Resume an interrupted download with curl -C -
Continue a partially downloaded file instead of starting over, using the curl tool built into Windows.
01Command
$ curl -L -C - -o "file.zip" "https://example.com/bigfile.zip"02What it does
Windows 10 and 11 ship with curl.exe, so no install is needed. -C - (continue-at) tells curl to look at the size of the existing output file and request the remaining bytes; -L follows redirects, and -o sets the local file name. Re-run the same command after any drop and the download picks up where it stopped.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- curl man pageEvidence: Documents -C/--continue-at with '-' to automatically find where the transfer should resume (continue/append to an existing output file) and -o to set the output file name.
- curl.exe - Transfer data from or to a serverEvidence: Windows curl reference listing -o (output file), -L (follow redirects) and --continue-at / -C for resuming a previous transfer.
Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: Network
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