Windows 11's Delivery Optimization service (DoSvc) has emerged as a significant culprit behind persistent memory growth and RAM consumption issues affecting systems running versions 24H2 and 25H2. This built-in peer-to-peer update distribution mechanism, designed to accelerate Windows Update and Microsoft Store downloads by sharing content between PCs on local networks and the internet, is exhibiting problematic behavior that resembles a memory leak—steadily consuming system resources without proper release. The issue manifests as the DoSvc.exe process gradually increasing its memory footprint over time, particularly on systems left running for extended periods, eventually impacting overall system performance, responsiveness, and multitasking capability.

Understanding Delivery Optimization's Role in Windows 11

Delivery Optimization is a background service integrated into Windows 10 and 11 that functions as a distributed content delivery network. When enabled, it allows your PC to download Windows updates, app updates from the Microsoft Store, and certain other Microsoft products from other PCs on your local network or the internet, while also sharing files you've already downloaded with other PCs. Microsoft introduced this feature to reduce bandwidth consumption on networks and speed up update installations, particularly in enterprise environments or regions with limited internet connectivity.

According to Microsoft's official documentation, Delivery Optimization operates through several modes:

  • Local Network Only: Shares updates only with PCs on the same local network
  • Internet Peering: Shares updates with PCs on both local networks and the internet
  • Simple Download Mode: Downloads directly from Microsoft without peer sharing
  • Group Policy Managed: Configured through organizational policies in enterprise environments
The service runs under the DoSvc (Delivery Optimization Service) process and is managed through Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Delivery Optimization. While designed to be resource-efficient, recent Windows 11 versions have exposed vulnerabilities in its memory management.

The Memory Growth Phenomenon in 24H2 and 25H2

Users across multiple forums and technical communities have reported observing the DoSvc.exe process gradually consuming increasing amounts of RAM over time. Unlike typical memory leaks that might cause immediate crashes, this issue develops slowly—starting with modest memory usage that grows steadily over days or weeks of system uptime. Some users report the process consuming anywhere from 300MB to over 2GB of RAM, with the most severe cases affecting systems with limited memory resources.

Search results from recent technical discussions indicate the problem appears particularly pronounced in Windows 11 versions 24H2 and the early builds of 25H2. The memory growth doesn't follow a consistent pattern across all systems, suggesting potential interactions with specific hardware configurations, network environments, or concurrent software. What makes this issue particularly frustrating for users is that restarting the service or the computer provides only temporary relief—the memory consumption begins climbing again once the system resumes normal operation.

Technical Analysis of the Memory Management Issue

Based on technical analysis from Windows performance experts, the memory growth appears related to how Delivery Optimization handles caching and tracking of distributed content. The service maintains databases of downloaded content, peer connections, and transfer statistics, and in recent Windows 11 versions, these data structures aren't being properly cleaned up or released when no longer needed.

Several factors may be contributing to the problem:

Cache Management Inefficiencies: Delivery Optimization maintains a cache of downloaded updates to share with other PCs. In 24H2 and 25H2, this cache appears to grow without proper pruning mechanisms, particularly when multiple large updates are distributed.

Connection Pooling Issues: The service establishes and maintains connections with peer PCs for content sharing. Memory associated with these connections may not be released when peers disconnect or when transfers complete.

Metadata Accumulation: Detailed logs and metadata about downloads, uploads, and peer interactions accumulate over time without adequate cleanup routines.

Resource Leak in Background Tasks: Background maintenance tasks that should free memory may be failing or not triggering properly under certain conditions.

Microsoft has acknowledged similar memory management issues with other Windows components in the past, but the Delivery Optimization problem appears specific to the architectural changes introduced in recent Windows 11 versions.

Impact on System Performance and User Experience

The gradual memory consumption by DoSvc.exe creates several tangible problems for users:

Reduced Available RAM: As DoSvc consumes more memory, less remains available for applications, browser tabs, and system processes, potentially forcing increased paging to disk which slows overall performance.

System Responsiveness Degradation: Users report slower application launches, increased loading times, and general system sluggishness as memory pressure increases.

Multitasking Limitations: Memory-intensive applications like video editors, virtual machines, or complex development environments may experience performance issues or fail to launch when system memory becomes constrained.

Increased Disk Activity: When physical memory becomes scarce, Windows increases paging activity, leading to more disk I/O and potentially shortening SSD lifespan in extreme cases.

Battery Life Impact: On laptops and tablets, increased memory pressure and disk activity can reduce battery life between charges.

Temporary Workarounds and Mitigation Strategies

While awaiting an official fix from Microsoft, users have developed several workarounds to manage the memory growth issue:

Restart the Delivery Optimization Service:

  1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
  2. Navigate to the Services tab
  3. Find \