Overview
Internet Download Manager does one job and has done it since the days when finishing a large download was genuinely uncertain. It opens several connections to the same file, pulls the pieces in parallel, and stitches them together at the end. On a connection that would otherwise sit at a fraction of its capacity, that is often the difference between a twenty minute download and a two hour one, and on a connection that drops it is the difference between resuming and starting over.
This is the full version with the licensing handled, so there is no thirty day trial, no registration dialog on the fifth launch and no nag on close. The browser integration module installs with it and picks up downloads from the usual browsers automatically, including video streams that a page would normally not let you save.
How the acceleration actually works
A normal browser download opens one connection and takes whatever throughput that single stream is given. IDM opens up to thirty two and requests a different byte range on each, then reassembles them. Servers that throttle per connection rather than per client hand over far more total bandwidth this way, which is why the speed difference is so obvious on file hosts and so modest on a server that throttles properly.
The segment count is adjustable per connection type in settings. More is not always better. On a fast fibre line and a well behaved server, eight segments will saturate the link and sixteen just adds overhead and occasionally trips a rate limiter into refusing the connection entirely.
Resume, scheduling and queues
Resume is the feature that keeps people using it. If the power goes, the router reboots or the host closes the connection, the partial file and its segment map are kept and the transfer picks up from where it stopped rather than from zero. This works on any server that supports range requests, which is nearly all of them.
Queues let you line up a large batch and cap how many run at once, and the scheduler can start a queue at a set hour, hang up afterwards, or shut the machine down when the last item finishes. For a set of large archives on a metered or slow line, that combination is the entire reason to run it.
Browser integration and video grabbing
The integration module hooks the browser download flow so that clicking a link hands the transfer over automatically. It also watches media streams and puts a small capture panel over players it recognises, which covers most embedded video that is not encrypted.
If the panel stops appearing after a browser update, the fix is nearly always to re enable the extension from the browser's own extension page rather than to reinstall the program.
What you get
- Up to 32 parallel segments per transfer with a per connection cap
- Resume after a dropped connection or a reboot
- Automatic browser download interception on the major browsers
- Video stream capture panel on supported players
- Download queues with concurrency limits
- Scheduler with start time, hang up and shutdown actions
- Speed limiter for background downloads
- Batch download from a list of addresses or a page scan
- Site login credentials stored per host for protected files
Inside the archive
- IDM 6.43 installer, 32 and 64 bit
- Browser integration module
- Language pack for the interface list shown above
- Notes on segment tuning for slow connections
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer, 32 or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any current x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Storage | 50 MB for the program, plus space for downloads |
| Browser | Chromium based or Firefox based browser for integration |
| Network | Any, benefits most on connections above 20 Mbit |
Installing it
- Close every browser window before starting.
- Run the installer as administrator.
- Allow the integration module when the browser prompts for it.
- Open the program once and set the default segment count under connection settings.
- Do not enable the built in update check. This build stays where it is.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Not needed at this size | Online |
Release history
- Integration restored for the current browser release channel
- Fixed a stall on servers that close idle segments early
- Video panel detection widened to more embedded players
- Queue scheduler no longer skips the first item after a resume
- Reduced memory use during very large single file transfers
- Segment reassembly rewritten for files above 50 GB
- Fixed the speed limiter being ignored on new queues
Questions about this release
Does the trial counter come back?
No. The licensing is handled in the build and there is no registration prompt at any point.
Why did the browser panel disappear?
A browser update usually disables unlisted extensions. Re enable it from the browser's extension page and it returns.
Should I always use 32 segments?
No. On a fast line eight is usually enough and some hosts will refuse a client that opens too many. Tune it down if transfers start failing.
Does it work with torrent links?
No. It handles direct transfers over the usual protocols. For torrents use a dedicated client.
Comments
Registration dialog is properly gone, not just delayed. Been a month.
Resume saved me after a power cut on a 40 GB file. Picked up exactly where it stopped.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Went from 3 MB a second in the browser to about 18 with eight segments. Same file, same host.