checks, and look for changes. Don't be surprised if the performance is pretty much exactly the same. Although there are advantages to the configuration, they may not be immediately appreciated or may not apply in every situation. If it's a Windows laptop, for example, you might not see any change at home, but a huge speed increase on the wireless hotspot at your favorite cafe when you're on the go and especially busy. In other words: be patient. See how your system works with all the networks it accesses and its frequent tasks, before you make your final decision.

5. Undo your changes, if necessary.

If there are issues and you want Windows to be the way it was again, simply relaunch command prompt, refer to your configuration notes above and use the netsh commands you entered earlier to restore them. If your heuristic setting was enabled, for example, restore it by entering the command netsh int tcp set heuristics enabled And if your original auto tune level was off, go back with the command netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel = disabled In any case, replace the last word of the command with the original setting, as recorded in your notes. Again, reboot when you're done to make sure Windows applies the new settings properly and your system will return to its original state. Compare Today's Top 5 VPNs by Cost