AB Download Manager is a free, open-source application for downloading files and organizing transfers on Windows, Linux, macOS and Android. It saves files from download links, manages queues and captures supported media, with desktop browser extensions and a separate in-app browser on Android.
File transfers in AB Download Manager
A download starts with a file URL and a destination on the device. The filename and save folder can be chosen for that transfer, so a link does not have to produce a file in one fixed download directory.
Several links can be added together. The multiple-download dialog allows individual entries to be customized, while search and wildcard filtering help select items from a longer collection before starting transfers.
Connection and resume controls
AB Download Manager can retrieve parts of a file through multiple connections and combine them into the saved file. The thread count controls this parallel activity. A speed limit caps transfer bandwidth when downloads need to share the connection with other work.
Transfers can be paused and resumed, provided the server supports resuming. The download information identifies links that lack that support. This matters when an interrupted transfer must continue from its existing data rather than begin again.
A saved download entry can be renamed or given a refreshed link. Host-specific settings also allow a username, password, thread count and user-agent value to be supplied for requests to that host, rather than using the same connection settings everywhere.
Browser downloads and media capture
On desktop, extensions connect AB Download Manager to Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi. Download actions in the browser pass links to the manager, keeping file transfers in its download list instead of relying solely on the browser’s own download panel.
Android uses an in-app browser with bookmarks and download collection. Pages can be visited within that browser and their downloads collected there. This is a different route from the extensions used with desktop browsers.
Audio, video and HLS streams
Browser integration can recognize supported audio and video on a visited page and offer it for downloading. For non-encrypted HLS media, AB Download Manager retrieves the stream’s segments and assembles them into a media file.
Media capture excludes encrypted streams and YouTube downloads.
Queues, categories and saved files
Queues group selected downloads and control how they run. Items can be ordered or removed, and the maximum number of concurrent downloads determines how many transfers are active together. A queue can therefore limit simultaneous activity while holding the remaining files for later.
The scheduler gives a queue a start time and a stop time. A start time is optional, so a queue can also be started manually or its downloads started immediately. These controls separate adding a transfer from deciding when it should use the connection.
Category rules and file locations
Custom categories organize downloads by accepted file types or matching URL patterns. A category can have its own download directory, connecting a group of transfers with a chosen save location. File-type and directory settings can also be left unspecified.
Categories can be reordered, and download entries can be dragged between them. Once a transfer finishes, its file or containing folder can be opened from the manager. An optional .part extension distinguishes incomplete files while they are still being downloaded.
Checksum verification
The File Checksum Checker compares a downloaded file with an expected checksum value. The saved value can be edited when a different reference is needed. The resulting validation shows whether the file’s data matches that expected value.
