How to limit network bandwidth in Opera GX Gaming browser

Opera GX is a version of the Opera browser that targets gamers. It’s not going to run games but it has certain features that gaming enthusiasts might be interested in. In fact, it has features ordinary users might find useful e.g., CPU and GPU limits. The browser has just added a network bandwidth limiting feature as well. Here’s how it works.

Limit network bandwidth in Opera GX

Open Opera GX and you’ll see a bar of controls along the left. Click the icon that looks like a speed dial and a panel will open. You’ll see a ‘Network Limiter’ switch at the very top. Turn it On, and a dropdown will appear below it. Open the dropdown and it will list the various network speeds that you can limit Opera GX to.

The lowest limit is 64 Kb/s and the maximum limit is 25 Mb/s. You cannot freely choose the limit between the upper and lower limit in the dropdown. You will be selecting from preset values. The lowest limit is pretty low but the highest limit falls short of the internet speed you’d get if you have a good connection. In some countries, internet speeds are delivered in GBs so you can imagine how the 25 Mb/s limit might be small in comparison.

If you wanted to limit network speed in any other browser, even a mainstream one like Chrome or Firefox, you’d have to go through developer tools or find an add-on or extension to do that job. Limiting bandwidth might be useful for gamers but it’s just as useful for users who aren’t interested in games.

The network limit, once set, is saved between sessions. If you close the browser and open it again, the limit will still be set which is a good thing but if you suddenly find the internet is slow in the browser, check if you may have enabled a bandwidth limit for the network and then forgotten about it.

The limit will apply to all activity in the browser; any website you visit will load at the speed that you’ve allocated, and any file that you download will also be constrained by it.

The network bandwidth limits how much of your network Opera GX can use however, if other apps on your system are also downloading content, the browser might end up using significantly less bandwidth. This tool doesn’t let you set a minimum bandwidth usage limit. That simply isn’t possible. If you’re looking to distribute bandwidth on a per-app basis, you’re going to have to look for a tool that is independent of any other app and that runs on your desktop and not just in your browser.