How to Download File from URL in Android Programmatically using Download Manager?

In this article, we are going to learn how to download files from an URL using Download Manager. Here we will be simply adding the link of the file available online. When we click on the Button it will be downloaded automatically to our phone storage. This is a very frequently used feature as we can use this feature to automatically download the faq section of an app.

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Project

To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio. Note that select Java as the programming language.

Step 2: Grant internet permission in the AndroidManifest.xml file 

<uses-permission android:name=”android.permission.INTERNET”/>

Step 3: Working with the activity_main.xml file

Navigate to the app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the below code to that file. Below is the code for the activity_main.xml file. 

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:layout_gravity="center"
    android:gravity="center"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/download"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Download Content" />

</LinearLayout>

Step 4: Working with the MainActivity.java file

Go to the MainActivity.java file and refer to the following code. Below is the code for the MainActivity.java file. 

Java

import android.app.DownloadManager;
import android.content.Context;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    Button button;
    DownloadManager manager;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        button = findViewById(R.id.download);
        button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                manager = (DownloadManager) getSystemService(Context.DOWNLOAD_SERVICE);
                Uri uri = Uri.parse("https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.pdf");
                DownloadManager.Request request = new DownloadManager.Request(uri);
                request.setNotificationVisibility(DownloadManager.Request.VISIBILITY_VISIBLE);
                long reference = manager.enqueue(request);
            }
        });
    }
}

Output: