There are times when it is necessary download more than one file from a website, a web page or a list of link (hyperlinks) or URL. Usually what you do when you have a list of links is to download each link of each file separately, one by one, by clicking on it and selecting the option to save the file. This is definitely a long process that requires time and a lot of patience. Furthermore, in this way it is also easy to skip links and therefore lose files.
In this post we will show you how to download all files from a web page or from one list of URLsavoiding wasting a lot of time!
Why do I need to download multiple files?
There are different scenarios like downloading e-books or study materials or audiobooks or images. If your college offers you files to download or personal files on a website that you need to download, you can use them. Sometimes we find txt files or excel / csv files containing dozens or hundreds of links to photos, PDF files, or other types of files that we necessarily need to download locally to our computer.
But how can you download all these files if there are so many of them?
How to download all files from a web page or site
To download all files present in a certain web page (or directory), the best solution is to use the extension All links Downloader. It is an extension that is installed on Google Chrome and then allows you to automatically download all files from a certain web page. Click the link below to access our article on using this powerful extension!
How to download all files and links from a web page (automatically)
How to download all files from a list of URLs
If you have a list of URLs (for example in a text file or in Excel), here are some of the best tools you can use to download all the files from a list of links, quickly and with a simple click
- FileList Downloader
- Internet Download Manager
- JDownloader
- Browser Extensions (Chrome/Edge/Firefox)
1) FileList Downloader
FileList Downloader, as the name itself suggests, is a small program capable of downloading all the files in a list. Using the software is really trivial because all you have to do is import the txt file containing the list of URLs and then click on the button DOWNLOAD to start downloading files (photos, images, pdf files, archives, etc.)
You can download the version FREE of the program from the following link:
The program works on all Windows systems. Unfortunately it is not compatible with Mac systems.
After installing and launching the program you will see the following main screen
The steps to follow to download the files from the list are as follows:
- Click on the button READ FILE (.txt, .xls) to load the txt or Excel file containing the list of file URLs (photos, images, pdf files, etc.). Alternatively you can click on ADD LIST to copy and paste the list of URLs directly into the software
- Click on Set Output Directory to choose the folder in which to save all downloaded files. Or leave the default folder set (DWL folder that will be created on your PC desktop).
- Click on the button DOWNLOAD to the right of the program to begin downloading ALL files automatically
During the download you will see a green writing Completed! corresponding to the downloaded files. You will also be able to see the size of the downloaded file and the name of the resulting file.
If you have a list with more than 10 URLs / files to download, a screen will open inviting you to purchase the PRO version (for only €19) to be able to download unlimited files. Access the menu HELP –> PRO VERSION to access the purchase page.
At the top left of the program there are also options that you can modify according to your needs. By selecting the option “Handle Character References” you can, for example, check the ASCII encoding so that the link can be viewed and downloaded correctly.
The other available options allow you to manage any text present in brackets in the link, or remove empty spaces in the link itself.
In the latest version of the program (version 3.0) the following interesting features have been added:
1. Possibility to import links from excel files (and not just txt)
2. Possibility to paste links directly into the software by clicking on ADD LIST
3. Possibility to recover all links by inserting a web page (useful if you want download all the files present on a specific web page). For example, if you want to download all the midi-karaoke files on this page http://www.vittoriain.it/basi_karaoke.htm (there are over 9000 files ready to download), just open the program, click on RETRIEVE FROM WEB PAGE, enter the URL of the page and press LOAD
Once all the links are shown, press on ADD and those links will appear on the program screen (as seen in the following figure). Finally press on DOWNLOAD ALL FILES and the software will automatically download all the files to your PC (in the folder set as Output).
2) Internet Download Manager
Internet Download Manager is another program that can download files from a list of URLs. You can select multiple URLs in a document and then use the right-click context menu to append the files. Once the files are queued, the download can begin immediately or schedule them for a later time.
- Open IDM; now click on the URL option in the top navigation menu. The URL menu opens.
- Click and open the Drop Target window.
- Click and drag the URL you want to download into the Drop Target window and drop it there. The IDM download dialog will open.
- Click the button Browse to select the folder where you saved the downloaded file. Navigate to the folder and click OK.
- To download, press the button Start downloador to download later, press Download later.
3) JDownloader
It is another Java based download manager. It is a cross-platform program and is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Using this program, you can download all files in one folder very easily. It cannot occur in subfolders. While JDownloader is running, you need to copy a URL to the clipboard. It will add a new or set of packages to the Link Grabber with all files. You can filter file types with checkboxes or remove them manually. JDownloader installer version contains adware (advertising)
>> Download from the official website
4) Use of browser plugins
The most popular browser extensions used for downloading files are DownThemAll! And FlashGot for Firefox. After changing the WebExtensions system in Firefox 57, they don't work. However, some extensions are available for both Firefox and Chrome that can successfully download files from a website or FTP folder. Here are a couple of popular browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
Download Master
Download Master is one of the most popular browser extensions of its kind for Chrome and Edge. It's a little easier to use and there are no separate settings or options windows like the one you see in the main window.
After clicking the icon to open the download window, you need to check the file extension filter boxes, apply a custom filter, or add files manually. Then click to download. Since all selected filters are on the same window panel, it helps Download Master a little faster when selecting multiple files or all files at once.
Chrono Download Manager
Chrono Download Manager is another Chrome extension that downloads a list of files to a folder quite quickly. There are few advanced options available, but it's relatively fast download all files in a folder. Click the Chrono Download Manager toolbar icon and switch to sniffer mode by clicking the icon at the top right of the window.
Now, go through the tabs while selecting all the files with the checkbox on top, check the files individually one by one or you can use the file type filter boxes. Click Download everything! and the files will be added to the queue and downloaded.
Simple Mass Downloader
Since the classic old extensions no longer work, Simple Mass Downloader is a good option for Firefox. It contains some useful features such as:
- You can add downloads from multiple tabs at once
- Add Hot Folders to directly download files of certain types.
You have to press the icon Upload link to get started. At the top, there is a checkbox that will select all files at once. The extensions or text filter boxes at the bottom will filter the list based on the characters you enter. The selected files are added to a queue or downloaded directly with the icon shown at the bottom right.
DownloadStar
It is somewhat similar to the options we mentioned above. But to make the files visible, you have to press the icon Show media files from the links at the bottom left, otherwise only the images are displayed. There is no Select all files option in the filter checkboxes, but enter an asterisk
in the Quick Filter box will do it quickly. The icon to download files is there with the number of files downloaded in brackets. >>
Downloads for Firefox
This way, you can download multiple files from any URL. Just select all the files from the web page and then download them all at once by clicking one button. Users who want to download one or more files from a website to local folders can use the above methods for downloading. Upload a URL list
and press the start icon to start the download. There are many bonus features for downloading links within a web page. Using them, you can instantly download a list of web files. It will save you hours of having to download them individually using a web browser manually.
