[javascript] Download File Using Javascript/jQuery

I have a very similar requirement specified here.

I need to have the user's browser start a download manually when $('a#someID').click();

But I cannot use the window.href method, since it replaces the current page contents with the file you're trying to download.

Instead I want to open the download in new window/tab. How is this possible?

This question is related to javascript jquery download

The answer is


2019 modern browsers update

This is the approach I'd now recommend with a few caveats:

  • A relatively modern browser is required
  • If the file is expected to be very large you should likely do something similar to the original approach (iframe and cookie) because some of the below operations could likely consume system memory at least as large as the file being downloaded and/or other interesting CPU side effects.

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fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1')_x000D_
  .then(resp => resp.blob())_x000D_
  .then(blob => {_x000D_
    const url = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob);_x000D_
    const a = document.createElement('a');_x000D_
    a.style.display = 'none';_x000D_
    a.href = url;_x000D_
    // the filename you want_x000D_
    a.download = 'todo-1.json';_x000D_
    document.body.appendChild(a);_x000D_
    a.click();_x000D_
    window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url);_x000D_
    alert('your file has downloaded!'); // or you know, something with better UX..._x000D_
  })_x000D_
  .catch(() => alert('oh no!'));
_x000D_
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_x000D_

2012 original jQuery/iframe/cookie based approach

I have created the jQuery File Download plugin (Demo) (GitHub) which could also help with your situation. It works pretty similarly with an iframe but has some cool features that I have found quite handy:

  • Very easy to setup with nice visuals (jQuery UI Dialog, but not required), everything is tested too

  • User never leaves the same page they initiated a file download from. This feature is becoming crucial for modern web applications

  • successCallback and failCallback functions allow for you to be explicit about what the user sees in either situation

  • In conjunction with jQuery UI a developer can easily show a modal telling the user that a file download is occurring, disband the modal after the download starts or even inform the user in a friendly manner that an error has occurred. See the Demo for an example of this. Hope this helps someone!

Here is a simple use case demo using the plugin source with promises. The demo page includes many other, 'better UX' examples as well.

$.fileDownload('some/file.pdf')
    .done(function () { alert('File download a success!'); })
    .fail(function () { alert('File download failed!'); });

I don't know if the question is just too old, but setting window.location to a download url will work, as long as the download mime type is correct (for example a zip archive).

var download = function(downloadURL) {

   location = downloadURL;

});

download('http://example.com/archive.zip'); //correct usage
download('http://example.com/page.html'); //DON'T

I know I'm late for the party, but I'd like to share my solution which is variation of Imagine Breaker's solution above. I tried to use his solution, because his solution seems most simple and easy to me. But like other said, it didn't work for some browsers, so I put some variation on it by using jquery.

Hope this could help someone out there.

function download(url) {
  var link = document.createElement("a");
  $(link).click(function(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    window.location.href = url;
  });
  $(link).click();
}

There are so many little things that can happen when trying to download a file. The inconsistency between browsers alone is a nightmare. I ended up using this great little library. https://github.com/rndme/download

Nice thing about it is that its flexible for not only urls but for client side data you want to download.

  1. text string
  2. text dataURL
  3. text blob
  4. text arrays
  5. html string
  6. html blob
  7. ajax callback
  8. binary files

I use @rakaloof's solution without JQuery (because you don't need it here). Thank you for the idea! Here is a vanillaJS form-based solution:

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_x000D_
const uri = 'https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Test_ogg_mp3_48kbps.wav';_x000D_
let form = document.createElement("form");_x000D_
form.setAttribute('action', uri);_x000D_
document.body.appendChild(form);_x000D_
form.submit();_x000D_
document.body.removeChild(document.body.lastElementChild);
_x000D_
_x000D_
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I ended up using the below snippet and it works in most browsers, not tested in IE though.

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_x000D_
let data = JSON.stringify([{email: "[email protected]", name: "test"}, {email: "[email protected]", name: "anothertest"}]);_x000D_
_x000D_
let type = "application/json", name = "testfile.json";_x000D_
downloader(data, type, name)_x000D_
_x000D_
function downloader(data, type, name) {_x000D_
 let blob = new Blob([data], {type});_x000D_
 let url = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob);_x000D_
 downloadURI(url, name);_x000D_
 window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url);_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
function downloadURI(uri, name) {_x000D_
    let link = document.createElement("a");_x000D_
    link.download = name;_x000D_
    link.href = uri;_x000D_
    link.click();_x000D_
}
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_

Update

function downloadURI(uri, name) {
    let link = document.createElement("a");
    link.download = name;
    link.href = uri;
    link.click();
}

function downloader(data, type, name) {
    let blob = new Blob([data], {type});
    let url = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    downloadURI(url, name);
    window.URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
}

To improve Imagine Breaker 's answer, this is supported on FF & IE :

var evt = document.createEvent("MouseEvents");
evt.initMouseEvent("click", true, true, window, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, false, false, false, false, 0, null);

function downloadURI(uri, name) {
    var link = document.createElement("a");
    link.download = name;
    link.href = uri;
    link.dispatchEvent(evt);
}

In other words, just use a dispatchEvent function instead of click();


If you are already using jQuery, you could take adventage of it to produce a smaller snippet
A jQuery version of Andrew's answer:

var $idown;  // Keep it outside of the function, so it's initialized once.
downloadURL : function(url) {
  if ($idown) {
    $idown.attr('src',url);
  } else {
    $idown = $('<iframe>', { id:'idown', src:url }).hide().appendTo('body');
  }
},
//... How to use it:
downloadURL('http://whatever.com/file.pdf');

Simple example using an iframe

function downloadURL(url) {
    var hiddenIFrameID = 'hiddenDownloader',
        iframe = document.getElementById(hiddenIFrameID);
    if (iframe === null) {
        iframe = document.createElement('iframe');
        iframe.id = hiddenIFrameID;
        iframe.style.display = 'none';
        document.body.appendChild(iframe);
    }
    iframe.src = url;
};

Then just call the function wherever you want:

downloadURL('path/to/my/file');


The answer submitted by hitesh on Dec 30 '13 does in fact work. It just requires a little adjusting:

The PHP file can call itself. In other words, just create a file named saveAs.php, and put this code into it...

        <a href="saveAs.php?file_source=YourDataFile.pdf">Download pdf here</a>

    <?php
        if (isset($_GET['file_source'])) {
            $fullPath = $_GET['file_source'];
            if($fullPath) {
                $fsize = filesize($fullPath);
                $path_parts = pathinfo($fullPath);
                $ext = strtolower($path_parts["extension"]);
                switch ($ext) {
                    case "pdf":
                    header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=\"".$path_parts["basename"]."\""); // use 'attachment' to force a download
                    header("Content-type: application/pdf"); // add here more headers for diff. extensions
                    break;
                    default;
                    header("Content-type: application/octet-stream");
                    header("Content-Disposition: filename=\"".$path_parts["basename"]."\"");
                }
                if($fsize) {//checking if file size exist
                  header("Content-length: $fsize");
                }
                readfile($fullPath);
                exit;
            }
        }
    ?>

I'm surprised not a lot of people know about the download attribute for a elements. Please help spread the word about it! You can have a hidden html link, and fake a click on it. If the html link has the download attribute it downloads the file, not views it, no matter what. Here's the code. It will download a cat picture if it can find it.

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_x000D_
document.getElementById('download').click();
_x000D_
<a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B0jH18Lft7ypSmRjdWg1c082Y2M" download id="download" hidden></a>
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_

Note: This is not supported on all browsers: http://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_a_download.asp


Excelent solution from Corbacho, I just adapted to get rid o the var

function downloadURL(url) {
    if( $('#idown').length ){
        $('#idown').attr('src',url);
    }else{
        $('<iframe>', { id:'idown', src:url }).hide().appendTo('body');
    }
}

These functions are used in stacktrace.js:

/**
 * Try XHR methods in order and store XHR factory.
 *
 * @return <Function> XHR function or equivalent
 */
var createXMLHTTPObject = function() {
    var xmlhttp, XMLHttpFactories = [
        function() {
            return new XMLHttpRequest();
        }, function() {
            return new ActiveXObject('Msxml2.XMLHTTP');
        }, function() {
            return new ActiveXObject('Msxml3.XMLHTTP');
        }, function() {
            return new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.XMLHTTP');
        }
    ];
    for (var i = 0; i < XMLHttpFactories.length; i++) {
        try {
            xmlhttp = XMLHttpFactories[i]();
            // Use memoization to cache the factory
            createXMLHTTPObject = XMLHttpFactories[i];
            return xmlhttp;
        } catch (e) {
        }
    }
}

/**
 * @return the text from a given URL
 */
function ajax(url) {
    var req = createXMLHTTPObject();
    if (req) {
        try {
            req.open('GET', url, false);
            req.send(null);
            return req.responseText;
        } catch (e) {
        }
    }
    return '';
}

Only seven years later here comes a one line jQuery solution using a form instead of an iframe or link:

$('<form></form>')
     .attr('action', filePath)
     .appendTo('body').submit().remove();

I've tested this in

  • Chrome 55
  • Firefox 50
  • Edge IE8-10
  • iOS 10 (Safari/Chrome)
  • Android Chrome

If anyone knows of any downsides with this solution I'd be very happy to hear about them.


Full demo:

<html>
<head><script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.11.3.js"></script></head>
<body>
<script>
    var filePath = window.prompt("Enter a file URL","http://jqueryui.com/resources/download/jquery-ui-1.12.1.zip");
    $('<form></form>').attr('action', filePath).appendTo('body').submit().remove();
</script>
</body>
</html>

Using anchor tag and PHP it can be done, Check this answer

JQuery Ajax call for PDF file download

HTML
    <a href="www.example.com/download_file.php?file_source=example.pdf">Download pdf here</a>

PHP
<?php
$fullPath = $_GET['fileSource'];
if($fullPath) {
    $fsize = filesize($fullPath);
    $path_parts = pathinfo($fullPath);
    $ext = strtolower($path_parts["extension"]);
    switch ($ext) {
        case "pdf":
        header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=\"".$path_parts["basename"]."\""); // use 'attachment' to force a download
        header("Content-type: application/pdf"); // add here more headers for diff. extensions
        break;
        default;
        header("Content-type: application/octet-stream");
        header("Content-Disposition: filename=\"".$path_parts["basename"]."\"");
    }
    if($fsize) {//checking if file size exist
      header("Content-length: $fsize");
    }
    readfile($fullPath);
    exit;
}
?>

I am checking for file size because if you load pdf from CDN cloudfront, you won`t get the size of document which forces the document to download in 0kb, To avoid this i am checking with this condition

 if($fsize) {//checking if file size exist
      header("Content-length: $fsize");
    }

I recommend using the download attribute for download instead of jQuery:

<a href="your_link" download> file_name </a>

This will download your file, without opening it.


I suggest you use the mousedown event, which is called BEFORE the click event. That way, the browser handles the click event naturally, which avoids any code weirdness:

(function ($) {


    // with this solution, the browser handles the download link naturally (tested in chrome and firefox)
    $(document).ready(function () {

        var url = '/private/downloads/myfile123.pdf';
        $("a#someID").on('mousedown', function () {
            $(this).attr("href", url);
        });

    });
})(jQuery);

Works on Chrome, Firefox and IE8 and above.

var link=document.createElement('a');
document.body.appendChild(link);
link.href=url ;
link.click();

Most Complete and Working (Tested) Code for Downloading Data For FireFox, Chrome and IE Code is Following. Assume that Data is in texarea field, that has id='textarea_area' and filename is name of file where data will be downloaded.

function download(filename) {
    if (typeof filename==='undefined') filename = ""; // default
    value = document.getElementById('textarea_area').value;

    filetype="text/*";
    extension=filename.substring(filename.lastIndexOf("."));
    for (var i = 0; i < extToMIME.length; i++) {
        if (extToMIME[i][0].localeCompare(extension)==0) {
            filetype=extToMIME[i][1];
            break;
        }
    }


    var pom = document.createElement('a');
    pom.setAttribute('href', 'data: '+filetype+';charset=utf-8,' + '\ufeff' + encodeURIComponent(value)); // Added BOM too
    pom.setAttribute('download', filename);


    if (document.createEvent) {
        if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('MSIE') !== -1 || navigator.appVersion.indexOf('Trident/') > 0) { // IE
            blobObject = new Blob(['\ufeff'+value]);
            window.navigator.msSaveBlob(blobObject, filename);
        } else { // FF, Chrome
            var event = document.createEvent('MouseEvents');
            event.initEvent('click', true, true);
            pom.dispatchEvent(event);
        }
    } else if( document.createEventObject ) { // Have No Idea
        var evObj = document.createEventObject();
        pom.fireEvent( 'onclick' , evObj );
    } else { // For Any Case
        pom.click();
    }

}

and then just call

<a href="javascript:download();">Download</a>

For Download Initiating.

Array for setting correct MIME type for download dialog CAN BE following:

// ----------------------- Extensions to MIME --------- //

        // List of mime types
        // combination of values from Windows 7 Registry and 
        // from C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\applicationHost.config
        // some added, including .7z and .dat
    var extToMIME = [
        [".323", "text/h323"],
        [".3g2", "video/3gpp2"],
        [".3gp", "video/3gpp"],
        [".3gp2", "video/3gpp2"],
        [".3gpp", "video/3gpp"],
        [".7z", "application/x-7z-compressed"],
        [".aa", "audio/audible"],
        [".AAC", "audio/aac"],
        [".aaf", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".aax", "audio/vnd.audible.aax"],
        [".ac3", "audio/ac3"],
        [".aca", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".accda", "application/msaccess.addin"],
        [".accdb", "application/msaccess"],
        [".accdc", "application/msaccess.cab"],
        [".accde", "application/msaccess"],
        [".accdr", "application/msaccess.runtime"],
        [".accdt", "application/msaccess"],
        [".accdw", "application/msaccess.webapplication"],
        [".accft", "application/msaccess.ftemplate"],
        [".acx", "application/internet-property-stream"],
        [".AddIn", "text/xml"],
        [".ade", "application/msaccess"],
        [".adobebridge", "application/x-bridge-url"],
        [".adp", "application/msaccess"],
        [".ADT", "audio/vnd.dlna.adts"],
        [".ADTS", "audio/aac"],
        [".afm", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".ai", "application/postscript"],
        [".aif", "audio/x-aiff"],
        [".aifc", "audio/aiff"],
        [".aiff", "audio/aiff"],
        [".air", "application/vnd.adobe.air-application-installer-package+zip"],
        [".amc", "application/x-mpeg"],
        [".application", "application/x-ms-application"],
        [".art", "image/x-jg"],
        [".asa", "application/xml"],
        [".asax", "application/xml"],
        [".ascx", "application/xml"],
        [".asd", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".asf", "video/x-ms-asf"],
        [".ashx", "application/xml"],
        [".asi", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".asm", "text/plain"],
        [".asmx", "application/xml"],
        [".aspx", "application/xml"],
        [".asr", "video/x-ms-asf"],
        [".asx", "video/x-ms-asf"],
        [".atom", "application/atom+xml"],
        [".au", "audio/basic"],
        [".avi", "video/x-msvideo"],
        [".axs", "application/olescript"],
        [".bas", "text/plain"],
        [".bcpio", "application/x-bcpio"],
        [".bin", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".bmp", "image/bmp"],
        [".c", "text/plain"],
        [".cab", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".caf", "audio/x-caf"],
        [".calx", "application/vnd.ms-office.calx"],
        [".cat", "application/vnd.ms-pki.seccat"],
        [".cc", "text/plain"],
        [".cd", "text/plain"],
        [".cdda", "audio/aiff"],
        [".cdf", "application/x-cdf"],
        [".cer", "application/x-x509-ca-cert"],
        [".chm", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".class", "application/x-java-applet"],
        [".clp", "application/x-msclip"],
        [".cmx", "image/x-cmx"],
        [".cnf", "text/plain"],
        [".cod", "image/cis-cod"],
        [".config", "application/xml"],
        [".contact", "text/x-ms-contact"],
        [".coverage", "application/xml"],
        [".cpio", "application/x-cpio"],
        [".cpp", "text/plain"],
        [".crd", "application/x-mscardfile"],
        [".crl", "application/pkix-crl"],
        [".crt", "application/x-x509-ca-cert"],
        [".cs", "text/plain"],
        [".csdproj", "text/plain"],
        [".csh", "application/x-csh"],
        [".csproj", "text/plain"],
        [".css", "text/css"],
        [".csv", "text/csv"],
        [".cur", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".cxx", "text/plain"],
        [".dat", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".datasource", "application/xml"],
        [".dbproj", "text/plain"],
        [".dcr", "application/x-director"],
        [".def", "text/plain"],
        [".deploy", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".der", "application/x-x509-ca-cert"],
        [".dgml", "application/xml"],
        [".dib", "image/bmp"],
        [".dif", "video/x-dv"],
        [".dir", "application/x-director"],
        [".disco", "text/xml"],
        [".dll", "application/x-msdownload"],
        [".dll.config", "text/xml"],
        [".dlm", "text/dlm"],
        [".doc", "application/msword"],
        [".docm", "application/vnd.ms-word.document.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".docx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document"],
        [".dot", "application/msword"],
        [".dotm", "application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".dotx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.template"],
        [".dsp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".dsw", "text/plain"],
        [".dtd", "text/xml"],
        [".dtsConfig", "text/xml"],
        [".dv", "video/x-dv"],
        [".dvi", "application/x-dvi"],
        [".dwf", "drawing/x-dwf"],
        [".dwp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".dxr", "application/x-director"],
        [".eml", "message/rfc822"],
        [".emz", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".eot", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".eps", "application/postscript"],
        [".etl", "application/etl"],
        [".etx", "text/x-setext"],
        [".evy", "application/envoy"],
        [".exe", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".exe.config", "text/xml"],
        [".fdf", "application/vnd.fdf"],
        [".fif", "application/fractals"],
        [".filters", "Application/xml"],
        [".fla", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".flr", "x-world/x-vrml"],
        [".flv", "video/x-flv"],
        [".fsscript", "application/fsharp-script"],
        [".fsx", "application/fsharp-script"],
        [".generictest", "application/xml"],
        [".gif", "image/gif"],
        [".group", "text/x-ms-group"],
        [".gsm", "audio/x-gsm"],
        [".gtar", "application/x-gtar"],
        [".gz", "application/x-gzip"],
        [".h", "text/plain"],
        [".hdf", "application/x-hdf"],
        [".hdml", "text/x-hdml"],
        [".hhc", "application/x-oleobject"],
        [".hhk", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hhp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hlp", "application/winhlp"],
        [".hpp", "text/plain"],
        [".hqx", "application/mac-binhex40"],
        [".hta", "application/hta"],
        [".htc", "text/x-component"],
        [".htm", "text/html"],
        [".html", "text/html"],
        [".htt", "text/webviewhtml"],
        [".hxa", "application/xml"],
        [".hxc", "application/xml"],
        [".hxd", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxe", "application/xml"],
        [".hxf", "application/xml"],
        [".hxh", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxi", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxk", "application/xml"],
        [".hxq", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxr", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxs", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxt", "text/html"],
        [".hxv", "application/xml"],
        [".hxw", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".hxx", "text/plain"],
        [".i", "text/plain"],
        [".ico", "image/x-icon"],
        [".ics", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".idl", "text/plain"],
        [".ief", "image/ief"],
        [".iii", "application/x-iphone"],
        [".inc", "text/plain"],
        [".inf", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".inl", "text/plain"],
        [".ins", "application/x-internet-signup"],
        [".ipa", "application/x-itunes-ipa"],
        [".ipg", "application/x-itunes-ipg"],
        [".ipproj", "text/plain"],
        [".ipsw", "application/x-itunes-ipsw"],
        [".iqy", "text/x-ms-iqy"],
        [".isp", "application/x-internet-signup"],
        [".ite", "application/x-itunes-ite"],
        [".itlp", "application/x-itunes-itlp"],
        [".itms", "application/x-itunes-itms"],
        [".itpc", "application/x-itunes-itpc"],
        [".IVF", "video/x-ivf"],
        [".jar", "application/java-archive"],
        [".java", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".jck", "application/liquidmotion"],
        [".jcz", "application/liquidmotion"],
        [".jfif", "image/pjpeg"],
        [".jnlp", "application/x-java-jnlp-file"],
        [".jpb", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".jpe", "image/jpeg"],
        [".jpeg", "image/jpeg"],
        [".jpg", "image/jpeg"],
        [".js", "application/x-javascript"],
        [".json", "application/json"],
        [".jsx", "text/jscript"],
        [".jsxbin", "text/plain"],
        [".latex", "application/x-latex"],
        [".library-ms", "application/windows-library+xml"],
        [".lit", "application/x-ms-reader"],
        [".loadtest", "application/xml"],
        [".lpk", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".lsf", "video/x-la-asf"],
        [".lst", "text/plain"],
        [".lsx", "video/x-la-asf"],
        [".lzh", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".m13", "application/x-msmediaview"],
        [".m14", "application/x-msmediaview"],
        [".m1v", "video/mpeg"],
        [".m2t", "video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"],
        [".m2ts", "video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"],
        [".m2v", "video/mpeg"],
        [".m3u", "audio/x-mpegurl"],
        [".m3u8", "audio/x-mpegurl"],
        [".m4a", "audio/m4a"],
        [".m4b", "audio/m4b"],
        [".m4p", "audio/m4p"],
        [".m4r", "audio/x-m4r"],
        [".m4v", "video/x-m4v"],
        [".mac", "image/x-macpaint"],
        [".mak", "text/plain"],
        [".man", "application/x-troff-man"],
        [".manifest", "application/x-ms-manifest"],
        [".map", "text/plain"],
        [".master", "application/xml"],
        [".mda", "application/msaccess"],
        [".mdb", "application/x-msaccess"],
        [".mde", "application/msaccess"],
        [".mdp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".me", "application/x-troff-me"],
        [".mfp", "application/x-shockwave-flash"],
        [".mht", "message/rfc822"],
        [".mhtml", "message/rfc822"],
        [".mid", "audio/mid"],
        [".midi", "audio/mid"],
        [".mix", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".mk", "text/plain"],
        [".mmf", "application/x-smaf"],
        [".mno", "text/xml"],
        [".mny", "application/x-msmoney"],
        [".mod", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mov", "video/quicktime"],
        [".movie", "video/x-sgi-movie"],
        [".mp2", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mp2v", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mp3", "audio/mpeg"],
        [".mp4", "video/mp4"],
        [".mp4v", "video/mp4"],
        [".mpa", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mpe", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mpeg", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mpf", "application/vnd.ms-mediapackage"],
        [".mpg", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mpp", "application/vnd.ms-project"],
        [".mpv2", "video/mpeg"],
        [".mqv", "video/quicktime"],
        [".ms", "application/x-troff-ms"],
        [".msi", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".mso", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".mts", "video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"],
        [".mtx", "application/xml"],
        [".mvb", "application/x-msmediaview"],
        [".mvc", "application/x-miva-compiled"],
        [".mxp", "application/x-mmxp"],
        [".nc", "application/x-netcdf"],
        [".nsc", "video/x-ms-asf"],
        [".nws", "message/rfc822"],
        [".ocx", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".oda", "application/oda"],
        [".odc", "text/x-ms-odc"],
        [".odh", "text/plain"],
        [".odl", "text/plain"],
        [".odp", "application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation"],
        [".ods", "application/oleobject"],
        [".odt", "application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text"],
        [".one", "application/onenote"],
        [".onea", "application/onenote"],
        [".onepkg", "application/onenote"],
        [".onetmp", "application/onenote"],
        [".onetoc", "application/onenote"],
        [".onetoc2", "application/onenote"],
        [".orderedtest", "application/xml"],
        [".osdx", "application/opensearchdescription+xml"],
        [".p10", "application/pkcs10"],
        [".p12", "application/x-pkcs12"],
        [".p7b", "application/x-pkcs7-certificates"],
        [".p7c", "application/pkcs7-mime"],
        [".p7m", "application/pkcs7-mime"],
        [".p7r", "application/x-pkcs7-certreqresp"],
        [".p7s", "application/pkcs7-signature"],
        [".pbm", "image/x-portable-bitmap"],
        [".pcast", "application/x-podcast"],
        [".pct", "image/pict"],
        [".pcx", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".pcz", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".pdf", "application/pdf"],
        [".pfb", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".pfm", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".pfx", "application/x-pkcs12"],
        [".pgm", "image/x-portable-graymap"],
        [".pic", "image/pict"],
        [".pict", "image/pict"],
        [".pkgdef", "text/plain"],
        [".pkgundef", "text/plain"],
        [".pko", "application/vnd.ms-pki.pko"],
        [".pls", "audio/scpls"],
        [".pma", "application/x-perfmon"],
        [".pmc", "application/x-perfmon"],
        [".pml", "application/x-perfmon"],
        [".pmr", "application/x-perfmon"],
        [".pmw", "application/x-perfmon"],
        [".png", "image/png"],
        [".pnm", "image/x-portable-anymap"],
        [".pnt", "image/x-macpaint"],
        [".pntg", "image/x-macpaint"],
        [".pnz", "image/png"],
        [".pot", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint"],
        [".potm", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.template.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".potx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.template"],
        [".ppa", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint"],
        [".ppam", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.addin.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".ppm", "image/x-portable-pixmap"],
        [".pps", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint"],
        [".ppsm", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.slideshow.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".ppsx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.slideshow"],
        [".ppt", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint"],
        [".pptm", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.presentation.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".pptx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation"],
        [".prf", "application/pics-rules"],
        [".prm", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".prx", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".ps", "application/postscript"],
        [".psc1", "application/PowerShell"],
        [".psd", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".psess", "application/xml"],
        [".psm", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".psp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".pub", "application/x-mspublisher"],
        [".pwz", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint"],
        [".qht", "text/x-html-insertion"],
        [".qhtm", "text/x-html-insertion"],
        [".qt", "video/quicktime"],
        [".qti", "image/x-quicktime"],
        [".qtif", "image/x-quicktime"],
        [".qtl", "application/x-quicktimeplayer"],
        [".qxd", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".ra", "audio/x-pn-realaudio"],
        [".ram", "audio/x-pn-realaudio"],
        [".rar", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".ras", "image/x-cmu-raster"],
        [".rat", "application/rat-file"],
        [".rc", "text/plain"],
        [".rc2", "text/plain"],
        [".rct", "text/plain"],
        [".rdlc", "application/xml"],
        [".resx", "application/xml"],
        [".rf", "image/vnd.rn-realflash"],
        [".rgb", "image/x-rgb"],
        [".rgs", "text/plain"],
        [".rm", "application/vnd.rn-realmedia"],
        [".rmi", "audio/mid"],
        [".rmp", "application/vnd.rn-rn_music_package"],
        [".roff", "application/x-troff"],
        [".rpm", "audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin"],
        [".rqy", "text/x-ms-rqy"],
        [".rtf", "application/rtf"],
        [".rtx", "text/richtext"],
        [".ruleset", "application/xml"],
        [".s", "text/plain"],
        [".safariextz", "application/x-safari-safariextz"],
        [".scd", "application/x-msschedule"],
        [".sct", "text/scriptlet"],
        [".sd2", "audio/x-sd2"],
        [".sdp", "application/sdp"],
        [".sea", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".searchConnector-ms", "application/windows-search-connector+xml"],
        [".setpay", "application/set-payment-initiation"],
        [".setreg", "application/set-registration-initiation"],
        [".settings", "application/xml"],
        [".sgimb", "application/x-sgimb"],
        [".sgml", "text/sgml"],
        [".sh", "application/x-sh"],
        [".shar", "application/x-shar"],
        [".shtml", "text/html"],
        [".sit", "application/x-stuffit"],
        [".sitemap", "application/xml"],
        [".skin", "application/xml"],
        [".sldm", "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.slide.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".sldx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.slide"],
        [".slk", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".sln", "text/plain"],
        [".slupkg-ms", "application/x-ms-license"],
        [".smd", "audio/x-smd"],
        [".smi", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".smx", "audio/x-smd"],
        [".smz", "audio/x-smd"],
        [".snd", "audio/basic"],
        [".snippet", "application/xml"],
        [".snp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".sol", "text/plain"],
        [".sor", "text/plain"],
        [".spc", "application/x-pkcs7-certificates"],
        [".spl", "application/futuresplash"],
        [".src", "application/x-wais-source"],
        [".srf", "text/plain"],
        [".SSISDeploymentManifest", "text/xml"],
        [".ssm", "application/streamingmedia"],
        [".sst", "application/vnd.ms-pki.certstore"],
        [".stl", "application/vnd.ms-pki.stl"],
        [".sv4cpio", "application/x-sv4cpio"],
        [".sv4crc", "application/x-sv4crc"],
        [".svc", "application/xml"],
        [".swf", "application/x-shockwave-flash"],
        [".t", "application/x-troff"],
        [".tar", "application/x-tar"],
        [".tcl", "application/x-tcl"],
        [".testrunconfig", "application/xml"],
        [".testsettings", "application/xml"],
        [".tex", "application/x-tex"],
        [".texi", "application/x-texinfo"],
        [".texinfo", "application/x-texinfo"],
        [".tgz", "application/x-compressed"],
        [".thmx", "application/vnd.ms-officetheme"],
        [".thn", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".tif", "image/tiff"],
        [".tiff", "image/tiff"],
        [".tlh", "text/plain"],
        [".tli", "text/plain"],
        [".toc", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".tr", "application/x-troff"],
        [".trm", "application/x-msterminal"],
        [".trx", "application/xml"],
        [".ts", "video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"],
        [".tsv", "text/tab-separated-values"],
        [".ttf", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".tts", "video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"],
        [".txt", "text/plain"],
        [".u32", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".uls", "text/iuls"],
        [".user", "text/plain"],
        [".ustar", "application/x-ustar"],
        [".vb", "text/plain"],
        [".vbdproj", "text/plain"],
        [".vbk", "video/mpeg"],
        [".vbproj", "text/plain"],
        [".vbs", "text/vbscript"],
        [".vcf", "text/x-vcard"],
        [".vcproj", "Application/xml"],
        [".vcs", "text/plain"],
        [".vcxproj", "Application/xml"],
        [".vddproj", "text/plain"],
        [".vdp", "text/plain"],
        [".vdproj", "text/plain"],
        [".vdx", "application/vnd.ms-visio.viewer"],
        [".vml", "text/xml"],
        [".vscontent", "application/xml"],
        [".vsct", "text/xml"],
        [".vsd", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".vsi", "application/ms-vsi"],
        [".vsix", "application/vsix"],
        [".vsixlangpack", "text/xml"],
        [".vsixmanifest", "text/xml"],
        [".vsmdi", "application/xml"],
        [".vspscc", "text/plain"],
        [".vss", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".vsscc", "text/plain"],
        [".vssettings", "text/xml"],
        [".vssscc", "text/plain"],
        [".vst", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".vstemplate", "text/xml"],
        [".vsto", "application/x-ms-vsto"],
        [".vsw", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".vsx", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".vtx", "application/vnd.visio"],
        [".wav", "audio/wav"],
        [".wave", "audio/wav"],
        [".wax", "audio/x-ms-wax"],
        [".wbk", "application/msword"],
        [".wbmp", "image/vnd.wap.wbmp"],
        [".wcm", "application/vnd.ms-works"],
        [".wdb", "application/vnd.ms-works"],
        [".wdp", "image/vnd.ms-photo"],
        [".webarchive", "application/x-safari-webarchive"],
        [".webtest", "application/xml"],
        [".wiq", "application/xml"],
        [".wiz", "application/msword"],
        [".wks", "application/vnd.ms-works"],
        [".WLMP", "application/wlmoviemaker"],
        [".wlpginstall", "application/x-wlpg-detect"],
        [".wlpginstall3", "application/x-wlpg3-detect"],
        [".wm", "video/x-ms-wm"],
        [".wma", "audio/x-ms-wma"],
        [".wmd", "application/x-ms-wmd"],
        [".wmf", "application/x-msmetafile"],
        [".wml", "text/vnd.wap.wml"],
        [".wmlc", "application/vnd.wap.wmlc"],
        [".wmls", "text/vnd.wap.wmlscript"],
        [".wmlsc", "application/vnd.wap.wmlscriptc"],
        [".wmp", "video/x-ms-wmp"],
        [".wmv", "video/x-ms-wmv"],
        [".wmx", "video/x-ms-wmx"],
        [".wmz", "application/x-ms-wmz"],
        [".wpl", "application/vnd.ms-wpl"],
        [".wps", "application/vnd.ms-works"],
        [".wri", "application/x-mswrite"],
        [".wrl", "x-world/x-vrml"],
        [".wrz", "x-world/x-vrml"],
        [".wsc", "text/scriptlet"],
        [".wsdl", "text/xml"],
        [".wvx", "video/x-ms-wvx"],
        [".x", "application/directx"],
        [".xaf", "x-world/x-vrml"],
        [".xaml", "application/xaml+xml"],
        [".xap", "application/x-silverlight-app"],
        [".xbap", "application/x-ms-xbap"],
        [".xbm", "image/x-xbitmap"],
        [".xdr", "text/plain"],
        [".xht", "application/xhtml+xml"],
        [".xhtml", "application/xhtml+xml"],
        [".xla", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xlam", "application/vnd.ms-excel.addin.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".xlc", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xld", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xlk", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xll", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xlm", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xls", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xlsb", "application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.binary.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".xlsm", "application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".xlsx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet"],
        [".xlt", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xltm", "application/vnd.ms-excel.template.macroEnabled.12"],
        [".xltx", "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template"],
        [".xlw", "application/vnd.ms-excel"],
        [".xml", "text/xml"],
        [".xmta", "application/xml"],
        [".xof", "x-world/x-vrml"],
        [".XOML", "text/plain"],
        [".xpm", "image/x-xpixmap"],
        [".xps", "application/vnd.ms-xpsdocument"],
        [".xrm-ms", "text/xml"],
        [".xsc", "application/xml"],
        [".xsd", "text/xml"],
        [".xsf", "text/xml"],
        [".xsl", "text/xml"],
        [".xslt", "text/xml"],
        [".xsn", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".xss", "application/xml"],
        [".xtp", "application/octet-stream"],
        [".xwd", "image/x-xwindowdump"],
        [".z", "application/x-compress"],
        [".zip", "application/x-zip-compressed"]
];

// ----------------------- End of Extensions to MIME --------- //

for me this is working ok tested in chrome v72

function down_file(url,name){
var a = $("<a>")
    .attr("href", url)
    .attr("download", name)
    .appendTo("body");
a[0].click();
a.remove();
}

down_file('https://www.useotools.com/uploads/nulogo[1].png','logo.png')

Maybe just have your javascript open a page that just downloads a file, like when you drag a download link to a new tab:

Window.open("https://www.MyServer.
Org/downloads/ardiuno/WgiWho=?:8080")

With the opened window open a download page that auto closes.


let args = {"data":htmlData,"filename":exampleName}

To create a HTMl file and download

window.downloadHTML = function(args) {
var data, filename, link;
var csv = args.data;
if (csv == null) return;
filename = args.filename || 'report.html';
data = 'data:text/html;charset=utf-8,' + encodeURIComponent(csv);
console.log(data);
link = document.createElement('a');
link.setAttribute('href', data);
link.setAttribute('download', filename);
document.body.appendChild(link);
link.click();
document.body.removeChild(link);}

To create and download a CSV

window.downloadCSV = function(args) {
var data, filename, link;
var csv = args.data;
if (csv == null) return;
filename = args.filename || 'report.csv';
if (!csv.match(/^data:text\/csv/i)) {
    csv = 'data:text/csv;charset=utf-8,' + csv;
}
data = encodeURI(csv);
link = document.createElement('a');
link.setAttribute('href', data);
link.setAttribute('download', filename);
document.body.appendChild(link);
link.click();
document.body.removeChild(link);

}


I have had good results with using a FORM tag since it works everywhere and you don't have to create temporarily files on server. The method works like this.

On the client side (page HTML) you create an invisible form like this

<form method="POST" action="/download.php" target="_blank" id="downloadForm">
    <input type="hidden" name="data" id="csv">
</form>

Then you add this Javascript code to your button:

$('#button').click(function() {
     $('#csv').val('---your data---');
     $('#downloadForm').submit();
}

The on the server-side you have the following PHP code in download.php:

<?php
header('Content-Type: text/csv');
header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=out.csv');
header('Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary');
header('Connection: Keep-Alive');
header('Expires: 0');
header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0');
header('Pragma: public');
header('Content-Length: ' . strlen($data));

echo $_REQUEST['data'];
exit();

You can even create zip files of your data like this:

<?php

$file = tempnam("tmp", "zip");

$zip = new ZipArchive();
$zip->open($file, ZipArchive::OVERWRITE);
$zip->addFromString('test.csv', $_REQUEST['data']);
$zip->close();

header('Content-Type: application/zip');
header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($file));
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="file.zip"');
readfile($file);
unlink($file); 

The best part is it does not leave any residual files on your server since everything is created and destroyed on the fly!


This could be helpful if you are not require to navigate another page. This is base javascript function, so can be used in any platform where backend is in Javascript

window.location.assign('any url or file path')

Firefox and Chrome tested:

var link = document.createElement('a');
link.download = 'fileName.ext'
link.href = 'http://down.serv/file.ext';

// Because firefox not executing the .click() well
// We need to create mouse event initialization.
var clickEvent = document.createEvent("MouseEvent");
clickEvent.initEvent("click", true, true);

link.dispatchEvent(clickEvent);

This is actually the "chrome" way solution for firefox (I am not tested it on other browsers, so please leave comments about the compilability)


function downloadURI(uri, name) 
{
    var link = document.createElement("a");
    // If you don't know the name or want to use
    // the webserver default set name = ''
    link.setAttribute('download', name);
    link.href = uri;
    document.body.appendChild(link);
    link.click();
    link.remove();
}

Check if your target browser(s) will run the above snippet smoothly:
http://caniuse.com/#feat=download


Note: Not supported in all browsers.

I was looking for a way to download a file using jquery without having to set the file url in the href attribute from the beginning.

_x000D_
_x000D_
jQuery('<a/>', {_x000D_
    id: 'downloadFile',_x000D_
    href: 'http://cdn.sstatic.net/Sites/stackoverflow/img/[email protected]',_x000D_
    style: 'display:hidden;',_x000D_
    download: ''_x000D_
}).appendTo('body');_x000D_
_x000D_
$("#downloadFile")[0].click();
_x000D_
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_


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