Learn how to use Command Prompt to check where a file is downloaded from in Windows 11 in simple steps.
When you download a file from the internet, you generally don’t see details such as the download source in the file properties. However, there may be times when you want to know where the file is downloaded from and the actual download link of the file. For example, maybe you want to identify the download source or redownload the file, for which you need the actual download link. Thankfully, for files downloaded from the internet, Windows 11 stores the zone information using Mark of the Web. Windows does this to identify if the file you download from the internet is potentially unsafe.
We can use the same feature to extract the download source information from any file downloaded from the internet. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to do it. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
Important note: Windows 11 only stores the “Mark of Web” information for files it found to be potentially unsafe. i.e., any file for which it cannot find a reputation, or unsigned files in the case of executables. To know if a file has zone information, simply right-click the file and select “Properties“. Under the “General” tab, if you see the “Unblock” checkbox next to “Security”, you are good to proceed.
If it doesn’t, you cannot find the download source.
Steps to Check Where the File Is Downloaded From Using Command Prompt
To start off, open Command Prompt. You can do that by searching for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu (you don’t need to open it as admin).
Once the Command Prompt window opens, run the following command. Don’t forget to replace ‘dummy-file.ext’ with the actual file name and extension.
notepad dummy-file.ext:Zone.Identifier
For example, the file I’m looking up is called ‘premium.png’. So, I replaced ‘dummy-file.ext’ with ‘premium.png’. This is what the command looks like.
notepad premium.png:Zone.Identifier
If the download source info is available, Windows displays it next to “ReferrerUrl” and/or “HostUrl“. If you don’t see anything in Notepad, then that info is not available.
That’s it. Write down below any questions or comments you have. I’ll respond as quickly as possible.
