Safari icon

If a downloaded file won’t open

Safari can handle most types of files found on the web, but you may occasionally have trouble opening downloaded files.

Here are some possible reasons:

If the file is still being downloaded, wait until it’s finished and try again to open it. If the download is paused, click the Resume icon (orange with a curved arrow).

Sometimes a file isn’t completely downloaded because there was a problem or the file was damaged. Try downloading it again.

If you move the file or change the download location after downloading a file, Safari can’t open it from the downloads window. Double-click the file’s icon to open it.

You may be missing a necessary application. Your computer has applications that open many types of files, including text, image, sound, and PDF files. However, some files open only for the application that created them.

Related Topics

Downloading files

If a downloaded file is missing

If downloads aren’t working

Specifying how files are downloaded