How to download a file from URL using JavaScript or jQuery?

Question

I used jQuery fileDownload plugin to download a file from URL.

$.fileDownload(url,{
    contentType: "text/csv",
    contentDisposition: 'attachment; filename=' + 
        url.split("/").pop()
})
.done(function(){console.log('successfully downladed')})
.fail(function(){ console.log(`request failed`)});

I even tried with JavaScript but it's not working

var a = document.createElement("a");
document.body.appendChild(a);
a.href = url;
fileName = url.split("/").pop();
a.download = fileName
a.click();
window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
a.remove();

a.setAttribute("download", "filename");

RK_oo7
– RK_oo7

2019-10-19 14:28:35 +00:00
Commented Oct 19, 2019 at 14:28 — RK_oo7
– RK_oo7, Commented Oct 19, 2019 at 14:28

Krzysztof Janiszewski · Accepted Answer · 2018-05-24 07:12:13Z

3

Your JavaScript does not work probably because you append a to body before you add href and download attributes.

Append just before triggering click

Also remember that this will only work on files with the same-origin URLs (Source).

This attribute only works for same-origin URLs.

var a = document.createElement("a");
a.href = url;
fileName = url.split("/").pop();
a.download = fileName;
document.body.appendChild(a);
a.click();
window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
a.remove();

edited May 24, 2018 at 7:12

answered May 23, 2018 at 11:49

Krzysztof Janiszewski

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5 Comments

bhasker Over a year ago

I tried this one it's working for the image. But If I want to download a file from the external URL. It is not working. It's just opening that file into the new tab. I want to download instead of opening in new tab.

Krzysztof Janiszewski Over a year ago

On the page I gave you the link to is everything explained. Did you read it? You can't download files from external URL using <a download...></a>

bhasker Over a year ago

yeah!! is there any other way to download the file even without using <a download... />

Krzysztof Janiszewski Over a year ago

Try this

Adrian Over a year ago

This is very helpful and appreciated. Worth noting: apparently if you do this with multiple files programmatically, no matter how much delay you put in between subsequent calls, only the last file actually gets downloaded. (As tested in Chrome 73 on Mac).

Bruno · Accepted Answer · 2022-10-14 10:42:09Z

This code snippet will download from external source

<a onclick="saveFile('url')">Download</a>

<script>
    function saveFile(url) {
    // Get file name from url.
    var filename = url.substring(url.lastIndexOf("/") + 1).split("?")[0];
    var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
    xhr.responseType = 'blob';
    xhr.onload = function() {
        var a = document.createElement('a');
        a.href = window.URL.createObjectURL(xhr.response); // xhr.response is a blob
        a.download = filename; // Set the file name.
        a.style.display = 'none';
        document.body.appendChild(a);
        a.click();
        delete a;
    };
    xhr.open('GET', url);
    xhr.send();
    }
</script>

the saveFile('url') takes string url as an argument so pass in the correct url and your file will download directly. Worked for me

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