IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension
Guide

How to download multiple images as a single ZIP file

Select the images in IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension and click ZIP instead of Download selected. The extension fetches each image, packs them on your computer and saves one file, named after the site and the date. Without an extension, you download the images one by one and then compress them yourself.

Updated · 4 min read

The selected files are packed into one ZIP on your computer.

Save images as a ZIP with IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension

  1. Open the page and the popup

    Go to the page with the images and click the IDM icon. The This page tab lists everything it finds.

  2. Filter and select

    Switch off the types you don't want, set the minimum size to hide icons, and click thumbnails to leave out the ones you don't need. The counter shows how many are selected.

  3. Click ZIP

    The ZIP button sits next to Download selected. A progress bar shows "Packing ZIP" with the number of files fetched so far.

  4. Keep the popup open until it's saved

    The ZIP is built inside the popup, so leave it open until you see "ZIP saved with" and the number of files. The ZIP then shows up in the Downloads tab like any other download.

Where the ZIP is saved and what it's called

The ZIP goes into the same folder as your other downloads, by default Download Manager/example.com inside Downloads. Its name comes from the ZIP file name setting, which starts as {host}-{date}: the website plus today's date, for example example.com-2026-10-20.zip.

Change it in the settings under Saving files (the gear icon in the popup). You can type any name and use {host} and {date} anywhere in it, such as photos-{date}.

How it works, and what stays private

The extension downloads each selected file from the website it lives on, using your browser's cookies for that site, so images you can see while signed in work too. It then compresses them on your computer and saves one file. The files and the ZIP are never uploaded anywhere.

Files sit side by side in the ZIP, without subfolders, named by your File names setting. If two have the same name, the second gets a number, like photo-2.jpg. With Skip duplicates in a batch on, the same image listed twice is only added once.

When some files are missing

Some servers refuse requests for their images from anywhere but their own pages. Those files are skipped and the message says so, for example "ZIP saved with 22 files · 2 failed". If none of the files can be fetched, no ZIP is saved and you see an error instead. Try Download selected for the missing ones: a normal browser download sometimes works where the ZIP request was refused.

ZIP or separate files?

  • Use a ZIP to send a set of images to someone, upload them somewhere in one go, or archive a page's images as a single file.
  • Use separate downloads for very large files such as long videos. The ZIP is built in memory and can't be paused, while separate downloads can be paused, resumed and retried in the Downloads tab.

Without an extension

Download the images first (Save image as, one by one), then compress them:

  • Windows: select the files, right-click and choose Compress to ZIP file (on older versions, Send to › Compressed (zipped) folder).
  • macOS: select the files, right-click and choose Compress.
  • Linux: most file managers have Compress in the right-click menu.

FAQ

Does the ZIP make my images smaller?

Hardly. JPG, PNG and WebP images are already compressed, so the ZIP is about the same size as the images together. The point is having one file instead of many.

Can I put PDFs and other files in the ZIP too?

Yes. Anything you select in the popup goes into the ZIP: images, documents, archives or media files. Videos that play in the page are the exception, because they are put together from many parts first; download those with Download selected.

Can I make a ZIP from a list of links?

Yes. Click the link button at the top of the popup, paste the links one per line and click Check links. Then select them and click ZIP. If all the links are on one site, the ZIP is named after it; otherwise {host} becomes links.

What happens if I close the popup while it's packing?

The ZIP is not saved. Open the popup again and click ZIP once more. Regular downloads, on the other hand, keep going after the popup closes.

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