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Troubleshooting Download Issues

Please note if you think the download speed is slow: Megabits and Megabytes are different. Internet service providers usually refer to Megabits with their speeds. Downloading files on a computer usually always use Megabytes. There are 8 Megabits in every Megabyte.

megabits vs mbs

1. Have you got enough disk space?

You would be surprised, but most people who run into errors don’t realise that their hard drive is full. Please make sure you have enough space on your computer.

2. Are you using a VPN? Disable it

VPNs can cause slow internet speeds and unstable connections, which can cause downloads to fail. Please try to disable it and try again.

3. Only download one or two files at a time

Please don’t try to download a bunch of large files at the same time. Browsers can only handle so much data. This can cause downloads to fail. This can happen either if your internet is not fast enough or your browser cannot handle downloading many large files.

Please download 1 or 2 at a time.

4. Restart the browser or try a different browser

This works mostly when using a computer. Try to restart your browser (fully close down the app and open it again).

Sometimes this is all it needs, just like computers need to be restarted sometimes. Some browsers can cause issues, especially if you have an outdated version. This can cause problems with privacy and may cause download issues.

Browsers such as Brave can cause problems by blocking downloads as a safety feature. Please ensure you have checked to see if the browser is causing the problem.

Chrome is the most used browser in the world, and it supports web applications and developers. Generally, it’s the best browser to use. It’s sometimes good to try to download in incognito mode because cookies, chrome apps or something could be causing an issue.

5. Check if you are on restricted internet (School, Uni, or Work?)

Sometimes there are firewall issues with WiFi at education facilities, workplaces or organisations. They restrict students/workers from downloading from all websites apart from their whitelist of approved sites. Those approved sites are usually a small selection of the ones you need, such as Adobe, Microsoft etc.

This is a security measure to prevent people from wreaking havoc on their servers with potential hacks or viruses from sites they shouldn’t be visiting.

Try downloading from a 4G connection from your phone network and test to see if it works, or wait to go home later that night.

6. If you’re using mobile, check the correct folders to find the files

iPhone download locations

For iPhone, when you download files, they go to the “Files” app. This is also your iCloud folder.

Learn how to locate downloaded files on iPhone.

Chrome browser

If you downloaded using Chrome, you can access your files by:

  1. Going to Chrome on your mobile
  2. Press the three dots in the bottom-right
three dots
  1. Press the “Downloads” box
downloads folder

Safari browser

If you downloaded using Safari, you can access your downloads in the “Downloads” folder in Safari.

Learn how to locate downloaded files on iPhone.

files app
saving files on iphone

Android

Learn where files are saved to.

7. Check your Internet Service Provider’s connection

Sometimes you are still connected to WiFi, but there may not be an internet connection. Check with your ISP for outages on their network.

Read this if the WiFi is connected but no internet.

8. Browser apps causing problems

Try downloading the files using Chrome Incognito mode or a different browser. If it works, you may have a bad browser app installed in your browser. Some apps can interfere with the download links and change the URL, which will cause it to break and not work.

We have special URLs to protect your files from being shared with others, so the URL will be broken if any apps interfere with it.

Incognito mode removes all apps from the browser.

9. Check your WiFi device drivers

macOS will probably be OK in this scenario, but Windows or Linux may need some attention. Check your drivers to make sure they are up to date.

10. Restart the computer

Restarting the computer is one of the most common fixes for many software issues. Things can build up in your memory cache