Tutorial how to Download with IDM in automatic mode

This method to start downloads is the easiest one. IDM takes over downloads from Internet Explorer, MSN Explorer, AOL, Opera, Mozilla and Netscape browsers, and starts downloading files automatically when users click on download links.

If you click on a download link in Internet Explorer or in another browser, IDM will take over and accelerate this download. In this case you don't need to do anything special, just browse the Internet as you usually do. IDM takes over a download from Internet Explorer if its type matches the list of types/extensions. The list of file types/extensions to download with IDM can be edited in Options->General. If IDM has taken over a download, it shows the following dialog

Download File Info Dialog

If you click on Download Later button, URL (web address) will be added to the list of downloads, but the download process doesn't start. If you click on Start Download button, IDM will start downloading the file immediately. IDM lets you associate your downloads with IDM categories. IDM suggests the category and the default download directory according to file type. You may edit categories, delete and add new categories in the main IDM window. If you want to see the contents of a zip file before downloading, you may click on Preview button.

IDM will take over any download if you hold down the CTRL key while clicking its download link in Internet Explorer. (you should check "Use CTRL key with IE click monitoring" box in "IDM Options->General").

If you hold down the ALT key while clicking on a download link in IE, IDM will not take over the download and let Internet Explorer download the file. (you should check "Use ALT key with IE click monitoring" box in "IDM Options->General")

If you don't want IDM to take over any downloads from a browser, turn off the browser integration in IDM options. After turning off or on the browser integration in "IDM Options->General", don't forget to restart the browser.

Remember if Internet Download Manager had problems downloading file, you should press Alt while clicking on a link to let the browser process the download.

Important things you have to know in IDM

The main window shows a list of downloaded files. This list includes additional information about downloaded files like file size, download status, estimated time to complete, current download speed and download description. You can sort the list by any column by clicking on a column header.

Download control buttons (Add URL, Start/Resume, Stop, Stop All, Delete, Delete All Completed, Options, Scheduler, Start Queue, Stop Queue, Tell A Friend) are located above the list. They can be in active or disabled state depending on what actions are possible for the current selection of downloads.

Click on Tell a Friend button to tell your friends about Internet Download Manager!

You can add a new file to download with Add URL button. You can either enter new URL in the text box or select URL from existing ones. You can also specify login information if the server demands authorization by checking "Use authorization" box.

If URL format is valid, "Save As" dialog will appear where you can type file description and choose the path where the file is to be saved. Alternatively you can add description later in "Download Properties" dialog. There are three buttons on the bottom of the dialog window. If you want to cancel the download, press on Cancel button.

If you want to start downloading immediately, press on Start/Resume Download. That will bring file IDM file download dialog. The dialog let you get an additional control over the download. It also shows download progress, average download speed, estimated time to complete, current download state, whether resume is supported by the server, etc. The dialog also has a chart to display download progress for each downloaded file segment.

You can press Pause button to postpone downloading, or Cancel to stop download and to close the dialog. You can always resume download at any time. Note that Resume button restarts download from the last saved position only if remote server supports this function.

Stop button stops downloads for selected files. You can also stop download by pushing Cancel button in File Download dialog or by closing the dialog. Stop All button stops all downloads in progress.

Delete button deletes selected files from the download list. It's enabled only for complete or paused file downloads. If file download is not complete, IDM will ask for the confirmation to delete it from the list.

Delete Completed button (available only in registered versions) deletes all complete downloads from the list.

Scheduler button starts Scheduler dialog window where you can set a time to download files in queues or assign synchronization tasks.

All main controls are also available in File menu as well as in Popup menu with the right mouse click on a file in the Download List.

You can pick Properties item in popup menu to see/edit properties of the selected file. You can change the location to save file, add description, change URL or server login information (username and password).

Categories

In the left side of the main part of the window is a tree of download categories. Internet Download Manager offers the categories feature to organize and manage your files.  If you don't need it, you may simply close Categories window and don't select any categories when downloading files. Every download category has a name, a default download directory and a list of associated file types. IDM has several predefined categories like Music, Video, Programs, Documents, etc. You may delete, edit them, or add your own categories.

 

 

 

 

Right clicking on a categories item will show a menu to allow you to add a new categories, or to edit or delete existing items. When adding a category, you may choose the file extensions to associate with the category, and you may select the default download directory where to place the files of this category.

 

 

 

 

 

For example, Documents category could have the following extensions "doc pdf xls txt" and the following default download category "c:\downloads\documents".

IDM will suggest the category and the folder automatically when you download or save files that match the list of file types. If you disable save file dialogs in IDM options, IDM will place downloads to their designated folders automatically.

IDM Queues

IDM has 2 main queues: download queue and synchronization queue. Also you can create any number of additional queues.

You can schedule the start and the stop times of download/synchronization queues, or you can start and stop download queues manually. The main IDM list of downloads has "Q" column that shows which queue downloads belong to.

 

 

 

 

The icon with three yellow files means that the download belongs to the main download queue, three green files icon stands for the main synchronization queue. The icon with two yellow and the icon with two green files show that the download belongs to an additional download queue and an additional synchronization queue correspondingly. If a queue is scheduled for the start, then its icon has a small clock sign.

The categories field of the main IDM window has "Queues" node that shows the list of queues.

 

 

 

When you select a queue in the list, the main IDM list of downloads shows only the files that belong to the selected queue. The queues in this list have a simple and convenient context menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To display context menu you can either right click on the queue, or select the queue and press context menu button on the keyboard.

When you add a new file to download, IDM adds it to the main download queue by default, and IDM deletes the file form the download queue when its download is complete.

You can move or add files from one queue to another with the following ways:

• using corresponding menu item in the context menu of the main download list
• using "drag and drop" from the main download list to the list of queues on the main IDM window
• using "drag and drop" from the list of files to the list of queues on IDM scheduler dialog, Note that downloaded files won't move to the download queues (only to synchronization queues)

Starting and stopping queues

When IDM queue is started, IDM downloads one or several files from the queue at the same time. The number of files to download at the same time can be set for each queue individually on Scheduler -> "Files in the queue" tab.

You can also start (stop) queue processing with the following ways:

• you can press "Start Queue" and "Stop queue" on the main IDM toolbar to start and stop main download queue
• you can use drop-down buttons located near "Start Queue" and "Stop queue" buttons on the toolbar to start/stop other queues. When you click on drop-down buttons, IDM shows the list of queues to select from.

  

• you can pick "Downloads->Start Queue->[Corresponding Queue name]" or "Downloads->Stop Queue->[Corresponding Queue name]" menu items from IDM main menu
• you can pick Start or Stop menu items from queue context menu in the list of queues in "Categories" window
• you can start and stop queues in Scheduler dialog using "Start Now" and "Stop" buttons
• you can also schedule the time to start the queue as well as the time to stop queue processing on Scheduler dialog

How is Dynamic Segmentation and Performance in IDM Work?

IDM Features:

• Dynamic file segmentation that uses in-half division rule
• Full reuse of connections that have finished downloading of assigned segments without additional connect and login stages
• Selectable timeout time and number of connections to tune IDM to your particular connection type

Dynamic file segmentation and connection reuse

Internet Download Manager has optimized file download logic. IDM divides downloaded file on file segments dynamically, unlike other download accelerators that divide downloaded file in segments once just before download process starts. Dynamic segmentation gives significant download performance improvement. When file download starts, it's unclear how many connections may be opened. When new connection becomes available IDM finds the largest segment to download and divide it in half. Thus new connection starts downloading file from the half of the largest file segment. IDM minimizes the time needed for negotiations with servers and keeps all connections busy.

On a progress bar pink lines show start positions, blue - downloaded segments, white - the segments to download.

Once a connection has downloaded a segment (when blue bar comes to a pink line) and if the next connection has not started to downloaded its segment yet, IDM reassignes the segment to the first connection. If the next connection has started to downloaded its segment, first connection helps other slowly working connections by dividing the largest segment in half. IDM won't divide the segment only when its size is too small for this connection type.

When connections have finished downloading all segments, IDM will assemble segments into one file.

IDM saves all file positions several times per minute. Thus after you stoped/paused downloading or even after unexpected power shutoff, IDM will resume download and assemble file correctly.

Pink lines on the picture are new start positions after Resume