Accelerates and organizes file downloads with browser integration, batch transfers, resume support, and extensive customization
Accelerates and organizes file downloads with browser integration, batch transfers, resume support, and extensive customization
Pros
- Accelerate download speeds
- Manage files in one easy place
- Resume broken or incomplete downloads
- Customizable interface and features
Cons
- One more program to manage and deal with
- Pop-up windows when downloading files may be undesirable
- Updates happen infrequently
Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a program used to manage internet file transfers. While downloading software can normally be somewhat messy, using a download manager can organize and even speed up the process significantly.
File downloads are typically quite unorganized, making them difficult to track and categorize when multiple transfers are ongoing. Using Internet Download Manager will not only make the process more visually organized and easier to manage, but it can also accelerate your download speed by making multiple connections to the same file and running them all at once. In addition, IDM also has myriad features designed to make downloading files much easier and more efficient.
IDM plugs straight into your browser, allowing you to download files with just a single click. This can make it much easier to start multiple transfers at once, reducing the time you spend on a webpage trying to download all the files you want. IDM achieves this by detecting when you click on specific types of links in your browser and then capturing those clicks and managing them itself. Clicking on a file you would want to download causes IDM to pop up with a dialogue allowing you to choose what to do with the file, including choosing its download location and selecting what to do after the transfer finishes.
Speaking of multiple file downloads, you can use IDM to detect any files within a single web page and automatically select them in order to download them all at once. Not only can you download everything you need at the same time, but the accelerator will use your maximum bandwidth to transfer your files as quickly as possible.
If your connection happens to be interrupted in the middle of a download, IDM will keep the partially transferred file and resume when it detects the connection has been reestablished. Features are built in to correct any errors or inconsistencies found when resuming the file, ensuring no corrupted data after the transfer finishes.
Finally, IDM's interface is extremely customizable. Everything from the visual elements to what happens when files finish downloading can be customized, only limited by the imagination. For example, the order of the buttons at the top of the main screen can be changed. The overall color and styling of the program can also be changed. Many user-designed skins are available on IDM's website.
Compared to regular downloads, Internet Download Manager provides a much easier, more efficient, and quicker way to download multiple files at the same time. Even if you download only a single file at a time, IDM will make multiple connections in order to download it much faster than the standard downloader built into your web browser. To make things better, IDM is compatible with near every modern browser, running in the background and integrating itself seamlessly into your experience.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Accelerate download speeds
- Manage files in one easy place
- Resume broken or incomplete downloads
- Customizable interface and features
Cons
- One more program to manage and deal with
- Pop-up windows when downloading files may be undesirable
- Updates happen infrequently
Pros
- Optimizes download speeds
- Supports scheduled downloads
Cons
- Outmoded user interface
Internet Download Manager optimizes your download speeds and automatically sorts your downloads into appropriate categories.
Whether you download a file once in a while or download hundreds of files a day, Internet Download Manager or IDM can be quite useful. By default, it’s there whenever you click on a link, and you can also program it to start with Windows as well as activate, download, and organize at scheduled times.
One of the biggest ways IDM can help is optimization of download speeds, which it does by downloading multiple files at the same time as well as requesting pieces of a single file simultaneously. Even if a web server limits your speeds, you can circumvent that limitation by requesting the various pieces of the file you want all at the same time.
IDM can download one file at a time. It can download entire websites, and you can create batches of items that can be downloaded now or later. The program also offers an array of ancillary tools, such as the ability to record a website as video. IDM also integrates with most web browsers so that you can use the program seamlessly when you encounter content you want. Download the item immediately or add it to a queue to be downloaded later or at a scheduled time.
Another way that IDM distinguishes itself from other downloaders is through automatic categorization. Images, videos, music and other files are automatically saved to appropriate folders. You can assign paths for items like all images or broken down into GIF, JPEG and so forth. You can also download files on a per-project basis and have the categorization performed for that project rather than overall.
The newest version of IDM provides full support for Windows 10 and adds many features that the modern Internet user requires. Unfortunately, Tonec opted to not update the user interface. This isn’t a deal-breaker. The program still works wonderfully. Nevertheless, the UI is an eyesore and had already seemed outdated both aesthetically and functionally when Windows 7 was new.
Pros
- Optimizes download speeds
- Supports scheduled downloads
Cons
- Outmoded user interface
Pros
- Easy to use
- Scheduled downloads
- Broad web browser support
- Can maximize download speeds
Cons
- Archaic user interface
Internet Download Manager is a Windows tool that lets you schedule and manage downloads from across the Web.
Internet Download Manager or IDM can function as a standalone application but also integrates with most prominent web browsers out of the box. IDM lets you schedule downloads. You can schedule downloads so that they transfer overnight or during another non-peak period. Files will download in an unattended fashion. The program can handle batches and queues, and you can prioritize batches, queues, projects and even individual files.
IDM supports automatic recognition of file types, such as images, audio files, executables and even compressed archives. A benefit of this recognition is that the program can automatically sort downloaded files. Say you set IDM to download all files from an Internet directory. The program will place JPEGs and GIFs in the assigned image folder and WAVs in the assigned sound folder. IDM can automatically unzip archives, and it supports sorting to compressed folders in order to save space.
This application doesn’t just support simple file downloads. It can, for instance, download video, music or other multimedia direct from a website or web service. It can also be set to download entire websites, which are called grabber projects. Grabber projects can be a one-time operation, or you can have IDM keep it updated so that you always have offline access to a current version.
Internet Download Manager can also optimize your download speeds, but it doesn’t do this by optimizing your Internet connection or router performance. Instead, it makes multiple connections to the file source and downloads different parts of the file concurrently. This can be particularly helpful when a server intentionally serves files at a slow speed.
Another advantage of this approach is that you can pause and resume downloads even when your browser doesn’t support it. Pause and resume can be accessed manually, and the program uses those features itself for scheduling, prioritization and the like. Additionally, the ability to access files in parts means that broken and corrupted downloads can be fixed without having to re-download the entire file.
The only downside to IDM is that the user interface is outdated. Some would call it downright ugly, and the layout leaves a lot to be desired. Despite that, the UI is reasonably intuitive and easy to use, and the sheer performance and stability of Internet Download Manager will help you overlook its UI.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Scheduled downloads
- Broad web browser support
- Can maximize download speeds
Cons
- Archaic user interface
