How can I create download link in HTML?

I have a basic idea of HTML. I want to create the download link in my sample website, but I don't have idea of how to create it. How do I make a link to download a file rather than visit it?

Solution 1:

In modern browsers that support HTML5, the following is possible:

<a href="link/to/your/download/file" download>Download link</a>

You also can use this:

<a href="link/to/your/download/file" download="filename">Download link</a>

This will allow you to change the name of the file actually being downloaded.

Solution 2:

This answer is outdated. We now have the download attribute. (see also this link to MDN)

If by "the download link" you mean a link to a file to download, use

  <a href="http://example.com/files/myfile.pdf" target="_blank">Download</a>

the target=_blank will make a new browser window appear before the download starts. That window will usually be closed when the browser discovers that the resource is a file download.

Note that file types known to the browser (e.g. JPG or GIF images) will usually be opened within the browser.

You can try sending the right headers to force a download like outlined e.g. here. (server side scripting or access to the server settings is required for that.)