Chrome wont download files properly anymore

Chrome has a built-in setting that forcibly downloads PDFs instead of opening them. While this setting is usually disabled by default, you may have accidentally turned it on, or perhaps a third-party add-on modified it instead.

To check if this is the case, you need to dive into the Chrome Advanced Settings panel. Rarely, you may find certain PDFs downloading automatically even if Chrome is configured otherwise. The reason lies when such PDFs are actually instructed from the server-side to download to your hard drive rather than open in-browser.

There was an add-on in the Chrome Web Store that supposedly stopped these PDFs from downloading forcibly, but it no longer works. Barring a poor internet connection , this usually occurs due to conflicting third-party extensions or malicious browser-targeted code on your PC. So, let's see how you can get Chrome back to normal. To determine if this the cause of the issue, try working in Incognito mode. Doing this launches Chrome with all extensions disabled. To do that, point to More Tools on the Chrome menu, and then click Extensions.

Once you comes across the problematic plugin, consider removing it or keeping it disabled when using Chrome in normal mode. Forum chatter indicates Chrome's hardware acceleration functionality as a likely reason for failed downloads.

To check if this is the case, open the Chrome Settings, expand Advanced, click System, turn off the switch next to 'Use hardware acceleration when available,' and then click Relaunch. Suppose Google Docs begins downloading documents normally afterward. In that case, you must look into updating Chrome as a means to resolve any known issues since keeping hardware acceleration disabled can adversely impact browser performance.

Google Docs works best in Chrome. But if you still have issues when downloading documents, try using an alternative web browser such as Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

In case that fixes things, you may want to reset Chrome —reverting improperly configured browser settings to their defaults could likely resolve download issues with Google Docs for good. Download failures in Google Docs are relatively easy to fix for the most part. Make sure to commit common fixes to memory such as clearing the Google Docs cache, using Incognito mode, checking Automatic Downloads permissions, etc. Next up: Still getting into grips with Google Docs?

Try these awesome tips and tricks to use it like a pro. Voice Typing on Google Docs is smooth, fun, and intuitive. Is your Google Sheets document stuck on Chrome with a 'Still loading NOTE: Make sure that your internet connection is strong enough for downloading the file that you want.

Slow download speeds can prevent you from downloading most files. Although the download might start, it will be too slow and might even stop suddenly. There are several methods you can try that are highly likely to solve this issue. All of them are straightforward and easy to do. The first method requires you to restart your Chromebook device.

The Chromebook download error mostly occurs when your Chromebook is being used for a longer period of time without shutting down. While you are using your Chromebook device to browse the Internet, it stores temporary files as cache memory.

Sometimes, this cache memory can interfere with some of the processes. Under "Reset and clean up", click "Restore settings to their original defaults" and then click "Reset Settings" to confirm.

Attention, resetting Chrome will reset the browser startup page, new tab page, pinned tabs, and more. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies.

However, other files like your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords will not be saved still. If you want to retrieve cookies but have no backup available, learn how to recover cache files in Google Chrome here. To uninstall Google Chrome completely, first, you need to uninstall Google Chrome under Settings, then go to the registry to delete all Google folders. Now you have successfully and completely uninstalled Google Chrome from your computer.

Go to Microsoft Store to reinstall Google and see whether the "Chrome not downloading files" still exists. Disable all extensions that work as download managers since they may interfere with file downloading of Chrome. Toggle the button to disable downloading-related extensions. The extension shown in the image below is irrelevant to download managers. But you can apply the very same way to disable the extension you need to turn off.

He mainly writes articles about data recovery tutorials on PC and Mac and how-to tips for partition management. He always keeps an eye on new releases and likes various electronic products. Author Jean has been writing tech articles since she was graduated from university. She has been part of the EaseUS team for over 5 years.