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A .part file was created when I cancelled a download from a "Save As" dialog.

  • 6 replies
  • 10 have this problem
  • 7 views
  • Last reply by Svetlana

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On my Macbook Pro (my OS is OS X 10.6.8), sometimes when I click on a download link, and then click Cancel (meaning I did NOT start the download at all), a .part file appears in my Downloads folder.

However, not all download links cause this problem to happen. Download links for things like MP3s and JPGs rarely cause this to happen, but download links for xls or torrent files will most likely cause this problem.

I've tested it. When I click on a download link for an MP3 file, but didn't click OK or CANCEL, a .part file would appear in my Downloads folder. However, when I hit CANCEL, the .part file goes away.

But when I tried this on a download link for a XLS file, the .part file stays there even after I hit CANCEL. To delete it, I had to drag it to the Trash folder myself and then empty the trash.

So is this a bug? Am I infected with a virus? Does your Mozilla Firefox create a .part file when you click on a download link but not confirm whether you want to download the file? Does the .part file go away after you hit CANCEL?

Thanks in advance.

On my Macbook Pro (my OS is OS X 10.6.8), sometimes when I click on a download link, and then click Cancel (meaning I did NOT start the download at all), a .part file appears in my Downloads folder. However, not all download links cause this problem to happen. Download links for things like MP3s and JPGs rarely cause this to happen, but download links for xls or torrent files will most likely cause this problem. I've tested it. When I click on a download link for an MP3 file, but didn't click OK or CANCEL, a .part file would appear in my Downloads folder. However, when I hit CANCEL, the .part file goes away. But when I tried this on a download link for a XLS file, the .part file stays there even after I hit CANCEL. To delete it, I had to drag it to the Trash folder myself and then empty the trash. So is this a bug? Am I infected with a virus? Does your Mozilla Firefox create a .part file when you click on a download link but not confirm whether you want to download the file? Does the .part file go away after you hit CANCEL? Thanks in advance.

All Replies (6)

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hello, it's normal that downloads will start loading in the background and that a .part file is created even when you haven't made any choice on the "save as" dialog yet (in order to shorten the download time, it takes afterwards). however, those .part files should get deleted if you cancel the download.

if this isn't happening with all file-types you could try going through some troubleshooting steps related to downloading, which are described here: What to do if you can't download or save files

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I tried some of the steps that was suggested by the page you gave me, philipp, but none of them worked. I think this might be a bug, but I can't be sure. =/.

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Do you have any security (anti-virus) software that may be locking files for inspection during the download and prevent Firefox from removing the file when you cancel the download?

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I don't think so.

I saw this bug report on bugzilla.mozilla.org, do you think this is the same case with mine?

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=420355 .

Modified by thingsppldontask

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yes you're right, that seems to be exactly the same issue - hopefully the bug will get some traction...

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Hello,

I think the link to bug may answer this question. If that's so, please mark your answer as that it solved the problem, and CC yourself to the bug at its page to keep track of its progress.

Thank you.

Modified by Svetlana