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Control Windows Download Sharing with Intune Delivery Optimization

Create a current Intune Delivery Optimization policy, choose HTTP-only or LAN peer sharing, and tune bandwidth, caching, and peer settings for your Windows environment.
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To control how Windows devices download updates and apps, create a Windows 10 and later device configuration policy in Intune and configure Delivery Optimization in the Settings Catalog. Choose HTTP Only (0) to disable peer-to-peer caching, or LAN (1) to let clients on the same network share content. Set bandwidth, cache, and peer-eligibility options to match your network rather than copying a sample profile unchanged.

What changed in Intune’s Delivery Optimization policy

Microsoft changed the Delivery Optimization profile format in April 2025. New profiles use the Settings Catalog format; existing profiles in the older format remain available, but Microsoft says administrators can no longer create new versions of that old profile. For current guidance, see Microsoft Intune’s Delivery Optimization settings documentation.

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Setting descriptions in the Intune admin center provide details about individual options. The catalog and interface can change, so confirm the setting name and its description in your tenant before configuring a policy. For the underlying policy behavior, consult Microsoft’s Delivery Optimization reference.

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Create and assign the Intune policy

  1. In the Intune admin center, create a device configuration policy for the Windows 10 and later platform.
  2. Choose the Settings Catalog profile format for a new policy.
  3. Search the catalog for Delivery Optimization settings. Add the settings you need, including download mode and any bandwidth, caching, or peer-selection controls relevant to your environment.
  4. Review each selected setting’s in-product description and configure its value. Avoid relying on an old template’s navigation or setting names where the current catalog provides updated options.
  5. Assign the policy to the intended Windows device groups, then check policy deployment and device status in Intune.

Choose whether devices can share downloads

Download Mode determines whether Windows can obtain content from peers in addition to HTTP sources. Microsoft describes LAN mode as the default operating mode; it enables sharing among clients on the same network, identified by clients that reach the internet using the same public IP. That boundary may not map neatly to every organization’s sites, subnets, or VPN design, so consider how clients appear on the network before enabling peer sharing.

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Download mode Peer sharing Sources and scope When it may fit
HTTP Only (0) Disabled Downloads use HTTP from the original source or a Microsoft Connected Cache server; devices do not use peer-to-peer caching. Use when peer sharing is not wanted or is unsuitable for the network.
LAN (1) Enabled Clients can share content with peers on the same network, based on the public IP boundary described by Microsoft. Use when same-network sharing is appropriate and the organization wants clients to reuse content.

Microsoft recommends mode 0 when peer-to-peer is not wanted and mode 1 or 2 when it is. The reference defines additional modes and their behavior; consult it before selecting a mode beyond the two choices above. Do not assume that enabling peering automatically limits peers to the boundary your organization intends.

Set bandwidth, cache, and peer rules separately

Download mode is only one part of the policy. Bandwidth limits, cache retention, the minimum file size eligible for caching, peer selection, and HTTP fallback affect different parts of the download experience. Decide on each according to topology, device resources, organization size, and the goal for peer sharing. Microsoft’s configuration guidance discusses these environment factors.

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  • Bandwidth: Delivery Optimization has controls for download and upload bandwidth. Microsoft’s older Intune reference says legacy absolute maximum download and upload bandwidth settings are deprecated in favor of foreground and background download bandwidth settings available in the Settings Catalog. Verify the current catalog labels and descriptions in your tenant before choosing values.
  • Cache size and age: Larger or longer-lived caches can give later clients more opportunity to reuse content, but consume local storage. Select limits with available disk space and expected reuse in mind.
  • Minimum file size: This determines which content is large enough to be eligible for peer caching. A higher threshold can avoid retaining smaller files; it can also exclude content that might otherwise be shared.
  • Peer selection and restrictions: Group selection, peer restrictions, VPN behavior, and fallback delays influence which clients can exchange content and when Windows turns to HTTP. Check these against how devices are grouped and connected.
  • Connected Cache: A Microsoft Connected Cache server is an HTTP source to consider alongside peers and the original content source. HTTP Only mode can still use Connected Cache.
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Use Microsoft’s example values only in their stated scenarios

Microsoft’s basic recommendations include several example values, not universal defaults for every organization. For peer groups larger than 100 devices, its guidance recommends a 1 MB minimum file size for caching and a maximum cache age of seven days (604800 seconds). Its efficiency example pairs a 500 KB/s minimum background QoS with HTTP fallback delays of 60 seconds for background downloads and 30 seconds for foreground downloads. These figures are Microsoft recommendations for the described guidance, not measured performance guarantees.

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Microsoft also publishes a separate Intune Education example for school deployments. It uses LAN mode, a 14-day maximum cache age, a 5 MB minimum file size, minimum disk and RAM thresholds for peer eligibility, and subnet-restricted peer selection. Treat this as an Education scenario, not a profile to copy unchanged elsewhere. See the Intune Education configuration example.

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Validate the policy against your network

Before broad assignment, check that the selected peer boundary matches the organization’s network design, including VPN-connected devices. Confirm that bandwidth settings reflect acceptable download and upload use, and that cache limits fit endpoint storage. If HTTP fallback is delayed, consider whether that delay is acceptable when eligible peers are unavailable or cannot supply the content. Deploy to the intended device groups and review policy status before expanding assignment.

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