User Guide
Everything you need to start downloading faster — on the command line or with the GUI.
Quick start
- 01Download
Get the right build
Download the package for your platform — Windows x86_64, Linux x86_64 or Linux ARM64 — from the download page or GitHub Releases.
- 02
Unpack & prepare
On Windows, unzip the archive and run burst.exe. On Linux, make the single-file binary executable: chmod +x burst && ./burst.
- 03CLI examples
Download a file
Use the CLI: ./burst https://example.com/file.iso -o file.iso -t 8. It auto-resumes interrupted files and shows live speed / ETA.
- 04Video example
Download a video
Paste a video page URL: ./burst --video "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...". Bilibili, YouTube and more are supported; DASH tracks are auto-merged.
Command line examples
Progress, speed and ETA are printed live, e.g. percent: 42% speed: 3.20 MB/s ETA: 00:05:12
Download a file (8 threads, 30s no-progress timeout)
./burst https://example.com/file.iso -o file.iso -t 8 --timeout 30
Batch download 3 files with 2 concurrent tasks
./burst https://a/file1.iso https://b/file2.iso https://c/file3.iso -j 2
Video download
One command for any supported site — the built-in parser resolves the media stream and downloads it with multi-threaded chunking.
Download a video from Bilibili or YouTube
./burst --video "https://www.bilibili.com/video/BVxxxx" -o movie
- Works with Bilibili, YouTube and other popular sites — just paste the video page URL
- DASH video + audio tracks are downloaded and auto-merged into one file (MP4 / MKV) — no external tools
- Bilibili 720p+ streams require your browser login state: --cookies-from-browser chrome
GUI
Run ./burst with no arguments (or double-click burst.exe on Windows) to open the graphical interface — available on Windows x86_64 and Linux x86_64.
- Multi-threaded downloads (1–8 threads, adaptive by default)
- Video download with live 4-stage status: Parsing → Video → Audio → Merging
- Task list: stop (keeps partials), resume, delete, clear
- Thunder links (thunder://) decoded automatically
FAQ
Is Burst Download really free?
Yes. Burst Download is free to use. Donations are optional and purely for supporting development.
Which platforms are supported?
Windows x86_64 (GUI + CLI), Linux x86_64 (GUI + CLI) and Linux ARM64 (CLI only). Prebuilt single-file releases are published on GitHub.
Why is it faster than curl or wget?
A single TCP connection is limited by slow start and the congestion window. Burst opens 1–8 parallel connections, each downloading its own chunk — the combined throughput approaches the bandwidth ceiling, especially on high-latency links.
Which video sites are supported?
Bilibili, YouTube and other popular sites. Paste a video page URL with --video and the built-in parser resolves the stream. Bilibili 720p+ requires your browser login state (--cookies-from-browser chrome).
Does it work with Baidu Pan or account-limited drives?
No. Those servers throttle per account, so more threads don't increase total throughput. Burst works best with Range-capable static servers: GitHub Releases, mirrors, CDNs, ISOs, archives, datasets and model weights.
Windows shows a SmartScreen warning. Is that normal?
Yes. Release binaries are not Authenticode-signed, so Windows may prompt “Windows protected your PC”. Click More info → Run anyway, then verify the SHA-256 checksum and GPG signature on the release page.
Troubleshooting
“Permission denied” on Linux
Make the binary executable first: chmod +x burst && ./burst. If the GUI won't start, install libGL / libX11 development packages.
Downloads are slow
The server may not support HTTP Range (falls back to single-thread), or it throttles per account. Try -t 8, a different node, or a Range-capable mirror.
Video download fails
For Bilibili 720p+, pass your browser cookies: --cookies-from-browser chrome. The built-in parser auto-updates once when parsing fails, then retries.
Still stuck?
Open an issue on GitHub Issues and we will get back to you.