Is .crdownload a safe file and can be deleted or is it malware?
.crdownload is the file that indicates not fully downloaded data. The temporary extension shows that the file is not completely downloaded. Such data is called Chrome Partial Download files, so seeing them in your Downloads directory when you use Google Chrome is normal. Such a file gets created each time you begin downloading anything. Files get automatically renamed once the download is finished, but these suspicious files remain on the machine when the download was not successful, and the error occurred during the procedure. In some cases, these files can also appear on the system when the Microsoft Edge browser is used mainly as a default web browser. This application creates such .crdownload files for the same reason, other Chromium-based browsers can also create these temporary files in directories.
|Type||Temporary file created when a web browser starts downloading data|
|Relation||Such files get created by Google Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers. It is not related to any malware or malicious processes. The file gets renamed once the download eds successfully, but temp files remain on the system when download error occurs, and the file is not properly installed|
|Can be deleted?||You can delete the file. It is okay to remove .crdownload file when there are no active downloads that should be resumed. And when you do not need the temporary file once the downloading happened properly,(when you see Music (1).mp3 and Music.mp3.crdownload) you can also get rid of the file with this extension|
|System repair tips||Sometimes system issues get created and triggered when files are missing or processes do not run as they supposed to. You can check for issues with system files and functions with ReimageIntego, and it will repair problems or even indicates files that require repairing|
.crdownload file creates questions and frustration when users encounter the file on the system out of nowhere. Thi partially downloaded file gets created by Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Chromium web browsers, so you might find them on the Download directory often. Other browsers like Mozilla Firefox create a similar file with .PART extension. The file stores contents received by the browser during the downloading process until it is finished.
Download corruption might occur due to internet connection problems, other processes that stop the file from downloading. .crdownload file is created at the start of downloading, so the file grows in size and finally becomes a normal file without that extension in your Downloads folder. The browser renames the same file and the temporary one becomes a proper document, mp3 file, and so on.
.crdownload is not related to dangerous programs, but sometimes various malicious processes appear running in the background and files added on the machine out of nowhere indicating the infection of a serious cyber threat. This particular file is considered safe and not dangerous but is normal to get frustrated when you see questionable wiles and the uncommon file extension on the system.
Such file appendixes sometimes can indicate malware of the type ransomware because those cryptocurrency extortion-based threats mark encrypted data with some kind of file appendixes to separate affected files from unlocked data. You cannot call this file a .crdownload virus because there are no associates that create damage or system issues.
When the .crdownload file termination can be done?
Some browsers may store such files like .crdownload temporary on a different folder and once that is done move them properly downloaded file to the Downloads folder. Google Chrome mainly does this temporary file renaming method, so does other Chromium-based browsers.
So when you see the file in the Download folder it means that the browser couldn't remove .crdownload file or replace that with fully downloaded data. You may resume the download and fix the temporary file, trigger the proper download ending. You can try clicking the Resume button, so the browser will try to finish the started process.
If the browser cannot pick up where it left off, you might go to either for .crdownload removal or start a new download of this file that you need. Downloading the file from scratch might go smoother, so can delete these temporary files yourself. If you see the old file with such an extension that belongs to a file downloaded long ago, feel free to delete it too. This is not going to corrupt any processes or important files.
Clear the system and pay close attention to files you get rid of when you remove .crdownload files
There are no questions if .crdownload virus is the correct term to describe this piece of file found on the system out of nowhere. This is not malicious, so shouldn't rely on file removal if you do not know more about the particular temporary file and the download that might need to be resumed.
.crdownload removal is possible when the download of the particular file os completed. Also, when you do not need that download to get completed anymore. If you do not need to come back to that download, you can download the file from the beginning again and hope that no error is ongoing to occur during that process.