How can I increase download speed on Mac?

Being online is being connected to the rest of the big world. If you have enough speed in your connection it means you can download videos, play online games, skype with your extended family, etc. Even with a reasonable good connection sometimes it feels like it needs a boost to go faster.

Of course the speed of Internet connection depends on your network capabilities, the service your provider offers, and on your computer capabilities as well.

When you need to download large files, like movies for example, you'll probably become interested in the methods to boost download speed on Mac.

How to accelerate download speed on Mac

1. Use third-party apps
• • Folx
• • JDownloader
2. Use Firefox add-on
3. Manage the download process
• • Don't download too many files at a time
• • Check your ISP
• • Limit your upload rate
4. Consider external factors

1. Use third-party apps

There are numerous third-party apps that can accelerate download speed and the best example comes from download managers. We’ve analyzed and tested two of the most powerful and reliable ones available now. Here’s our conclusions regarding these two software you can use to speed up downloads on Mac.

Here is how to maximize download speed on Mac with Folx:

1. Open Folx after installation and add a download task to it. The download will be split in threads automatically to increase download speed.
2. If you want to manually set up number of threads to speed up download choose between 2 and 20 in the ‘Split into’ field.
3. Click OK and see for yourself how your actions boost download speed on Mac.

Folx PRO also has a rich feature list to add to lightning fast downloading. Additionally to download manager it is also a torrent client.

Jdownloader

JDownloader is an open-source download tool for Mac. With this downloader you'll need to specify the number of connections for downloading files. As we mentioned before the number of connections is directly connected to the downloading speed.

Using JDownloader, you can choose when to initiate a download, pause it whenever you need or stop the entire process. Besides the fact you accelerate download speed, you can also auto-extract archives, enable bandwidth limitations as well as other settings.

2. Use Firefox add-on

If you were wondering how to make download speeds faster on Mac using a browser extension, DownThemAll (or simply dTa) is a very easy to use and powerful Mozilla Firefox extension that allows you to take full control of any download process on your computer.

DownThemAll can be used to increase download speed Mac users get as a standard and it also serves as an excellent download manager, allowing you to better organise your downloads.

3. Manage the download process

You can increase download speed by managing the download process wisely. Below, you will find some tips that should hopefully help you boost the download speed on Mac.

It is easy to forget that you started tenth download while nine others are still active. However it affects the download speed tremendously. Try pausing less urgent downloads to dedicate more traffic to the most important files.

Make sure to check the max download and upload bandwidths allowed by your ISP. Of course the torrent downloading speed won't go over what is set up by the ISP. Use bandwidth tester to see what you have and how to increase it. You can use speed.io or DSLReports included in the speed test of uTorrent.

Sharing is caring, and peer-to-peer connection is all about that. But an unlimited setting on upload affects your downloading too. It is a good idea to set your torrent client upload rate to about 80% of your maximum upload speed. Also try to play with your upload speeds – set the speed high initially and then gradually lower it towards the middle of the download. Pay attention to speed units – they can either be kilobits per second (kb/sec) or kilobytes per second (kB/sec). 1 kilobyte = 8 kilobit.

4. Consider external factors

1. The Internet Service Provider. When considering how to maximize download speed on Mac, you need to be aware that some ISPs use fibre optics while other go for copper wires to transmit Internet. It goes without saying that with the copper networks you have a slight disadvantage because on longer distances, some of the speed is lost. On the other hand, fiber optics do not have any issues with distance and the information travels faster, your downloads mac as well. The number of connected users can also represent a problem for copper networks since with multiple people downloading at the same time, the speed drops.
2. The data package you subscribed to. The higher the subscription, the faster your Internet will be. You can choose from 10 MB/s, 100 MB/s or 1000 MB/s. Even though it may sound like stating the obvious, this is a thing to be taken into consideration.
3. Sometimes, you can increase download speed Mac computers offer by upgrading the Mac itself. Old computers have less memory and will run slower even if the Internet connection is very good.
4. The connection between your modem and the computer is another factor that can influence the download speed. A wire connection is faster, however it has its disadvantages. Also, the modern wireless connections offer better speeds since you can opt for 5Ghz frequencies on the 802.11n protocol, compared to the 2.4 Ghz of older modems.
5. The moment when you download. May sound like a superstition but sometimes you will get slower internet speed in the evening when everyone is using an Internet-connected device.
6. Speed limitations on the websites you visit. Even though it’s not that common, some websites can choose to apply speed limitations.
7. Sharing your connection with other devices and people in the room or building. All the devices connected to the same network will put a much greater stress on the download speed.
8. Software that uses a lot of bandwidth, such as Torrent clients or Spyware that could take up a lot of your efforts to accelerate download speed.

As you can see, the speed of your downloads depends on many factors. Some of them are beyond your reach, but some can be tempered with. The easiest and convenient way to adjust download speed is to use software with special features on your Mac.The best choice to speed up your downloads is Folx - fast and user-friendly download manager and torrent client. Do you know any other tips and tricks to increase download speed? Don’t hesitate sharing your thoughts in the comments below and help others out in the process.