How to pause, resume and retry downloads in Chrome

With IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension

1. Open the Downloads tab

   Click the IDM icon and switch to Downloads. The small number on the icon tells you how many downloads are still running.

2. Find the download

   The list shows every download in this browser, not only the ones the extension started. Use All, Active, Completed and Failed, or search by name or address.

3. Pause it

   Click Pause next to a running download. It keeps its place in the list with the percentage it reached.

4. Resume it

   Click Resume when you're ready. If the server supports it, the download continues where it stopped instead of starting over.

5. Retry failed or cancelled downloads

   Click Retry. It resumes the download when that's possible, and otherwise starts it again from the same address.

The same list lets you cancel a download, show a finished file in its folder, remove an entry from the list or delete the file from your computer (it asks first). Clear finished tidies up the whole list in one go.

Download many files without slowing down

When you download a whole page, starting everything at once can make each file slow. In the settings under Saving files, Downloads at once sets how many files of a bulk download run at the same time: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or No limit.

The other files wait in a queue in the Downloads tab, below the running downloads. You can move a file up or down, remove it or clear the queue. The queue keeps going after you close the popup, and pausing a download lets the next file start. With a limit set, Queue order can start the smallest files first.

Without an extension: Chrome's downloads page

1. Open the downloads page with Ctrl + J on Windows and Linux, Cmd + Shift + J on a Mac, or type chrome://downloads in the address bar.
2. Under a running download, click Pause. The button changes to Resume.
3. Click Resume to carry on.
4. For a failed download, click Retry.

This is all built in and works well. Microsoft Edge has the same page at edge://downloads. An extension mainly adds convenience: the controls in a popup on any page, live speed and time left, filters and search, and a count on the toolbar.

Why some downloads can't be resumed

Resuming means asking the server for "the rest of the file from byte X". Not every server allows that:

• Some servers only send whole files. Then a resume starts from the beginning.
• Many download links expire after a while, especially on cloud storage and stores. After a long pause the old address no longer works, so get a fresh link from the website.
• Files you can only get while signed in fail if you've signed out in the meantime.
• If the file changed on the server, the download has to start again.

Tips

• Pause big downloads before a video call or while you're on a slow connection, and resume them later.
• The extension doesn't make downloads faster. It uses the browser's own downloader, so speed depends on the server and your connection.
• The Downloads tab also has a button that opens Chrome's own downloads page.
• To keep the list in view while you browse, click Open in side panel at the top of the popup. The same Downloads list then stays open next to the page.
• Videos that play in the page are saved in parts and joined into one file, so their row shows its own progress. They can be cancelled, but not paused.
• The line at the bottom of the Downloads tab counts the files and data you've downloaded with the extension. Cancelled and failed downloads aren't counted, and a ZIP counts the files inside it. The count is kept only in your browser.

FAQ