How to Speed Up Internet Download Manager

Internet Download Manager for Windows is an application that provides all-in-one organisation of downloads from multiple sources on the internet. Anyone who has attempted to download a large file from a website before will know that this is prone to disappointment, due to a number of things that can go wrong – power cut, internet access outage, dropped connections from the server, or simply the browser crashing.

IDM allows you to pick up downloads where they left off. It also purports to increase download speeds by up to five times. Typically, however, to get close to this kind of increase in speed, a little tweaking is necessary. Read on for the facts.

Related Download: Internet Download Manager

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Launch Internet Download Manager by double-clicking the desktop shortcut or by selecting the icon within the Windows Start menu. After a few seconds, the main application window is displayed.
• Click Option in the Download menu and choose the Connection tab.
• Select the Connection Type/Speed dropdown and choose LAN 10Mbs.
  
  This option sets Internet Download Manager to the fastest possible mode, but it requires a lot of bandwidth for it to be effective. If you are running a DSL connection of less than 10mbs, then this setting is not recommended.
• Locate the Default Max Connection Number setting. IDM uses multiple sources when downloading large files, and each source needs a separate connection. If the default max is set too low, then this will throttle IDMs ability to download files extra-quickly.
• Set the Default Max Connection Number as 16, which is the highest possible number of connections supported by IDM. Click OK to apply the settings specified in this guide.
• Test the new settings by downloading a file from the internet using IDM. Click Add URL to add the location of a new download and in the window that opens, enter the URL of a file on the internet.
• Select the file in the queue and click Start/Resume Download to begin downloading the file from the internet to your computer. You should notice a speed increase in the time it takes to download large files, now that you have set up IDM correctly.

Tips & Advice

• To get the most out of IDM, ensure your firewall and router are correctly set up to allow traffic to pass through quickly. Add an exception for IDM to both, so that traffic is not blocked or throttled.
• Ensure files you download from the internet are not copyrighted, as this is illegal in most countries and can result in prosecution and financial/custodial penalties.
• Always keep your anti-virus software running and up to date, particularly when downloading from unknown sources. Malicious software is rife on the internet, and the most common method of infection is downloading files from questionable sources.