How to Set a Data Usage Limit for Any Mac App

A data quota measures captured traffic for a selected app against an allowance you set. It can count downloads, uploads, or both. Other apps keep their own settings and do not count toward that app's quota unless you configure them separately.

When the allowance is reached, Throttlr can block the selected directions or apply separate post-quota download and upload speed caps. The dashboard shows remaining usage while the quota is active, and Throttlr sends a notification when the limit is reached.

A quota controls total transferred data rather than the rate at every moment. Use a regular bandwidth cap when an app should always stay below a specific speed. Use a quota when normal speed is acceptable until the app consumes a defined amount of data.

Count downloads for workloads such as software updates, media downloads, and incoming cloud files. Count uploads for backups, outgoing sync, large attachments, or other transfers that primarily use upstream capacity. Select both when the allowance should cover all captured traffic for the app.

Directional quotas are useful when an app transfers very different amounts in each direction. An upload-only backup quota leaves its downloads outside the allowance, while a download-only update quota does not count the app's smaller outgoing requests.

Make sure you select the process that owns the traffic. Some apps use helpers, updaters, file-provider extensions, or independently listed background services. Generate a recognizable transfer and follow the live rate instead of relying only on the app name.

Use a daily reset for a recurring one-day allowance, a weekly reset for workloads that should receive a fresh budget on a particular weekday, or a monthly reset for a longer usage cycle. Leave automatic resets off when you want the quota to remain reached until you reset it yourself.

The dashboard shows the next reset for a scheduled quota. Reset usage manually when you need to clear the current count before that time, such as after testing an overflow action or starting a new transfer period early.

A quota schedule resets usage. It is not a general calendar rule for turning throttling or blocking on at a particular hour, and it does not create separate allowances for individual websites, servers, or ports.

Choose blocking when the transfer must stop at the allowance. If both directions count, both are blocked when the quota is reached. If only one direction counts, the quota action applies to that selected direction.

Choose throttling when the app should keep working at a lower rate after reaching the allowance. Set separate download and upload caps for the directions included in the quota. This fits a backup or sync task that may continue slowly instead of stopping completely.

The overflow action remains relevant until usage is reset manually or by the configured schedule. Test the selected behavior with a small temporary allowance before relying on it for a long transfer.