How to Speed Up a Broadband Download

1. Close any programs that are open on your computer. Open applications and Web browsers can take up a lot of computer resources, including bandwidth. Additional tabs in a browser take up about as much memory as opening a whole new browser.
2. Install and use a download manager. Download managers can more efficiently handle the downloading of files than Web browsers, especially if you have a problem and need to restart the download.
3. Download the same file from another location. Some files exist on other sites and servers, called mirrors. Read the download instructions on the webpage to see if the file is hosted on another server or mirror. If another site exists the file may download faster from there. You may have a fast connection, but the computer on which the file is hosted may be slow or have many people accessing it at once and slowing it down.
4. Increase your connection speed. Talk to your broadband provider to determine if you can get a faster connection and how much more it will cost. Check your connection speed with a speed test website as well. You may not be getting all of the speed for which you are paying.