How to display download progress in Wget

Wget is a commonly used command-line tool for downloading files from the internet. By default, Wget provides a non-verbose output showing download progress with a simple ASCII progress bar. In some cases, users might prefer more detailed information about the ongoing download, including download speed, download percentage, and time estimates.

By using specific command-line options with Wget, you can control and customize the download progress display to suit your preferences. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help you achieve a more detailed download progress with Wget.

1. Open the terminal.
2. Initiate a download using Wget without any extra options to view the default progress.

   $ wget https://example.com/largefile.zip

3. Download the file again, but this time use the –progress=type option to specify the type of progress bar. The most common type for detailed progress is dot:binary.

   $ wget --progress=dot:binary https://example.com/largefile.zip

   The dot:binary type will print dots to the screen in a binary format representing the amount of data downloaded, giving a more detailed progress overview.

4. For a more visual representation, you can utilize bar:force to ensure the ASCII progress bar is displayed regardless of the terminal's capabilities.

   $ wget --progress=bar:force https://example.com/largefile.zip

5. If you prefer a quiet mode without any progress display, use the -q option.

   $ wget -q https://example.com/largefile.zip

   Use this option with caution, as it will suppress all output, making it difficult to diagnose any download issues.

6. Downloading multiple files? You can combine options for a comprehensive progress display. For instance, using –progress=dot:binary with -i allows for a detailed progress while downloading multiple files from a list.

   $ wget --progress=dot:binary -i download-list.txt

7. Verify your downloads are complete by checking the downloaded files in your current directory.

   $ ls | grep largefile.zip

With these steps, you can effectively customize Wget to show detailed download progress or simplify it based on your preferences and requirements. Adjust the command-line options as needed to fine-tune your experience.