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How to manage Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age for Windows 10 updates?

Your Windows system receives occasional updates to make sure it has all the latest features and security enhancements. Usually, the updates are automatic and get downloaded and installed on your machine whenever they are available.

Windows updates contain large files that end up consuming a lot of your bandwidth. The Delivery Optimization feature reduces network resource usage when updating your system by allowing you to download Windows 10 and Microsoft Store updates from other computers on your network, meaning you don’t have to get updates directly from Microsoft every time.

Windows manages this via a self-organized distributed localized cache. By default, the Delivery Optimization cache uses up to 10 GB of your installation drive space (usually on the C drive) and is retained for 259,200 seconds (three days). However, you can configure this feature to work according to your preferences. In this post, we’ll show you how to change Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age for updates on your Windows 10 PC.

Of course, if your drive is running low on space, Windows will automatically clear the cache and free up space. Additionally, as you receive new updates, Windows updates the cache accordingly.

Delivery Optimization works in two main ways:

Downloading Updates and Apps from Other PCs

Typically, Windows will download updates and apps directly from Microsoft. But, it can also get  Windows updates and Microsoft Store updates from other PCs that already have them. You can choose to receive the necessary updates from PCs on your local network or PCs on your local network and on the internet.

If you select the first option, Windows will look for updates on other PCs on your local network. It will then download partial bits of the files from those computers and partial bits of the files from Microsoft. In other words, Windows does not download all the updates from one location but rather breaks them down into bits to ensure fast and reliable downloads.

If you choose the option to get updates from PCs on your local network and PCs on the Internet, Windows will use the same process as above but will also look for updates on other PCs on the Internet.

Sending Updates and Apps to Other PCs

With the Delivery Optimization feature turned on, your Windows computer sends partial bits of the updates and apps that you’ve downloaded to other PCs on your local network or the Internet depending on how you’ve configured the settings.

As noted earlier, Delivery Optimization utilizes locally cached updates. You can adjust the Max Cache Size and the Max Cache Age values to control the amount of space and retention period that Delivery Optimization will utilize. If you set the Max Cache Age value to “0”, which is “Unlimited”, you’ll prevent peers from re-downloading the content. It also means that Delivery Optimization will hold the files in the cache longer and will be freeing up space whenever it deems necessary.

How to Change Windows Update Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age in Windows 10

There are two ways to change the maximum Cache Age for Delivery Optimization in Windows 10:

  • Through the Local Group Policy Editor
  • Through the Registry Editor

To make these changes, you must be signed in as an administrator.

Method 1: Change Windows Update Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age Via the Group Policy Editor

This method is only applicable to users running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. If you are running Windows 10 Home or prefer to modify the registry, check out the next option below.

Here is how to proceed:

  1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. To do that, press the Win + R keyboard shortcut, type mscinto the “Run” text box and hit the “Enter” key.
  2. When the Group Policy Editor opens, navigate this path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Delivery Optimization.
  3. When you click on the “Delivery Optimization” folder, you’ll see a list of policies on the right sidebar. Find the “Max Cache Age (in seconds)” policy and double-click it to open its properties. This policy allows you to set the maximum retention time in seconds, which is the maximum time each file is held in the Delivery Optimization cache after being downloaded.
  4. If you’d rather leave the default value selected, click on the “Not Configured” or “Disabled” radio button. To specify your Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age, click on the “Enabled” radio button and enter a figure under “Options:” to set Max Cache Age in seconds. The default value is 259200 (three days). Enter “0” (zero) to set it to Unlimited.
  5. When finished, click on Apply > OK and close the Group Policy Editor.

Method 2: Change Windows Update Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age Via the Registry Editor

  1. Press the Win + R shortcut, type regeditinto the “Run” input field, and press “Enter”.
  2. Click on “Yes” when prompted by the UAC.
  3. In the Registry Editor window, browse to the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeliveryOptimization. If you can’t find the Delivery Optimization key, you can easily create one. To do that, right-click the Windows key (folder) and select New > Key. Label the key DeliveryOptimization.
  4. Now, right-click the DeliveryOptimization key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DOMaxCacheAge.
  5. Next, double-click on the DOMaxCacheAgeDWORD value and click on the “Decimal” radio button. The default value is 259200, but you can change it to suit your preferences. To revert to the default value, all you have to do is right-click on DOMaxCacheAge and select “Delete”.
  6. Restart your PC to apply these changes.

While updates help your Windows device’s features and apps work correctly, you should perform regular PC maintenance as it enhances your system’s performance. Auslogics BoostSpeed’s Optimize tab lets you tweak and optimize Windows settings to get the most out of your system. The tab gives you access to various options, like Disk Defragmentation, which helps improve your drives’ response time.

It also lets you choose a Windows optimization mode depending on your tasks. For example, the Economy Mode disables resource-hungry features and apps and activates power-saving mode to extend battery life. If you’re playing a PC game, consider switching to the Game Mode as it disables all features not required for gaming, dedicating all system resources to the game to enhance your gaming experience.

You can also enable memory and processor optimization, activate Auto Defrag and enable Desktop Protection to prevent File Explorer from crashing. Other useful features at your disposal include Optimize Windows Tasks, Optimize Startup Apps, and Maintain Windows Features. Auslogics BoostSpeed also gives you access to several other advanced tools that help make Windows work faster and better.

Have you enabled Delivery Optimization on your Windows 10 PC? If so, have you modified Windows Update Delivery Optimization Max Cache Age, or are you using the default value? Please share your experience with this Windows 10 feature by posting your comments below.