# Tor browser blocking downloads
**URL:** https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316
**Category:** Tor Browser Desktop
**Tags:** tor-browser
**Created:** [April 10, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316 "2025-04-10T18:04:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mark42823](https://forum.torproject.org/u/Mark42823)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/1 "2025-04-10T18:04:49Z")
Apologies in advannce for any typos, the box will only show me one line at a time.
Tor browser is blocking my dpwnloads (standard mp4 and mp3 files).
A yellow triangle appears by the download symbol
When I click it, I get a message “Download blocked from - website name”
I can click “allow download”, nothing happens (most likely as many sitess use “tokens” for downloading)…but, I can go back to the site, refresh and start again, then it works…once. After that, I get the “download blocked” thing again.
Sometimes I have to click on File → new idwentgity, then, once again, the first download works, the next afterthat is blocked.
Using a desktop and laptop, both Windows 10, Tor 14.0.9
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### Author:  [@BobbyB](https://forum.torproject.org/u/BobbyB)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/2 "2025-04-12T15:07:51Z")
I’ve seen that behavior (allow download) when Firefox thinks the download file is suspicious or bad or somehow was flagged as unsafe. Regular Firefox fetches the “unsafe” database from Google et al and I imagine Tor would do the same.
What does your AV say about these files?
You could try submitting that file to Virustotal to see if it gets flagged there.
**edited later** :
Your post about refresh and start again then working and File new identity sounds like a website thing and security and nothing to do with Tor.
Remember, Tor is for anonymity not for computer security; security is the job of your anti-virus.
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### Author:  [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2025, 4:49am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/3 "2025-04-13T04:49:06Z")
> [@BobbyB](#):
>
> Regular Firefox fetches the “unsafe” database from Google et al and I imagine Tor would do the same.
Tor Browser does not use (or connect) for Google SafeBrowsing ([Google Safe Browsing - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Safe_Browsing)) - we do not have a API key
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### Author:  [@BobbyB](https://forum.torproject.org/u/BobbyB)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2025, 10:04am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/4 "2025-04-14T10:04:54Z")
OK, now I know this. How or why does it decide to block the download?
I wondered if the AV does the blocking. I ran this experiment.
I picked up a URL from Phishtank which my AV blocked as suspicious. On Tor my AV did not block probably because it has no hooks in Tor.
My own https viewer showed a 200 return code with no data. View Page Source on both Firefox and Tor showed no data.
I concluded this download blocking is done by the browser. I can’t think of anything else.
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### Author:  [@Mark42823](https://forum.torproject.org/u/Mark42823)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2025, 10:05am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/5 "2025-04-14T10:05:37Z")
These files are 100% safe and genuine. My AV agrees.
They mostly fall into 2 categories.
1. Bought, original CDs I’ve ripped to my laptop with Foobar, then zipped with 7 Zip, uploaded by me using Transfer Now dot com.
2. Videos downloaded from Youtube with ad-free and Malware free CNVMP3 dot com,
I know that the downloads are being flagged / blocked falsely, the question is, what can I do about it?
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### Author:  [@BobbyB](https://forum.torproject.org/u/BobbyB)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/6 "2025-04-14T14:13:32Z")
I’ve seen the download block you mention above but only in regular Firefox. I seem to remember that it had already started the download so the data must be analyzed but with what criteria. The difference is that when I clicked “allow” the file then appeared in my download folder. So it seems that the download had already happened. Anyway this is what I remember.
I re-read your original post and it seems to be website related especially the new identity thing.
Do these downloads work properly with regular Firefox. I assume yes.
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### Author:  [@Mark42823](https://forum.torproject.org/u/Mark42823)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/7 "2025-04-14T16:45:56Z")
With regard to CNVMP3 dot com, the websitee is not available here in the UK, hence me using TOR to get around the geo-block.
The Transfernow stuff, my normal Firefox is hardened and the download button is unclickable, so easier to just use Tor…but, generally, yes, dolwnloads work fine in Firefox. In Tor, the first download after “New Identity” works, then I get the download blocked’ thing, even if from the same source…in fact, even if it’s the very same file.
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### Author:  [@dolphin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/dolphin)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/8 "2025-04-14T17:39:34Z")
I also get this from time to time. I think the reason is Firefox is trying to prevent websites from initiating a bunch of downloads. I get the caution on the second download from the same page. It is annoying because as you mentioned the download does not resume properly when I allow it.
It would be nice if someone shared an easy way to disable this behaviour.
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### Author:  [@BobbyB](https://forum.torproject.org/u/BobbyB)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/tor-browser-blocking-downloads/18316/9 "2025-04-15T15:21:47Z")
> [@dolphin](#):
>
> I think the reason is Firefox is trying to prevent websites from initiating a bunch of downloads
Why would FF (or Tor or Chrome or any other) do that? It’s not a function of a browser.
Websites do that. It smells **bot** and they try to protect themselves.
Do this test. Download the first file which will then work. Now slowly count to 20 and try the second to see if it has the same behaviour. 20 seconds is an eternity to a computer.
If this works then you have that easy way to disable the behaviour. It’s spelled p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e
I’m betting it does not work.