What is a .crdownload file?
Partial Download File · Data · Google (Chrome) and Mozilla (.part in Firefox) · n/a
A .crdownload file (or .part in Firefox) is a download that has not finished yet. The browser writes the incoming data to it and renames it to the real file once the download completes, so it is not meant to be opened on its own.
What is a .crdownload file used for?
While a browser downloads a file, it saves the incoming bytes to a temporary name ending in .crdownload (Chrome and Edge) or .part (Firefox). When the download finishes, the browser renames it to the real filename and extension.
So a leftover .crdownload almost always means the download stopped partway, often because it was paused, the connection dropped, or the browser was closed.
The fix is not to open the partial file but to complete the download: resume it from the browser's downloads list, or start it again from the original page. A partial file is missing data and will not open correctly.
The partial data is inert and harmless, but it is unusable until the download is whole.
What opens a .crdownload file?
The .crdownload format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Resume or restart the download in your browser
macOS
- Resume or restart the download in your browser
Linux
- Resume or restart the download in your browser
Web
- The browser completes it into the real file
Open a .crdownload file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .crdownload. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Resume or restart the download in your browser.
- On Mac, use Resume or restart the download in your browser.
- On Linux, try Resume or restart the download in your browser.
- Still stuck? Convert the .crdownload to Finish the download to get the real file, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .crdownload file?
Almost always because no installed app understands CRDOWNLOAD. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .crdownload at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .crdownload file
You can convert a .crdownload file to Finish the download to get the real file using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
CRDOWNLOAD has no fixed magic number, so there is no signature table on this page. Its bytes alone do not prove the format: identification relies on the extension, the structure of the content and the program that created it. The magic-numbers reference lists the formats that do carry one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .crdownload file?
A .crdownload file (or .part in Firefox) is a download that has not finished yet. The browser writes the incoming data to it and renames it to the real file once the download completes, so it is not meant to be opened on its own.
How do I open a .crdownload file?
You do not open it directly. It is an unfinished download, so let the download complete (resume it from your browser's downloads list) and the browser turns it into the real file automatically.
Why do I have a .crdownload or .part file?
It means a download did not finish, usually because it was paused, interrupted, or the browser closed. Resume or restart the download to replace it with the complete file.