Chrome Download Stuck as a .crdownload File
Chrome left a .crdownload placeholder and the real file never appeared — the download stalled. Here is exactly why it happens and how to resume, restart, or clear it, in order.
Why the download is stuck
While Chrome (and Chromium browsers like Brave and current Edge) downloads a file, it writes the bytes into a placeholder ending in .crdownload and renames it to the real file only when the transfer finishes. If it never renames, the transfer was interrupted: the connection dropped, the tab or browser was closed mid-download, the server timed out, or the disk ran low on space.
Fix it in order
- Try Resume first. Press Ctrl+J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+J (Mac) to open the downloads page. If the item is still listed with a Resume link, click it — Chrome continues writing into the same
.crdownloadfile. - Restart from the source. If Resume is greyed out or the item is gone, the temporary download URL likely expired. Go back to the original page and start the download again; Chrome makes a fresh file.
- Check the obvious blockers. Confirm your network is stable, free at least 1–2 GB more than the file size on the download drive, and pause any VPN or antivirus that scans downloads mid-transfer.
- Clear a locked leftover. If the old
.crdownloadcan't be deleted (“file is open in another program”), fully quit Chrome — including background processes in Task Manager / Activity Monitor — then delete it from your Downloads folder.
Can you salvage the partial data?
Usually no. A .crdownload is incomplete, so renaming it to the real extension produces a broken file. The one exception is progressive media (some .mp4/.mp3): a player may still play the portion that arrived. For documents, archives and installers, resume or restart — there is nothing to recover.
FAQ
Why is my Chrome download stuck as a .crdownload file?
The transfer was interrupted before Chrome could rename the placeholder to the real file — a dropped connection, a closed tab, a server timeout, or too little disk space. Resume it from Ctrl+J, or restart the download from the source page.
How do I resume a stuck .crdownload download?
Open the downloads page (Ctrl+J, or Cmd+Shift+J on Mac) and click Resume next to the paused item. If there is no Resume link, the link expired — start the download again from the original website.
Can I open a stuck .crdownload file by renaming it?
No. It is only partially written, so removing the .crdownload suffix leaves a corrupt, unopenable file. Progressive video/audio may partly play, but documents and archives must be re-downloaded.
Is it safe to delete a stuck .crdownload file?
Yes, once you have given up on that download. You only lose the incomplete data. Never delete one that is still actively downloading. If it won't delete, quit Chrome fully first.