Safari Downloads Not Working? 10 Troubleshooting Tips and Fixes to Try

It's not ever easy to download files successful Safari connected a Mac. Sometimes, files look to vanish aft you download them, while different times, they don't download astatine all. Confusingly, this tin hap for a assortment of reasons. However, nan fixes are each easy enough.

In immoderate cases, nan solution to Safari's downloading issues involves checking your Downloads folder. In different cases, it involves disabling immoderate plugins that mightiness origin you problems. These are each elemental actions, truthful it shouldn't return you agelong to get downloading again. We'll locomotion you done everything you tin effort to hole erstwhile Safari won't download anything.

1. Check Your Default Downloads Folder

Safari sends each record you download to a files connected your Mac. Unsurprisingly, it uses Downloads arsenic nan default location. However, you tin alteration this, possibly without moreover realizing it.

You should frankincense cheque wherever Safari sends your downloads and alteration it accordingly if desired. To do this:

1. Click Safari successful nan paper barroom and take Settings.
2. Select nan General tab.
3. Expand nan File download location dropdown box.
4. Select Other, past erstwhile your Mac displays your section folders, prime Downloads from nan near sidebar (or immoderate files you'd for illustration to use) and click nan Select button.

You tin group nan default download location to a files different than Downloads, of course. But make judge you retrieve what this replacement files is. Otherwise, you could suffer clip searching for files that aren't successful an evident folder. If you'd for illustration Safari to inquire wherever your download should beryllium stored each time, prime Ask for each download.

2. Check nan "Open Safe Files" Box

Sometimes, it mightiness look for illustration Safari downloads aren't moving usually because of nan Open "safe" files aft downloading option, which you'll find successful Safari's General Preferences pane.

This action is turned connected by default. It instructs Safari to automatically unfastened each "safe" files erstwhile they've vanished downloading. By turning it off, you mightiness mistakenly deliberation that Safari has stopped downloading decently since it stops automatically opening your files.

However, you tin easy move it backmost on. You simply person to do nan following:

1. Go to Safari > Settings from nan paper bar.
2. Make judge you're connected nan General tab.
3. Check nan mini container adjacent to Open "safe" files aft downloading.

Safari will now unfastened each "safe" files for you aft it downloads them. And successful lawsuit you were wondering, Apple defines definite record types, specified arsenic pictures and PDFs, arsenic "safe."

3. Check Your Wi-Fi Network

It's worthy base successful mind that if you can't download successful Safari, it mightiness not beryllium Safari that's nan problem. In fact, it could beryllium that your Wi-Fi relationship is excessively slow aliases isn't moving normally. In that case, location are immoderate steps you tin take.

First, make judge you're really connected to a Wi-Fi web and that your Mac is adjacent to nan router. You'll typically suffer from slow downloads erstwhile you're farther distant from nan router, truthful moving person tin lick immoderate problems.

Also, you tin often speed up your Wi-Fi connection by changing your router's channel. You tin do this by typing your router's IP reside into Safari's reside barroom and hitting Return. You'll past travel to your router's settings page, which is wherever you tin alteration nan transmission it uses.

One different instrumentality you tin effort is checking whether different instrumentality is eating up your Wi-Fi's bandwidth. This tin slow down nan velocity of downloads, peculiarly if tons of devices are doing intensive activity astatine nan aforesaid time. Try pausing video streaming, online gaming, and akin activities if you can.

Similarly, if you're downloading a ample file, you mightiness simply person to hold for it to decorativeness downloading.

4. Change DNS Servers

Using a celebrated DNS (Domain Name System) server tin amended Safari's likelihood of locating a file's download servers. Let's effort ditching your ISP's DNS servers successful favour of Google DNS. Here's how:

1. Click nan Wi-Fi position icon connected nan macOS paper barroom and prime Wi-Fi Settings.
2. Make judge that Wi-Fi is selected successful nan sidebar. Then, click Details, located connected nan right-hand broadside of nan sanction of your presently connected network.
3. Select DNS connected nan near sidebar. Then, delete immoderate existing entries and insert nan following:
   • 8.8.8.8
   • 8.8.4.4
4. Click OK to prevention your changes. Your Mac whitethorn punctual you to verify your personality first successful bid to save.

Save your changes and effort downloading nan record again. For nan champion results, flush your Mac's DNS cache earlier you do that.

5. Check for Paused Downloads

Starting a download and closing your Mac while it's still successful advancement tin region it. This could beryllium an evident logic why you can't find nan download successful your Downloads folder: it hasn't really vanished downloading.

In specified cases, you person to restart nan download. You tin do this by clicking nan Show Downloads fastener astatine nan apical of Safari's window, which looks for illustration an arrow pointing down. Then, deed nan Resume button, which resembles nan information refresh arrow successful astir web browsers.

6. Try Downloading Again

Sometimes, files get corrupted aliases damaged erstwhile you download them. This tin extremity nan download from finishing, aliases it tin extremity you from opening a record erstwhile it's downloaded.

Either way, you tin effort simply downloading nan record again. This is simply a basal step, but it tin activity wonders.

7. Clear nan Safari Cache

An outdated browser cache tin wreak havoc and origin each sorts of issues and mightiness consequence successful Safari not downloading files connected your Mac. Here's really you tin clear your browser's cache:

1. Go to Safari > Settings from nan paper bar.
2. Head to nan Advanced tab.
3. Check nan container adjacent to Show Develop paper successful paper bar.
4. Select Develop connected nan paper bar.
5. Click Empty Caches.

Now, re-attempt nan download to spot if deleting nan cache made a difference

8. Check Your Mac's Security & Privacy Settings

Sometimes, Safari download problems hap because your Mac doesn't fto you unfastened apps from unidentified developers. You'll find this mounting successful nan Privacy & Security conception of System Settings, which restricts you from opening apps downloaded from nan App Store by default.

Fortunately, you tin unfastened apps from unidentified developers, assuming you spot them. This is what you should do:

1. Launch Finder.
2. Type nan sanction of nan app you want to unfastened into Finder's hunt bar.
3. Click This Mac to hunt your full system.
4. Control-click nan app successful mobility and click Open.

You tin besides alteration your settings to fto you ever unfastened apps downloaded from extracurricular nan App Store. This involves doing nan following:

1. Launch System Settings and caput to Privacy & Security from nan sidebar.
2. Scroll down nan page to nan Security section.
3. Under Allow apps downloaded from, click App Store and identified developers.
4. Enter your administrator password aliases usage Touch ID to authorize changes.

Note that this action only permits apps from known developers, truthful if you download an app from an unidentified developer, you'll person to spell done nan process above. When your Mac blocks an unidentified app, you'll besides spot a punctual to unfastened it successful nan Privacy & Security pane here.

9. Disable Safari Extensions and Plugins

Extensions and plugins tin sometimes interfere pinch really web browsers operate. This includes downloading, truthful if you're having download problems connected Safari, you should effort disabling immoderate precocious installed add-ons aliases plugins successful your browser.

This is what you should do:

1. Click Safari > Settings successful nan paper bar.
2. Select nan Extensions tab.
3. Uncheck nan extensions aliases plugins you want to disable.

Once you've abnormal immoderate fishy extensions aliases plugins, you should effort completing your download again. If it works, you cognize that nan abnormal add-on was astir apt nan origin of nan problem. You should support it abnormal whenever downloading.

But if you request it for different tasks, retrieve to alteration it erstwhile you do them.

10. Ensure You Have Adequate Storage Space

It mightiness sound obvious, but you can't download a record that's larger than your Mac's disposable retention space. If you're trying to download a larger file, you will spot a informing that Safari cannot download nan record because nan thrust doesn't person capable free space. You tin cheque really overmuch free retention abstraction is connected your Mac by pursuing these steps:

1. Click nan Apple menu successful nan top-left area of your screen.
2. Choose About This Mac, past click More Info from nan pop-up. This will return you to nan About page successful nan System Settings app.
3. Finally, scroll down to nan Storage section. You will spot your full disk abstraction and nan magnitude of free abstraction remaining.
4. Optionally, click Storage Settings to spot really your abstraction is being utilized.

If you person little space, location are various ways to free up abstraction connected your Mac.

Enjoy an Easier Time Downloading Files successful Safari

Apple offers Safari arsenic a simple, built-in web browser that consumes little of your Mac's artillery powerfulness compared to celebrated options specified arsenic Chrome and Firefox. As nan supra tips and fixes show, sometimes it tin tally into issues, but thankfully, location are galore ways to lick your Safari download problems.