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This wikiHow teaches you how to increase the download speed of items downloaded through Internet Download Manager (IDM), which is a download accelerator for Windows computers. While IDM already has the potential to speed up your downloads, you can further increase download speed by increasing the number of available connections, disabling the speed limiter, clearing downloaded items, and scheduling downloads for low-traffic times.

Part 1
Part 1 of 5:

Increasing Connections

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  1. If you don't have IDM yet, download it from https://www.internetdownloadmanager.com and install it before continuing.
  2. This is a gear-shaped icon at the top of the IDM window.
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  3. It's on the right side of the Internet Download Manager Configuration page.
  4. Click the drop-down box
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    below the "Connection Type/Speed" heading near the top of the page, then click the High speed option.
    • The high speed option is entitled High speed: Direct connection (Ethernet/Cable) / Wi-Fi / Mobile 4G / other .
  5. Click the drop-down box
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    to the right of the "Default max. conn. number" item, then click 16 , 24 , or 32 .
    • Only perform this step if your computer, router, and connection type are all high-performance models. Otherwise, increasing connections will actually decrease download speed.
    • Using the maximum number of connections available may get your IP address blacklisted on some download sites if you download more than one file at a time.
  6. It's at the bottom of the window. This will save your connection settings.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 5:

Disabling the Speed Limiter

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  1. It's in the upper-left side of the Internet Download Manager window.
  2. This option is near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  3. Doing so prevents IDM from capping your download speed.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 5:

Decreasing Simultaneous Downloads

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  1. This clock-shaped icon is at the top of the IDM window.
  2. It's near the top of the Scheduler window.
  3. Click the
    Android 7 Dropdown
    arrow to the left of the "Download" text until the number next to "Download" is 1. This will increase the speed of one specific download drastically.
    • You may want to change this setting after downloading a high-priority file.
  4. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so saves your settings.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 5:

Scheduling Downloads

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  1. It's to the left of the Files in the queue tab. If you have pending downloads in your queue, you can schedule them to download during a lower-traffic time (e.g., midnight).
  2. It's near the top of the page.
  3. Change the time in the box to the right of the "Start download at" heading to the time at which you want to start the download.
  4. If you want to ensure that your files are completely downloaded, don't set a mandatory cut-off.
    • If your network requires you to download for less than a certain amount of time or you're downloading while away from the computer, you might want to set a download time.
  5. This will schedule any downloads in your queue for your specified time.
  6. In order for your files to download when scheduled, the IDM icon must be present in your computer's notification area.
    • You can click
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      on the left side of the taskbar's notification area to make sure the IDM icon is there.
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Part 5
Part 5 of 5:

Clearing Downloaded Items

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  1. This feature is only available if you have registered IDM.
  2. It's near the top of the drop-down window.
  3. This will delete all downloaded items from IDM's history, which will free up RAM (memory) space for current downloads.
  4. If you've cleared the downloads but your current files aren't downloading any faster, try closing and re-opening IDM.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is this program free? Does it really work?
    Community Answer
    Yes, it's totally legit and it really works. There was a constant speed between 800KB/sec to 2MB/sec. I could download 42GB within a day and a half.
  • Question
    Will this work when downloading stuff from Google Chrome?
    Community Answer
    If you have IDM, it will automatically download through IDM, not through Google Chrome.
  • Question
    Where is the open option in point number five?
    Community Answer
    Just press ctrl+alt+delete, and select Open Task Manager. Or simply search for it in the Windows menu.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open IDM.
      2. Click Options .
      3. Click Connection .
      4. Change your connection type and speed.
      5. Select a larger number from the "Max. Connections" menu.
      6. Click OK .
      7. Click the Downloads menu.
      8. Select the Speed Limiter menu.
      9. Click Turn off .

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      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 457,809 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Abhijit Gadge

        May 21, 2017

        "This helped me to configure my IDM, it looks like my IDM has increased in speed. Thanks! "
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