How to trigger a file download when clicking an HTML button or JavaScript

Question

This is crazy but I don't know how to do this, and because of how common the words are, it's hard to find what I need on search engines. I'm thinking this should be an easy one to answer.

I want a simple file download, that would do the same as this:

<a href="file.doc">Download!</a>

But I want to use an HTML button, e.g. either of these:

<input type="button" value="Download!">
<button>Download!</button>

Likewise, is it possible to trigger a simple download via JavaScript?

$("#fileRequest").click(function(){ /* code to download? */ });

I'm definitely not looking for a way to create an anchor that looks like a button, use any back-end scripts, or mess with server headers or mime types.

Answer 1

For the button you can do

<form method="get" action="file.doc">
   <button type="submit">Download!</button>
</form>

Answer 2

You can trigger a download with the HTML5 download attribute.

<a href="path_to_file" download="proposed_file_name">Download</a>

Where:

• path_to_file is a path that resolves to an URL on the same origin. That means the page and the file must share the same domain, subdomain, protocol (HTTP vs. HTTPS), and port (if specified). Exceptions are blob: and data: (which always work), and file: (which never works).
• proposed_file_name is the filename to save to. If it is blank, the browser defaults to the file's name.

Documentation: MDN, HTML Standard on downloading, HTML Standard on download, CanIUse

Answer 3

HTML:

<button type="submit" onclick="window.open('file.doc')">Download!</button>

Answer 4

With jQuery:

$("#fileRequest").click(function() {
    // hope the server sets Content-Disposition: attachment!
    window.location = 'file.doc';
});

Answer 5

A simple JS solution:

function download(url) {
  const a = document.createElement('a')
  a.href = url
  a.download = url.split('/').pop()
  document.body.appendChild(a)
  a.click()
  document.body.removeChild(a)
}

Answer 6

You can do it with "trick" with invisible iframe. When you set "src" to it, browser reacts as if you would click a link with the same "href". As opposite to solution with form, it enables you to embed additional logic, for example activating download after timeout, when some conditions are met etc.

It is also very silient, there's no blinking new window/tab like when using window.open.

HTML:

<iframe id="invisible" style="display:none;"></iframe>

Javascript:

function download() {
    var iframe = document.getElementById('invisible');
    iframe.src = "file.doc";
}

Answer 7

Bootstrap Version

<a class="btn btn-danger" role="button" href="path_to_file"
   download="proposed_file_name">
  Download
</a>

Documented in Bootstrap 4 docs, and works in Bootstrap 3 as well.

Answer 8

I think this is the solution you were looking for

<button type="submit" onclick="window.location.href='file.doc'">Download!</button>

I hade a case where my Javascript generated a CSV file. Since there is no remote URL to download it I use the following implementation.

downloadCSV: function(data){
    var MIME_TYPE = "text/csv";

    var blob = new Blob([data], {type: MIME_TYPE});
    window.location.href = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob);
}

Answer 9

You can hide the download link and make the button click it.

<button onclick="document.getElementById('link').click()">Download!</button>
<a id="link" href="file.doc" download hidden></a>

Answer 10

What about:

<input type="button" value="Download Now!" onclick="window.location = 'file.doc';">

Answer 11

If your looking for a vanilla JavaScript (no jQuery) solution and without using the HTML5 attribute you could try this.

const download = document.getElementById("fileRequest");

download.addEventListener('click', request);

function request() {
    window.location = 'document.docx';
}

.dwnld-cta {
    border-radius: 15px 15px;
    width: 100px;
    line-height: 22px
}

<h1>Download File</h1>
<button id="fileRequest" class="dwnld-cta">Download</button>

Answer 12

This is what finally worked for me since the file to be downloaded was determined when the page is loaded.

JS to update the form's action attribute:

function setFormAction() {
    document.getElementById("myDownloadButtonForm").action = //some code to get the filename;
}

Calling JS to update the form's action attribute:

<body onLoad="setFormAction();">

Form tag with the submit button:

<form method="get" id="myDownloadButtonForm" action="">
    Click to open document:  
    <button type="submit">Open Document</button>
</form>

The following did NOT work:

<form method="get" id="myDownloadButtonForm" action="javascript:someFunctionToReturnFileName();">

Answer 13

Anywhere between your <body> and </body> tags, put in a button using the below code:

<button>
    <a href="file.doc" download>Click to Download!</a>
</button>

This is sure to work!

Answer 14

If you can't use form, another approach with downloadjs fit nice. Downloadjs use blob and html 5 file API under the hood:

<div onClick=(()=>{downloadjs(url, filename)})/>

*it's jsx/react syntax, but can be used in pure html

Answer 15

In my original answer, I offered a work around that does not work any longer: If the file to be downloaded is not on the same server, the attribute download does not work. The problem is that the attribute download does only work when the file to be downloaded is on the same server of the tab. Others have faced this problem too and the problem is extensively covered at Chrome Download Attribute not working.

Original answer:

There is a difference between loading a file and downloading a file. The following html code loads a file:

<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/top-secret.pdf">loading on the same tab</a>

After clicking on this link, your current tab will be replaced with the pdf-file that can then be downloaded. On right-clicking on this link, you can choose the menu item save link as for downloading the file directly. If you wish to obtain a save as dialog on clicking on such a link, you might want to take the following code:

<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/top-secret.pdf?download=1">save as...</a>

Your browser will download this file immediately if you choose to use a download directory in your options. Otherwise, your browser will be offering a save as-dialog.

You can also choose a button for downloading:

<button type="submit" onclick="window.open('http://www.fbi.gov/top-secret.pdf?download=1')">
    save as...
</button>

If you wish to load the link on a new tab, you take

<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/top-secret.pdf" target="_blank">loading on a new tab</a>

A form element does not heed the directive ?download=1. It only heeds the directive target="_blank":

<form method="get" action="http://www.fbi.gov/top-secret.pdf" target="_blank">
    <button type="submit">loading on a new tab</button>
</form>

Answer 16

<a href="file.doc"><button>Download!</button></a>

One of the simplest way for button and the text-decoration will help to alter or to remove the text decoration of the link.

Answer 17

In my testing the following works for all file types and browsers as long as you use a relative link:

<a href="/assets/hello.txt" download="my_file.txt"><button>Download 2</button></a>

• /assets/hello.txt is just a relative path on my site. Change it to your own relative path.
• my_file.txt is the name you want the file to be called when it is downloaded.

Explanation

I noticed there were comments under a lot of the answers that said the browser would just try to open the file itself rather than downloading it depending on the file type. I discovered this to be true.

I made two buttons to test it out using two different methods:

<button onclick="window.location.href='/assets/hello.txt';">Download 1</button>

<a href="/assets/hello.txt" download="my_file.txt"><button>Download 2</button></a>

Notes:

• Button 1 opened the text file in a new browser tab. However, Button 1 would download the file for file types that it couldn't open itself (for example, .apk files).
• Button 2 downloaded the text file. However, Button 2 only downloaded the file if the path was relative. When I changed the path to an absolute path, then the browser opened it in a new tab.

I tested this on Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.

Answer 18

Another way of doing in case you have a complex URL such as file.doc?foo=bar&jon=doe is to add hidden field inside the form

<form method="get" action="file.doc">
  <input type="hidden" name="foo" value="bar" />
  <input type="hidden" name="john" value="doe" />
  <button type="submit">Download Now</button>
</form>

inspired on @Cfreak answer which is not complete

Answer 19

The solution I have come up with is that you can use download attribute in anchor tag but it will only work if your html file is on the server. but you may have a question like while designing a simple html page how can we check that for that you can use VS code live server or bracket live server and you will see your download attribute will work but if you will try to open it simply by just double clicking html page it open the file instead of downloading it. conclusion: attribute download in anchor tag only works if your html file is no server.

Answer 20

For me ading button instead of anchor text works really well.

<a href="file.doc"><button>Download!</button></a>

It might not be ok by most rules, but it looks pretty good.

Answer 21

If you use the <a> tag, do not forget to use the entire url which leads to the file -- i.e.:

<a href="http://www.example.com/folder1/file.doc">Download</a>