I'm a cinematographer, so I regularly upload and download large files, and I'm familiar with the usual speeds on my PC. Since about a week ago, browser-based transfers have become extremely slow: a 10 GB upload took around 24 hours, while downloads fluctuate between roughly 20 and 150 KB/s. Browser speed tests report about 3.5 MB/s download and 5.9 MB/s upload, which doesn't match real-world transfers.
The problem appears limited to browsers. Steam and the Riot client download at normal speeds, online gaming works fine, and file transfers between drives are normal. Other devices on the same network also work normally. The issue remains over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and a separate Wi-Fi connection. Some sites, such as Gmail and Google Docs, are slow, while others load normally. I'm running Windows 11 on a PC with an Nvidia graphics chip.
I've already tried multiple browsers, restarting the PC and router, switching networks and Ethernet ports, changing DNS servers, scanning for malware, disabling VPNs and browser extensions, updating drivers and Windows, resetting network settings, running Winsock/IP resets, changing Ethernet duplex settings, disabling large send offload, and limiting background downloads.
I also noticed that one inexpensive HDD occasionally makes a clicking sound, although I'm not sure whether that is related. What could cause browsers to be slow when other applications and devices have normal internet speeds?
3 Answers
The occasional clicking HDD is worth monitoring and backing up immediately, but it probably isn’t connected if Windows and your browsers are running from another drive. Record the sound or run the drive manufacturer’s health check; repeated clicking can indicate a failing disk.
Since other devices, game clients, and different network connections work normally, this points to something affecting browser traffic on the PC rather than your internet service or router. Checking the complete hardware and network adapter details would still be useful, but the browser-specific pattern is the important clue.
The issue was eventually fixed through the Ethernet adapter’s advanced properties. There was a setting related to third-party software or filtering that affected browser traffic. Disabling extensions inside the browser wasn’t enough because the problematic component was operating at the network-adapter level. After disabling it, upload and download speeds returned to normal.
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