Guides
Guides for downloading on a Mac
Fixes for big downloads that stop and for video that imports into your editor as sound only, plus comparisons of Mac download managers and notch apps, including ones we don’t make. Facts about other apps are dated and linked to their source.
Big downloads
- Guide How to download large files on a Mac Check space and drive format, keep the Mac awake, resume in Safari or Chrome, and verify the file with a checksum.
- Guide Downloads slow on your Mac? How to make them faster Measure your line with networkQuality, fix what’s on your side, and learn when more connections help.
- Guide Download time calculator Enter a file size and connection speed to get the download time. Mbps vs MB/s explained, with a table of common sizes.
- Guide Safari can’t resume this download: what to do Where the Resume button is, what the .download file is, and why Safari sometimes starts again from zero.
- Guide Network error when downloading: causes and fixes What each browser says, where Resume is, why the same file keeps failing, and how to finish it.
- Guide How to download a file from a URL on a Mac From the browser, with curl in Terminal (wget isn’t on a Mac), or with a download manager.
- Guide How to download multiple files at once on a Mac Download a few files from a page, or hundreds of links from a list, with the browser, Terminal or a download manager.
- Guide Chrome download failed? How to resume it on a Mac Where Resume is, what the .crdownload file does, what each “Failed” message means and why Chrome sometimes starts over.
- Guide Where are downloads on a Mac? Open the Downloads folder, change where each browser saves, and find a file that isn’t there.
- Guide wget on a Mac: install it, or use curl Fix “command not found: wget” by installing it with Homebrew, or use curl. Includes a table of equivalents.
Choosing a download manager
- Comparison The best download manager for Mac in 2026 Eight Mac download managers compared on price, browser catching, torrents and Mac support.
- Comparison IDM for Mac: what works instead Internet Download Manager is Windows-only. Your options on a Mac, side by side.
- Guide Can you install IDM on a Mac? IDM is Windows-only. Running it in Parallels or VMware Fusion (CrossOver won’t install it): what it takes, what it costs and what doesn’t work.
- Guide A download manager for Safari on Mac What Safari’s own downloads list can and can’t do, and how to hand its downloads to a download manager today.
- Comparison A Free Download Manager alternative for Mac Lynx and Free Download Manager compared, and when FDM is the better pick.
- Comparison A Folx alternative for Mac Lynx and Folx compared on connections, browsers, torrents, video and price, and when Folx is the better pick.
- Comparison A JDownloader alternative for Mac Lynx and JDownloader 2 compared: a Mac app and a Java app, browser catching, file-hosting sites and clips.
- Comparison A Motrix alternative for Mac Lynx and Motrix compared on browser catching, torrents, connections and clips, and when free, open-source Motrix is the better pick.
- Comparison An AB Download Manager alternative for Mac Lynx and AB Download Manager compared, and when the free, open-source AB DM is the better pick.
- Guide Do you need a download manager on a Mac? When Safari or Chrome is enough, when a download manager helps, what it can’t do, and a two-minute test.
- Comparison A Neat Download Manager alternative for Mac Lynx and Neat Download Manager compared on today’s Macs, browsers, proxies, video and clips, and when NDM still fits.
Video editing
- Guide Premiere Pro only imports audio: causes and fixes Why a video file imports as sound only (usually VP9 or AV1), how to check it, and free ways to convert it to H.264.
- Guide Convert WebM to MP4 on a Mac (and AV1 to H.264), free Why QuickTime won’t open WebM, VP9 or some AV1 files, and how to convert them for free, with times we measured.
The notch
- Comparison The best notch apps for Mac in 2026 NotchNook, Alcove, boring.notch, MewNotch and more: what each puts in your MacBook’s notch, and what it costs.
- Comparison A NotchNook alternative for Mac Lynx Notch and NotchNook compared: what each puts in the notch, what it costs, and where NotchNook stands in September 2026.
- Comparison A boring.notch alternative for Mac Lynx Notch and boring.notch compared: free and open source vs signed and notarized, music vs downloads.
- Comparison An Alcove alternative for Mac Lynx Notch and Alcove compared: Dynamic Island notifications for $14.99, or your downloads in the notch, free.
Using Lynx already? Setup, the extension, clips and licences are in the Help Center.
Help Center