I'm having download issues. What can I do?

We're sorry to hear you're having issues downloading from Nexus Mods. You can run a network test to measure your speed on each of our Content Delivery Network (CDN) servers using the options below.

Test with Vortex | Test in your browser

If you select the option to Test in your browser, then you will be taken to our speed test page.

Just click the "Go" button to start the tests and wait a few minutes. Once the tests are complete, see your final test results which can be copied or exported if you require further help.

Please be aware of the download speed limits which apply to your account based on your membership status and use of adblockers. You can read more about our download caps and membership tiers here.

* We do not limit the speed at which you download, but it may be affected by other factors such as your Internet Service Provider, connection quality or distance from your selected server.

Advanced Troubleshooting

If you are still having problems with your download speed after running the tests above, please read on.

Understanding what is within our control

We do our best to provide access to all mods for users all over the world, however, we are sometimes hampered by conditions beyond our control. A download link between two computers is deceptively simple, but it can involve the data you requested being sent halfway around the world before it arrives on your computer, passing through hundreds of different servers and cables. If there is a problem with any piece of equipment along the route it may be beyond our ability to fix it. Our developers work hard to ensure that your downloads are being routed to the server with the best connection but there are times when these limitations that are outside of our control mean that we cannot provide you with a fast download speed. In these cases, we may ask you to consult with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to see if they can improve the way they route your traffic to our servers. 

The minimum download cap we enforce is 1.5MB/s. If you are getting a consistently limited speed which is lower than the maximum for your membership tier, this is not being enforced by us and is either a connection problem or a limit from your ISP. You can read more about our download caps and membership tiers here.

The sense checks

Before we get into the more advanced troubleshooting, it's important to cover the simple problems we often encounter which can be fixed with relative ease. 

• Downloads don't start: You should consult our "Troubleshooting website issues" page. This is normally caused by a browser addon or privacy settings.
• The numbers don't look right!: When it comes to downloading files there are two slightly different measurements of speed Megabits per second (Mbps) and MegaBytes per second (MB/s). Your ISP will give you your download speed in Mbps but most browsers, game stores and mod managers show this speed in MB/s. For reference, 1MB/s is equal to 8mbps. If my ISP says I can download at 100Mbps, this means my maximum download speed is 12.5MB/s.
• Check your provider's speed: Make sure that you are getting the speeds you are expecting elsewhere on the web. You can do this with other speed tests, such as Ookla.
• Make sure you stop any other downloads: We often find that users report issues while Steam is downloading a 40GB update in the background, which is hogging all your bandwidth. This can also happen with Windows Update and any other software which automatically downloads content. 
• Update your mod manager: If you're downloading with a mod manager, please ensure you have the latest version. You should also try and download files manually to see if the problem is exclusive to the mod manager, in these cases, it may be more useful to seek support with your chosen application. 

If you're still having problems, continue to the steps below.

Getting an example download link

We'll need to grab a couple of download links to add to the troubleshooting post. If possible please locate two files, one that is under 20MB and another that is over 500MB. 

Please download these files manually and retrieve the full download link from your browser (example below). 

TraceRoute Test

Next, we want to check the quality of the connection between your PC and our servers by performing a TraceRoute operation. To do this you'll need to:

1. Open a command prompt window on your computer. (Press Windows+R to open the “Run” box. Type “cmd” and then click “OK”.)
2. Type "tracert files.nexus-cdn.com" in and press enter. 
3. You should be able to copy the results of this test by selecting all (Ctrl + A) and copying the text (Ctrl + C).
4. If you wish, remove any personal information (such as your Windows account name) from the copied text after you paste it. 

Posting Template

Finally, you should create a new topic on the forums including the test results and the advanced troubleshooting information. We also recommend you include the name of your country and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) when reporting issues.

My test results

(You can click "Copy results" on the test page to get this part quickly)

Cloudflare CDN:

Amsterdam:

Prague:

Chicago:

Los Angeles:

Miami:

Country:

Internet Service Provider (ISP):

Expected speed:

Advanced tests

Small Download Link:

Large Download Link:

TraceRoute test: