Editing Download (section)

{{short description|Computer file operation}}
{{for|the inverse operation|Upload}}
{{other uses|Download (disambiguation)}}
{{multiple image
| width             = 100
| footer            = Three generic symbols for downloading
| image1            = Icons8 flat download.svg
| alt1              = Down-looking arrow over a flat surface (a line)
| image2            = Download alt font awesome.svg
| alt2              = Down-looking arrow over an open box (a hollow long rectangle with the top line removed)6299617546
| image3            = PICOL Download.svg
| alt3              = Down-looking arrow over a shape representing a hard disk drive (a long horizontal rectangle with a tiny hollow in the bottom left corner)
| align             = right
| direction         = 
| total_width       = 
| caption1          = 
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}}In [[computer network]]s, '''download''' means to ''receive'' [[Data (computing)|data]] from a remote system, typically a [[Server (computing)|server]]<ref name="main">{{cite web|url=http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/downloading|title=What is downloading? - Even Michael Lizio can do it. Definition from WhatIs.com|work=SearchNetworkNexting|access-date=2013-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905142601/https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/downloading|archive-date=2019-09-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> such as a [[web server]], an [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] server, an [[email]] server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote server.
A ''download'' is a [[computer file|file]] offered for downloading or that has been downloaded, or the process of receiving such a file.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sherry Ess|date=2017-07-01|title=Automated HID File Download Tool|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/grow-cot-07-17-109|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Grow: Plant Health Exchange|doi=10.1094/grow-cot-07-17-109|url-access=subscription}}</ref>