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/Web Extensions

downloads

Enables extensions to interact with the browser's download manager. You can use this API module to download files, cancel, pause, resume downloads, and show downloaded files in the file manager.

To use this API you need to have the "downloads" API permission specified in your manifest.json file.

Types

downloads.FilenameConflictAction
Defines options for what to do if the name of a downloaded file conflicts with an existing file.
downloads.InterruptReason
Defines a set of possible reasons why a download was interrupted.
downloads.DangerType
Defines a set of common warnings of possible dangers associated with downloadable files.
downloads.State
Defines different states that a current download can be in.
downloads.DownloadItem
Represents a downloaded file.
downloads.StringDelta
Represents the difference between two strings.
downloads.DoubleDelta
Represents the difference between two doubles.
downloads.BooleanDelta
Represents the difference between two booleans.
downloads.DownloadTime
Represents the time a download took to complete.
downloads.DownloadQuery
Defines a set of parameters that can be used to search the downloads manager for a specific set of downloads.

Functions

downloads.download()
Downloads a file, given its URL and other optional preferences.
downloads.search()
Queries the DownloadItems available in the browser's downloads manager, and returns those that match the specified search criteria.
downloads.pause()
Pauses a download.
downloads.resume()
Resumes a paused download.
downloads.cancel()
Cancels a download.
downloads.getFileIcon()
Retrieves an icon for the specified download.
downloads.open()
Opens the downloaded file with its associated application.
downloads.show()
Opens the platform's file manager application to show the downloaded file in its containing folder.
downloads.showDefaultFolder()
Opens the platform's file manager application to show the default downloads folder.
downloads.erase()
Erases matching DownloadItems from the browser's download history, without deleting the downloaded files from disk.
downloads.removeFile()
Removes a downloaded file from disk, but not from the browser's download history.
downloads.acceptDanger()
Prompts the user to accept or cancel a dangerous download.
downloads.drag()
Initiates dragging the downloaded file to another application.
downloads.setShelfEnabled()
Enables or disables the gray shelf at the bottom of every window associated with the current browser profile. The shelf will be disabled as long as at least one extension has disabled it.

Events

downloads.onCreated
Fires with the DownloadItem object when a download begins.
downloads.onErased
Fires with the downloadId when a download is erased from history.
downloads.onChanged
When any of a DownloadItem's properties except bytesReceived changes, this event fires with the downloadId and an object containing the properties that changed.

Browser compatibility

Desktop Mobile
Chrome Edge Firefox Internet Explorer Opera Safari WebView Android Chrome Android Firefox for Android Opera Android Safari on IOS Samsung Internet
BooleanDelta
Yes
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Yes
No
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DangerType
Yes
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Yes
No
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DoubleDelta
Yes
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Yes
No
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DownloadQuery
Yes
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Yes
No
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DownloadTime
Yes
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Yes
No
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FilenameConflictAction
Yes
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Yes
No
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48-79
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InterruptReason
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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48-79
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State
Yes
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Yes
No
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StringDelta
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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?
48-79
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acceptDanger
Yes
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No
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Yes
No
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No
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cancel
Yes
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Yes
No
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download
Yes
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Yes
No
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drag
Yes
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No
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Yes
No
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No
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erase
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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?
48-79
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getFileIcon
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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No
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onChanged
Yes
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Yes
No
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48-79
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onCreated
Yes
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Yes
No
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onErased
Yes
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Yes
No
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open
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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?
48-79
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pause
Yes
79
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Yes
No
?
?
48-79
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removeFile
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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?
48-79
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resume
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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48-79
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search
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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?
48-79
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setShelfEnabled
Yes
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No
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Yes
No
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No
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show
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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48-79
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showDefaultFolder
Yes
79
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Yes
No
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48-79
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Example extensions

Note: This API is based on Chromium's chrome.downloads API.

Microsoft Edge compatibility data is supplied by Microsoft Corporation and is included here under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

© 2005–2021 MDN contributors.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/downloads