Akamai Download Manager FAQ

The Akamai Download Manager provides for effective, efficient file downloads, especially for large files. It also lets you pause and resume downloads, and it automatically starts to install your product when the download is complete.

On Windows, Akamai downloads an executable (.EXE) file. For some especially large Windows products, Akamai also downloads a .7z file. It's necessary that both the .EXE and the .7z files are downloaded and in the same folder for the product to install successfully.

On Mac OS, Akamai downloads a single .DMG file.

Most products purchased on the Adobe.com Store as well as some trial products use Akamai Download Manager, also called the Akamai NetSession Interface. However, the download process works slightly differently depending on whether you're downloading from the Adobe.com Store or downloading a trial version of a product.

Trial products that use Akamai include Acrobat X Pro, Adobe Captivate, and the Technical Communications Suite.

• Operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, WindowsServer 2003 or 2008; Mac OS X v 10.4 or later
• Browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome

When you download any product from Adobe.com that uses Akamai, Akamai automatically downloads and installs on your computer. Then, it automatically starts to download your Adobe product. If you download additional software or products, you don't have to redownload or reinstall Akamai Download Manager unless you've removed it from your system. If you have removed it from your system, it installs again when you initiate the new download.

Resume a paused trial download:

Resume a paused Adobe.com Store download:

• For trial downloads, double-click the Resume Download icon on your desktop.
• For Store downloads, sign in to your Adobe account, navigate to your order, and restart the download. It picks up where it left off.

• For help with trial product downloads, see Troubleshoot Akamai Download Manager 3 | trial software.
• For help with Adobe.com Store downloads, see I can't download a purchased product.

If you can't download your Adobe product with the Akamai Download Manager, use the direct download links instead.

Important: When downloading software using direct links, you must use a browser such as Internet Explorer 8 or Firefox 5 that doesn't limit the size of file downloads.

• For instructions on how to download an Adobe.com Store purchase using direct links, see I can't download a purchased product.
• For instructions on how to download a trial product using direct links, see Download the trial directly.

When you start the download, you select a destination folder for the files. To locate files downloaded using Akamai, navigate to the folder you selected when you started the download. If you can't find or remember that folder, see Find downloaded files.

Akamai should start your product installation automatically when it finishes downloading. If the installation doesn't start automatically, see Start the installer after downloading for instructions on how to start the installation manually.

Extracting or decompressing the installation files is the first step when installing a download. This process can use many system resources and, depending upon your system speed and available resources, can slow your computer. Some larger downloads can take several minutes to extract. To optimize the speed of the extraction process, close all open programs or restart your computer before installing your download.

Anti-virus software can slow the performance of an installation. If you disable your anti-virus during installation, reenable it after your install your product.

If your download takes more than one hour to extract, contact Adobe Technical Support for assistance.

After you purchase a download, your serial number is e-mailed to you. Alternately, you can sign in to your Adobe account to find your serial number. For additional information about finding your serial number, see Find a serial number.

Sign in to your Adobe account to download your purchased software again. Navigate to the product in My Orders (US) or Your Order History (other locations), and then click the links for the product you want to redownload.

For more information, see How to find a download link on Adobe.com and Adobe online store download policy.

• Windows XP: Choose Start > Control Panel > Add Or Remove Programs. Select Akamai NetSession Interface and click Remove.
• Windows Vista/Windows 7: Choose Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs And Features. Select Akamai NetSession Interface and click Uninstall.
• Mac OS: Navigate to [user]/Applications/Akamai and double-click Akamai NetSession Uninstaller.