Chrome download stuck on “Resuming” on a Mac

Why does Chrome sit on Resuming?

In Chrome’s source, a running download that has received some bytes but has no time estimate is labelled Resuming..., for example “100/120 MB • Resuming...”. Chrome has no estimate in two cases:

• The speed is zero. Nothing is arriving. The connection is gone or the server stopped sending, and Chrome hasn’t given up yet.
• The size is unknown. The server didn’t say how big the file is. Then the status can read Resuming while the download is working fine: the number of MB keeps rising.

So the first check is simple: is the number going up? If yes, wait. If no, something between you and the server stopped.

How do you check the server?

Chrome can continue a download only when the server sends part of a file on request (a range request) and Chrome can tell it’s still the same file. Check both in Terminal. Control-click the download link, choose Copy Link Address, then:

curl -sIL "paste-the-link-here"

Read the last block of headers:

• Accept-Ranges: bytes: the server can send the rest of the file.
• ETag or Last-Modified: the version stamp Chrome compares before it continues. Without one, Chrome starts over.
• Accept-Ranges: none or no such line: every interruption starts from zero, in Chrome and in any other app.
• HTTP/2 403 or 401: the link has expired or needs you signed in. Get a fresh link from the page.

Some servers answer -I (a HEAD request) differently from a real download. If the result looks odd, try curl -s -r 0-0 -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" "the-link": 206 means ranges work.

Which Mac problems cause it?

The four usual causes on a Mac are sleep, a Wi-Fi or network change, a VPN and a full disk.

• Sleep. When the Mac sleeps, the connection drops. Plug in and keep it awake for long downloads: run caffeinate -i in Terminal while it downloads, and press Control-C to stop it after.
• Wi-Fi or network change. Moving between networks, or a weak signal, cuts the connection. A downloading file sometimes stalls instead of failing.
• VPN. A VPN that reconnects gives you a new address. Some download links are tied to the address that asked for them and stop working.
• Full disk. Chrome stops with Failed - Disk full and keeps the partial file. Free up space, empty the Trash, then Resume.

Chrome itself retries some interruptions automatically, up to five times, before it shows Failed. More on each error message is in network error when downloading.

What does the .crdownload file tell you?

While a download runs, Chrome writes it into the destination folder (Downloads, unless you changed it) as the file’s name plus .crdownload. Its size in the Finder is how much you have. Resume continues that file, so don’t move or rename it. If it’s gone, there’s nothing to continue. Quitting Chrome while a download is running or paused cancels it and deletes the file, so let Chrome finish or let it fail first. The full walk-through is in how to resume a Chrome download on a Mac.

What is the difference between Resume and Retry?

Resume continues the file you have, and Retry downloads it again from the start. Open chrome://downloads (or press Command-Shift-J). The button under a stopped download tells you what Chrome can do:

Retry uses the same link. If the link has expired, Retry fails too; a fresh link from the page is the fix.

How do you clear a stuck download and start clean?

1. In chrome://downloads, click Cancel on the stuck download.
2. In the Finder, open the destination folder and delete any leftover .crdownload file with that name. It holds only that download’s unfinished part.
3. Go back to the page, click the download link again, and keep the Mac awake until it finishes.

What if Chrome can’t finish the download?

For a file that keeps stalling, use something that resumes on its own. curl -L -O -C - "the-link" in Terminal continues where it stopped each time you run it. Or hand it to a download manager.

Lynx Download Manager is the best download manager for Mac for most people, and it handles most causes of this problem by itself. Its extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Dia, Comet, Vivaldi, Opera and Chromium pairs with Lynx by itself, then large downloads you start in Chrome go to Lynx. Lynx’s own download engine starts each file on a few connections and adds more only while that makes it faster (up to 8 on Lynx Basic, 32 with Pro). It reconnects by itself after a drop, a Wi-Fi change or sleep, carries on after a restart, and waits for an unplugged disk instead of failing. Progress shows in the MacBook’s notch. Lynx Basic is free with no time limit for files and 10 videos a day. Every install starts with 2 weeks of Pro, with no card and no account. Lynx runs on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later.

No app can resume a download the server won’t send in parts. An expired link needs a fresh one from the page; in Lynx, Update Link attaches it to the stopped download and continues from the bytes already there. For choosing a tool, see a download manager for Chrome on Mac.