Have you tried downloading something on Chrome only to realize that you need to start again from scratch? So many of us use Chrome as our go to web browser although failed downloads is a pretty common issue with Chrome.
So, why is this well-known browser crashing and failing us? Many times data can stop downloading because of network discrepancies. Issues such as fluctuations in speed even in well-developed countries (something you will easily know if you travel a lot) may be responsible. Bad network fluctuations come with download failure. And most of the times when we try to resume the download, it just won’t resume. It will simply show some error and at last, we’re forced to re-download it from the beginning.
Now, coming back to the topic, the issue with downloading errors are not only costing you extra money from bad network, but they are also a complete let down if it keeps happening again and again. But there is a definite tried and tested solution to be able to save the file without again downloading it from the beginning.
If you’re fed up of having to download files on Chrome after they fail repeatedly, ensure that your file supports pause and resume, before downloading a file. Many files these days automatically support this so you don’t need to worry about it. Also, another thing you need is Mozilla Firefox browser to use the method we’re about to explain.
If you get an error message on Chrome when you try to download apps, themes, extensions, or other files, try these fixes.
When your download crashes, Chrome leaves you with an incomplete .crdownload file or residual file. The data in that file can be used to resume the download using the Firefox browser.
When your download crashes, Chrome leaves you with an incomplete .crdownload file or residual file. The data in that file can be used to resume the download on Firefox browser.
- Let’s begin with finding the failed file.
- Downloads that fail will leave a residual file in the downloads folder (or wherever it was you were saving that file to). So, since the download has failed, locate the residual file. You can find your “failed download/ residual” file from the file directory.
- To know where the download directory is, simply click control +J and you can see the download directory.
- The file will be with an extension called “CRDOWNLOAD”, which stands for a Chrome download.
Re-open Chrome and copy the download URL, then paste it into Firefox.
- After you found the file, you can move it to another download directory (Firefox)
- First, copy the download link from the downloads page in Chrome. On Chrome, right-click it and select the ‘copy link address’ option. You can now exit Chrome if you want. Leaving it running will have make no difference.
- Now, paste the link in Firefox.
After you paste the link in Firefox, allow it to begin the download, right-click the file in the download progress window and select Pause.
- So far you found the file in the download directory and you have copy pasted the download file link to Firefox.
- Firefox will ask you to download and keep pressing download.
- Once the download has started, within a few seconds, the file will reach a few Kb then pause the file.
- Now, go to the folder where you’re downloading Firefox file.
Copy the filename (without the .part extension) and delete the file.
- Open the location where Firefox was downloading the file and find the name. It may be saved with a different name or extention than Chrome was. Ignore the extension for now and copy the name of the file. Let’s say Firefox was downloading it with the name Myfiles.part. Just copy the ‘Myfiles’.
- Now all you need to delete this file
- Deleting the file makes it become a “failed download”.
Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the Chrome .crdownload file, and rename the original .crdownload file so that it matches the .part file (including the .part extension).
- Go back to the downloads folder like you did with Chrome to find the original .crdownload file.
- all you do is you need to change it to “.part”.
- What this means is, if your Chrome failed file is “abc.crdownload” then you need to change it to “abc.part” Easy peasy!
Then, resume the download in Firefox. You’ll see the download start at the point where it had stopped in Chrome.
- Now that the hard stuff is done and over with, all you gotta now is resume the paused file from Firefox browser and delete it.
- Copy the file that you just renamed to ‘Myfiles.part’ to this location.
- All that is happening here is that your downloading shifted to Firefox and that’s all, Firefox will resume download from where Chrome left off.
At this point, you would either have to re-download the file from the beginning (a headache for people downloading large files like movies) or manage all your downloads through a download manager. Hopefully our method gives you an alternative, time-saving option.
Basically, what’s happened is when a download in Chrome fails, it doesn’t delete the file. Whatever files were downloaded is still there though in the Chrome Download format. Chrome itself cannot resume this file because its download manager doesn’t support it.
But on the other hand, Firefox can handle the failed file just fine if you can ensure that the name and extension are correct.
