brew install wgetInstall wget with Homebrew.
When to use it
Use wget when you need recursive downloads, mirroring a site or a folder, or when following instructions written for Linux. For single files and APIs, curl does the job without installing anything.
Steps
Install wget
With Homebrew installed, one command.brew install wgetDownload a file
wget saves with the remote name, retries on failure, and shows a progress bar.wget https://example.com/file.zipResume a download
-c continues a partial file.wget -c https://example.com/big.isoMirror a site for offline reading
Downloads pages and assets and rewrites links to work locally. Respect the site's terms and rate limits.wget --mirror --convert-links --page-requisites --no-parent https://example.com/docs/
Output explained
| Task | wget | curl (built in) |
|---|---|---|
| Download a file | wget URL |
curl -L -O URL |
| Choose the name | wget -O name URL |
curl -L -o name URL |
| Resume | wget -c URL |
curl -L -O -C - URL |
| Retry | wget --tries=5 URL |
curl --retry 5 -L -O URL |
| Recursive mirror | wget --mirror URL |
not supported |
Options and variations
| Flag | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -O FILE | Save as FILE | wget -O latest.zip URL |
| -c | Continue a partial download | wget -c URL |
| -r / --mirror | Recursive download / mirror | wget --mirror URL |
| -q | Quiet | wget -q URL |
| --limit-rate=N | Cap bandwidth | wget --limit-rate=1m URL |
Common errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| zsh: command not found: wget | wget isn't part of macOS | brew install wget, or use curl. |
| ERROR: cannot verify certificate | Untrusted CA (often a proxy) | Point --ca-certificate at the right CA file. |
Do it in the app
LightAtom's connections view shows a download's live rate and the server it comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Does macOS have wget?
No. Install it with Homebrew (brew install wget), or use curl -L -O, which is built in.
What is the curl equivalent of wget?
curl -L -O URL downloads a file with its original name, following redirects. Add -C - to resume.
Can curl mirror a website like wget?
No, curl doesn't do recursive downloads. Use wget --mirror for that.