How to resume an interrupted file transfer
By the WispFile team · Updated 24 September 2026
A transfer can resume only if something remembers which pieces already arrived and can ask for just the rest. WispFile does both: files move in 256 KB pieces, each checked on arrival, so a dropped connection, a phone that went to sleep, or a reloaded page continues from the last good piece.
Key facts
- A dropped connection: the download pauses and continues when both sides are back.
- A reloaded or closed tab: open the link again and choose Resume download.
- Only the part being written at the moment of a reload is fetched again.
- The sender must still have the link open.
If the connection drops
The receiver’s page shows Reconnecting. When the sender is reachable again, the download carries on from the first missing piece, into the same file. Nothing is written twice.
If the page was reloaded or closed
- Open the same link again in the same browser.
- The page says how much was already saved and offers Resume download.
- Choose where to save again; only the rest comes from the sender.
This works because, while downloading, the browser keeps verified data in its own private storage in committed parts; it needs free space for the transfer to do so. It is verified in Chrome and Edge. Kept data from a download nobody returns to is deleted after a week.
Why other transfers start over
A plain browser download from a server can often resume, but many transfer tools stream the file with no record of what arrived, so any interruption means starting from zero. On a slow or mobile connection that is the difference between finishing and never finishing.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a transfer stay paused?
What arrived is kept in the browser for up to a week. If the page cannot reach the sender for several minutes it stops waiting, but keeps what it has; open the link again when the sender is back and it carries on. Cancelling the download discards it.
Which browsers can resume after a reload?
Resume after a reload is verified in Chrome and Edge. It needs the browser’s private file storage and enough free space for the transfer; where that is missing, the download goes straight to disk and a reload starts over.
Does resume work on phones?
Yes for a dropped connection, and a phone that pauses the page in the background resumes when you come back to it.
Is a resumed file still verified?
Yes. Every piece is checked with a SHA-256 fingerprint before it is written, whichever session it arrived in.
Related guides
- How to send large files over slow internet — Real times at slow upload speeds, and how to stop starting over.
- Sending large files over mobile data — Data used, background pauses, and keeping it going.
- How long does it take to upload a large file? — A table of upload times, and the formula behind it.
Send it directly now
Open WispFile, add your files and share the link. No account, nothing uploaded, nothing stored. Free.
Send files with WispFile