Fix: Can’t Download Anything on Windows

There have been reports that users aren’t able to download anything off the internet after updating Windows 10. Well, this issue often occurs due to your Internet options settings located in your Control panel. The issue has been known to occur with all the browsers and not only Microsoft Edge. Due to this factor, the problem becomes critical as not being able to download something that you really need off the internet can be really frustrating.

In this modern era, everything is wrapped around the Internet. Users usually upload files, documents, backups etc. on the internet so that they can easily access it later on. However, if you are not able to download the things that you uploaded for the sole purpose of using it later on it can be really annoying. Nonetheless, as every problem has a solution, we are here to help you get out of the dark.

What causes the unable to download anything issue on Windows 10?

Well, the reasons for this can be different depending on the cases. However, from what we have brought together, this can be caused by the following factors —

As we mentioned, this issue can be caused by different factors depending on the situation. Hence, make sure to go through all the solutions listed below.

Solution 1: Turn off Third-Party Antivirus

Antiviruses are known to block files that it detects as a threat to the system. However, in some cases, it can be the cause of such an issue as well. Your antivirus might be interfering with the download process which can cause the download to not complete successfully. Thus, you are not able to download anything. Therefore, a way of solving the issue would be to turn off your antivirus.

Solution 2: Turn off Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall is used to allow and block certain outgoing and incoming connections. To put this simply, Windows Firewall is a security application that is used to filter network transmissions. Sometimes, your Windows Firewall might be blocking the connections due to which you are unable to download anything off the internet. In such a case, you will have to turn it off. Here’s how:

1. Go to Start Menu and open up the Control Panel.
2. Search for ‘Windows Firewall’ and open it.
3. On the left-hand side, click ‘Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off’.
4. Select the ‘Turn off Windows Defender Firewall’ box under both Public and Private settings.

   

5. Hit OK.

Please make sure that once you have fixed your issue and Windows Defender Firewall didn’t happen to be the cause, turn it back on.

Solution 3: Change Internet Option Settings

This solution was reported by most of the users and has successfully fixed their issue. Sometimes, when the drive location in your Internet Options settings isn’t the system drive, it can cause the error to pop up. Hence, you’ll have to make sure that it is correct. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open up the Control Panel.
2. Search for Internet Options and open it.
3. Under the General tab, click on Settings.

   

4. Under Current Location, if the drive location is C:, close the window.

   

5. If it is not, click on ‘Move folder…’ and select a folder of your choice in drive C:.
6. Hit OK.
7. Restart your system and see if it fixes your issue.

Solution 4: Clearing Cache

If the above solutions don’t fix your problem, then the root of the issue is probably your browser. Hence, to start off with the most general thing, you have to clear your browser cache and data. Here’s how to do it in Mozilla Firefox:

1. Click on the three-bar menu in the top-right corner.
2. Select Options.
3. On the left-hand side, select ‘Privacy and security’.
4. Scroll down until you see ‘History’.
5. Click ‘Clear History…’.

   

6. Now, make sure to select ‘Browsing and Download History’ and ‘Cache’ boxes.
7. Click ‘Clear Now’.

Solution 5: Reinstall your Browser

Finally, your last resort of fixing the issue would be reinstalling your browser. In some cases, the browser doesn’t install correctly or the files get damaged due to which it isn’t able to operate normally. Therefore, you will have to reinstall your browser and see if it fixes your issue.

If you are using the Microsoft Edge, what you can do is reset your browser. This will restore your browser to its default settings. Follow this article published on our site that will show you how to reset your Microsoft Edge.