Microsoft’s journey through the year has been anything but smooth, particularly with its Windows operating system. The company has recently concluded support for Windows 10 and introduced Windows 11 25H2, albeit with only a handful of updates. Amidst these changes, a notable issue has emerged: a feature called Delivery Optimization is reportedly consuming an excessive amount of system memory, leading to sluggish performance on some PCs.
User Niff_Naff on Reddit highlighted the problem, indicating that Delivery Optimization appears to be suffering from a memory leak. This feature operates quietly in the background, yet its memory consumption is disproportionately high compared to other functionalities, even when it is not actively needed.
Delivery Optimization is designed as a peer-to-peer (P2P) content delivery system, intended to expedite the download of Windows updates, Microsoft Store applications, and upgrades. By sharing portions of downloaded packages with other devices on the same local network or over the internet, it aims to minimize bandwidth usage and lessen the load on Microsoft’s servers. However, with the recent update (KB5072033), it seems that the AppX Deployment Service (Appxsvc) has been activated automatically at startup, further exacerbating CPU, memory, and disk usage concerns, as noted by Neowin.
Given the existing demands on system resources, users experiencing slow performance may find it beneficial to address this issue to reclaim valuable RAM. Fortunately, the solution is straightforward.
How to fix Windows 11 Delivery Optimization
If you suspect that Delivery Optimization is the reason behind your PC’s sluggishness and excessive memory usage, disabling the feature can alleviate the strain. While it is safe to turn off, keep in mind that doing so may result in slower download speeds for updates and applications. Follow these steps to disable it:
- Access Windows Update in Settings: Open the Settings app on your Windows 11 PC by pressing “Windows key + i” or searching for it in the search bar. In the left-hand sidebar, select Windows Update, then click on Advanced options under “More options.”
- Navigate to Delivery Optimization: Scroll down and select Delivery Optimization.
- Disable Delivery Optimization: To turn off the feature, simply toggle off the switch next to “Allow downloads from other devices.” You can also choose to limit downloads to your local network or include the internet, but to effectively reduce RAM usage, it is advisable to disable it entirely for now.
Windows is known for its multitude of services that can burden memory, so if you’re looking to free up additional space, consider exploring more tips on optimizing RAM usage. It is hoped that this issue remains isolated and that Microsoft addresses the Delivery Optimization concern promptly if it continues to affect users.
