How to download multiple files at once on a Mac

Ten files from a page, or five hundred links from a spreadsheet: the browser handles the first, Terminal or a download manager the second.

The Lynx team Checked 4 min read

The short version

  • A few files on a page: click each link; the browser runs them side by side.
  • A list of links: one per line in links.txt, then xargs -n 1 curl -L -O -C - < links.txt
  • No Terminal: paste the whole list into a download manager.

In the browser

Safari and Chrome both run several downloads at once. Click each download link and watch them in the downloads list. Two prompts you may see:

  • Safari: “Do you want to allow downloads on …?” the first time a site downloads. Click Allow.
  • Chrome: “This site is trying to download multiple files”. Click Allow if you started them.

To pick several files in a cloud folder, select them in the site’s own list and use its Download button. Most cloud services zip them into one file.

From a list of links

Links in a spreadsheet, a document or an email: copy them so there’s one link per line. From Numbers or Excel, select the column and copy; from a document, make sure each link is on its own line. Then use Terminal or a download manager, below.

In Terminal

Save the list as links.txt in the folder you want the files in, then:

cd ~/Downloads/batch
xargs -n 1 curl -L -O -C - --retry 5 < links.txt

curl downloads them one after another, each under its own name. If the run stops, start it again: -C - skips what’s done and continues what isn’t. To run several at once, recent curl versions have --parallel: curl -L --parallel --remote-name-all $(cat links.txt).

Links that need you signed in to a site won’t work from Terminal, because the sign-in is stored in the browser.

With a download manager

A download manager queues the list, runs a few at a time, retries what fails and keeps going after the Mac sleeps. In Lynx, our download manager for Mac, paste the whole list (up to 500 links) into the paste field. It opens as one batch: pick the folder and press Download. Batches work on the free version, three downloads at a time; Pro runs up to 10 at a time and adds whole playlists. Each file is split across several connections, so big ones finish sooner.

Before a big batch

  • Space: add up the sizes if the site lists them, and leave room to spare.
  • Don’t overload the server: a few at a time is faster than fifty that get refused.
  • Keep the Mac awake: plug in, or run caffeinate -i in Terminal.
  • Only download what you’re allowed to. A site’s terms still apply in bulk.

How long will it take? Try the download time calculator. One file keeps failing? See network error when downloading.

Questions

How do I download multiple files at once on a Mac?
In a browser, start each download and they run side by side; the browser may ask to allow several downloads from one site. For a long list of links, put them in a text file and use curl in Terminal, or paste them all into a download manager, which queues them and resumes any that fail.
How do I batch download links from a list or a spreadsheet?
Copy the column of links so there’s one per line. In Terminal: save them as links.txt and run xargs -n 1 curl -L -O -C - < links.txt. In a download manager, paste the whole list at once.
Why does Chrome ask to “download multiple files”?
Chrome blocks a site from starting several downloads automatically until you allow it, so a page can’t flood your Mac with files. Click Allow if you started the downloads; you can change it later in Settings › Privacy and security › Site settings › Automatic downloads.
Can I download a list of PDF links at once?
Yes. PDFs are ordinary files. Use the curl line or a download manager with the list; neither opens them in the browser first.

Sources

Checked on October 3, 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us.

  1. curl: manual page: -O, -L, --continue-at, --parallel
  2. Google Chrome Help: Download a file
  3. Apple Support: Download items from the web using Safari on Mac

More guides

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