# Downloading files

**URL:** <https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662>\
**Category:** 🤗Hub\
**Created:** [June 9, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662 "2026-06-09T23:48:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![vindictive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ec9cab/32.png) [@vindictive](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/vindictive)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/1 "2026-06-09T23:48:03Z")

</div>

why does hf hate people downloading files, i mean that has to be the reason it is virtually impossible to completely download any file without hf cutting it off just to spite you

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lea97338](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/hellohellohello/user_avatar/discuss.huggingface.co/lea97338/32/60736_2.png) [@lea97338](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/lea97338)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/2 "2026-06-10T12:13:53Z")

</div>

It’s false it works totaly so it 's just your wifi

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bidram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Bidram](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/Bidram)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/3 "2026-06-10T12:19:35Z")

</div>

Maybe try a download manager like IDM? I’ve never had my downloads get cut off when using it. Are you downloading through your browser’s default downloader?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John6666](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/hellohellohello/user_avatar/discuss.huggingface.co/john6666/32/27664_2.png) [@John6666](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/John6666)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/4 "2026-06-11T04:41:09Z")

</div>

Hmm, without knowing exactly what you are downloading, how you are downloading it, and which browser or tool you are using, nobody can give very precise advice here…

Also, there really are occasional cases where the problem is on Hugging Face’s side, in a recent deep change in the download stack, in a temporary incident, with your ISP, or somewhere along the network path between you and HF. So the first step is to narrow down where the failure is happening. The same kind of issue may also affect other large downloads, not only HF.

Very roughly, for Hugging Face downloads, I would think about it like this:

* * *

## First, identify the download path

“Downloading from Hugging Face” can mean several different things:

| Download path | What it means | First thing to check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Browser download button | Clicking a file in the Hub web UI and letting the browser save it | Browser, OS, Wi-Fi/network, VPN/proxy, file size, where it stops |
| Browser default downloader | Chrome/Firefox/Edge/Safari’s built-in download UI | Try another browser or a download manager |
| Download manager | IDM, aria2, browser extension, etc. | Whether it actually resumes or restarts from zero |
| `hf download` CLI | Hugging Face Hub command line download | `hf --version`, `hf env`, auth, cache, timeout |
| Python `huggingface_hub` | `hf_hub_download()` or `snapshot_download()` | Python version, `huggingface_hub` version, cache path |
| `transformers` / `datasets` | Automatic downloads via `from_pretrained()` or `load_dataset()` | Exact function call and package versions |
| Git / Git LFS / Xet | Repository-style clone/pull/download behavior | Git/LFS/Xet path, file size, repo type |
| Third-party app | LM Studio, ComfyUI, Ollama-related tooling, etc. | App name/version, then compare with browser or CLI |

These paths can fail for different reasons. A browser download problem is not the same diagnostic situation as a Python cache problem, a `datasets.load_dataset()` problem, or a large-file Xet transfer problem.

The official Hub Python docs describe `hf_hub_download()` as the main function for downloading a single file and caching it locally, while `snapshot_download()` downloads an entire repository snapshot. The CLI command `hf download` uses the same underlying helpers, but gives you more visible logs than a browser download:

- [Download files from the Hub](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/guides/download)
- [Hugging Face Hub CLI guide](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/guides/cli)

* * *

## If you are using only the browser

Start with the simple checks first.

Please post:

| Detail | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| Browser and version | Browser downloaders behave differently |
| OS | Windows/macOS/Linux/Android/iOS can matter |
| Exact repo link | People need to know what file is involved |
| Exact filename | A model repo may contain many files |
| File size | 500 MB, 5 GB, 50 GB are different cases |
| Where it stops | Immediately, halfway, near the end, after sleep mode, etc. |
| Whether it restarts from zero | Important for resume diagnosis |
| Whether another browser works | Separates browser-specific behavior from network/HF behavior |
| Whether VPN/proxy is enabled | VPN/proxy/corporate/campus networks can affect large transfers |
| Whether other large downloads fail | Helps separate “HF-specific” from “general network path” |

Simple things worth trying:

1. Try another browser.
2. Try a more stable network if possible.
3. Disable VPN/proxy temporarily if you can.
4. Avoid letting the machine sleep during a large download.
5. Try a download manager if you are using the browser’s default downloader.
6. Try downloading a smaller file from the same repo.
7. Try downloading another large file from a different site.

This is not about blaming your Wi-Fi. It is just the fastest way to separate local network instability from a site-specific or transfer-stack issue.

* * *

## Why a download manager may help

The suggestion to try something like IDM is practical.

Download managers sometimes help because HTTP supports “range requests”: instead of requesting the whole file from byte 0 every time, a client can request only a byte range. If the server/path/session supports it, this can allow partial download, multi-part download, or resume behavior.

Useful references:

- [MDN: HTTP range requests](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Guides/Range_requests)
- [aria2 manual: `--continue`](https://aria2.github.io/manual/en/html/aria2c.html)

But this is not magic.

A download manager can help only if the server response, URL/session/auth state, and network path allow the tool to resume correctly. Some URLs may expire. Some authenticated or redirected downloads may not resume cleanly. Some large-file backend paths may not behave like a simple static HTTP file.

So the useful report is not just “I tried IDM.” The useful report is:

```plaintext
Browser default downloader:
  result: failed at <where>

Download manager:
  tool: <tool name and version>
  result: resumed / restarted from zero / failed at <where>
  error: <exact error if any>

```

* * *

## If you are comfortable with the command line

This is optional. If you only use the browser, say that.

If you can use the terminal, `hf download` is often a better diagnostic path than a silent browser download because it gives clearer output and uses the official Hub client path.

Install/update:

```bash
pip install -U huggingface_hub

```

Check your environment:

```bash
hf --version
hf env
hf auth whoami

```

Try a single file:

```bash
hf download <repo_id> <filename>

```

For example, if the repo is `org/model-name` and the file is `model.safetensors`:

```bash
hf download org/model-name model.safetensors

```

If the file is inside a subfolder, use the path inside the repo:

```bash
hf download <repo_id> <path/inside/repo/file>

```

You can also preview what would be downloaded:

```bash
hf download <repo_id> --dry-run

```

The CLI docs mention `--dry-run` as a way to list which files would be downloaded and their sizes before actually downloading them:

- [HF CLI: `hf download`](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/guides/cli#hf-download)

For slow connections, the CLI docs also mention increasing the download timeout:

```bash
export HF_HUB_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT=30
hf download <repo_id> <filename>

```

Reference:

- [HF CLI: download timeout](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/guides/cli#download-timeout)
- [Environment variables: `HF_HUB_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT`](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/package_reference/environment_variables#hf_hub_download_timeout)

* * *

## If the problem is with Python, Transformers, or Datasets

Please say the exact code path.

These are not the same:

```python
from huggingface_hub import hf_hub_download

```

```python
from huggingface_hub import snapshot_download

```

```python
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM
AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained(...)

```

```python
from datasets import load_dataset
load_dataset(...)

```

The `transformers` and `datasets` libraries may call `huggingface_hub` under the hood, but the visible symptom can look different from a direct `hf download` test.

Useful details to post:

```plaintext
Python version:
OS:
huggingface_hub version:
hf_xet version, if installed:
transformers version, if relevant:
datasets version, if relevant:
exact function call:
repo id:
filename or dataset config/split:
public/private/gated:
cache path:
exact error or stall point:

```

A quick version check:

```bash
python - <<'PY'
import platform
print("python:", platform.python_version())

try:
    import huggingface_hub
    print("huggingface_hub:", huggingface_hub. __version__ )
except Exception as e:
    print("huggingface_hub unavailable:", repr(e))

try:
    import hf_xet
    print("hf_xet:", getattr(hf_xet, " __version__", "unknown"))
except Exception as e:
    print("hf_xet unavailable:", repr(e))

try:
    import transformers
    print("transformers:", transformers. __version__ )
except Exception:
    pass

try:
    import datasets
    print("datasets:", datasets. __version__ )
except Exception:
    pass
PY

```

* * *

## A note about recent Hugging Face large-file downloads and Xet

For large model or dataset files, Hugging Face downloads are not always just “one simple static file over one simple HTTP connection.”

The Hub stores very large binary files differently from ordinary Git text/code files. Hugging Face’s Xet docs explain that large files are tracked through pointer files and stored remotely, while the repository itself stays small:

- [Xet: our Storage Backend](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/xet/index)

The newer Hub client stack also uses `hf_xet` for Xet-backed transfers. The Xet docs say that as of `huggingface_hub` 0.32.0, installing/updating `huggingface_hub` also installs `hf_xet`, and `transformers` / `datasets` use `huggingface_hub` underneath when their versions are in that range:

- [Using Xet Storage](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/xet/using-xet-storage)

This matters because old advice may be stale. For example, the `huggingface_hub` v1 migration docs say that `hf_transfer` support was removed, `HF_HUB_ENABLE_HF_TRANSFER` is ignored, and `HF_XET_HIGH_PERFORMANCE` is the current high-performance Xet knob:

- [Migrating to `huggingface_hub` v1.0: `hf_transfer`](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/concepts/migration#hf_transfer)

So if you see older posts saying:

```bash
HF_HUB_ENABLE_HF_TRANSFER=1 hf download ...

```

that may no longer test what you think it tests on current clients.

* * *

## Optional advanced CLI/Xet tests

Only use these if you are already using CLI/Python downloads.

These are diagnostic switches, not universal fixes.

Try the default path first:

```bash
hf download <repo_id> <filename>

```

Try Xet high-performance mode:

```bash
HF_XET_HIGH_PERFORMANCE=1 hf download <repo_id> <filename>

```

Try disabling Xet to test whether behavior changes:

```bash
HF_HUB_DISABLE_XET=1 hf download <repo_id> <filename>

```

If disabling Xet makes the same file stable, that is useful evidence. It suggests the problem may be related to the Xet path, Xet cache, client version, filesystem, route, CDN path, or local environment.

But do not assume `HF_HUB_DISABLE_XET=1` is a permanent fix. For some very large files, the non-Xet HTTP path may not be available or may be limited. There are GitHub reports where a roughly 59 GB file failed through the regular HTTP method with a message saying the file was too large and that `hf_xet` should be installed:

- [huggingface\_hub issue: HTTP download fails for files \>50GB](https://github.com/huggingface/huggingface_hub/issues/3868)

There are also reports where large downloads behaved differently depending on environment, for example Colab versus local machine:

- [huggingface\_hub issue: Large downloads via HF hub stuck](https://github.com/huggingface/huggingface_hub/issues/4085)

GitHub issues are not proof that your exact case has the same cause. They are useful examples of why “download failed” needs more detail.

* * *

## Sometimes it really can be HF or the route

It is also fair to say that the problem is not always local.

Hugging Face’s status page has recorded incidents involving stalled or hung large-file downloads. For example, one April 2026 incident affected Hub file downloads for XET-enabled repositories, especially users routed through certain US Central CDN endpoints:

- [Hugging Face status page](https://status.huggingface.co/)

That does not mean every current download failure is an HF incident. It just means the possibilities include:

- local Wi-Fi instability
- ISP routing
- VPN/proxy/corporate/campus network behavior
- regional CDN path
- browser downloader behavior
- download manager behavior
- expired/redirected/authenticated URL behavior
- Hugging Face temporary incident
- Hub client version issue
- Xet transfer path issue
- cache or filesystem issue
- third-party app behavior

The only practical way forward is to narrow it down.

* * *

## Quick decision tree

```plaintext
Download failed or restarted
├─ Are you using the browser?
│ ├─ Yes
│ │ ├─ Try another browser
│ │ ├─ Try a stable network / no VPN / no sleep mode
│ │ ├─ Try a download manager
│ │ └─ Post repo, filename, size, browser, OS, failure point
│ └─ No
│
├─ Are you using a third-party app?
│ ├─ Yes
│ │ ├─ Name the app and version
│ │ ├─ Try the same file in the browser
│ │ └─ If possible, compare with `hf download`
│ └─ No
│
├─ Are you using CLI?
│ ├─ Yes
│ │ ├─ Post `hf --version`
│ │ ├─ Post `hf env`
│ │ ├─ Post `hf auth whoami`
│ │ ├─ Try `hf download <repo_id> <filename>`
│ │ └─ If advanced, compare default / Xet high-performance / Xet disabled
│ └─ No
│
└─ Are you using Python / Transformers / Datasets?
   ├─ Post package versions
   ├─ Post exact function call
   ├─ Post cache path if known
   └─ Compare direct `hf download` if possible

```

* * *

## Minimal information that would make this diagnosable

A useful follow-up would look like this:

```plaintext
Download method:
  Browser / download manager / hf CLI / Python / transformers / datasets / third-party app

Repo:
  <repo_id>

File:
  <filename>

File size:
  <size>

OS:
  <Windows/macOS/Linux/etc.>

Browser or tool:
  <browser/tool/app name and version>

Network:
  Wi-Fi / wired / VPN / proxy / corporate / campus / cloud / home

Failure point:
  immediately / after <amount> downloaded / near the end / after retry / after sleep

Resume behavior:
  resumes / restarts from zero / unknown

Exact error:
  <copy exact error message if any>

Other tests:
  another browser:
  download manager:
  another network:
  `hf download`:

```

Without at least some of that information, people can only guess.

* * *

## Short version

The other replies are pointing at useful first checks: network stability and browser/download-manager behavior. I would start there.

But the broader point is that “Hugging Face download failed” is not one single problem. It can be browser, Wi-Fi, ISP route, CDN path, temporary HF incident, third-party app behavior, Python cache, CLI client version, Xet transfer path, auth, or file size.

So the best next step is not to assume the cause. The best next step is to identify the exact download path and give enough details for others to reproduce or narrow it down.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lea97338](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/hellohellohello/user_avatar/discuss.huggingface.co/lea97338/32/60736_2.png) [@lea97338](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/lea97338)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/5 "2026-06-11T10:49:57Z")

</div>

I use my pc with python or on the site hugging ,not my phone because it’s not fiable

Sorry i’m french so i’ve bad english

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wellvi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d2c977/32.png) [@wellvi](https://discuss.huggingface.co/u/wellvi)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/downloading-files/176662/6 "2026-10-10T13:27:42Z")

</div>

Don’t know if this is the correct place to post, but I’m having issues downloading from the PH recently.  
My download is getting capped at 300 kbps and lower when previously I had no issues. It seems that it’s been like this for at least a couple of weeks, possibly longer.  
Troubleshooting seems to indicate its an issue outside my ISP and is related to the AWS CDN in Singapore. Since it’s been a while I’m concerned that this is something that either no one is aware of, or no one is bothering to fix.

 ![slowspeed](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/hellohellohello/original/3X/4/b/4bbc4ef7519cb4e48e64f71a51af8957fb9e7ad4.jpeg)