> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openwhispr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# A model won't download

> Downloads that fail, stall, or install incorrectly — and what each error message actually means.

You picked a local model and the download failed, stopped part way, or finished
and then wouldn't install.

The error you got narrows it down considerably, so start there.

## What each message means

| Message                                                     | What it means                                                   | What to do                                                                                                                                    |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Certificate error — your network may use SSL inspection** | A proxy is intercepting the download and its root isn't trusted | Download from a different network, or have IT trust the proxy root. See [Can't reach OpenWhispr Cloud](/help/fix/cant-reach-openwhispr-cloud) |
| **Server error**                                            | The model host returned an error                                | Wait and retry — this is usually temporary and not on your side                                                                               |
| **Model downloaded but installation failed**                | The file arrived but couldn't be unpacked                       | Click download again. It reuses what you already downloaded rather than fetching it a second time                                             |
| **Download failed**                                         | A generic network failure                                       | Check the connection and retry; see below if it keeps happening                                                                               |

<Tip>
  **"Model downloaded but installation failed" is worth retrying immediately.**
  The app is explicit that retrying installs from the file you already have — so
  it costs seconds, not another full download.
</Tip>

## If it keeps failing

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check you have the disk space">
    Models are large, and a download that dies part way through is usually a
    full disk. The larger Whisper models in particular need several gigabytes
    free.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try a smaller model">
    If a small model downloads and a large one doesn't, that's disk space or a
    connection dropping over a long transfer — not a broken installation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try a different network">
    Corporate networks, VPNs and DNS filters block the model hosts more often
    than they block anything else we use, because the files come from
    `huggingface.co` and GitHub rather than from us.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Delete the model and start again">
    In the model picker, delete the partial model, then download it fresh. That
    clears a corrupted partial file, which retrying alone won't always fix.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## On a managed network

Model downloads need hosts that cloud transcription doesn't, so they can fail on
a network where everything else works. Your IT team needs:

* `huggingface.co`
* `cdn-lfs.huggingface.co`, `cdn-lfs-us-1.huggingface.co`
* `github.com`, `objects.githubusercontent.com`

The full list, with purpose and protocol, is on
[Network allowlist](/help/it/network-allowlist).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I use OpenWhispr while a model downloads?">
    Yes — OpenWhispr Cloud works throughout, so you can keep dictating.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need to download a model at all?">
    Only for local processing. Cloud transcription needs nothing downloaded.
    [Cloud vs local](/guides/cloud-vs-local) covers the trade-off.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where do models go, and how much space do they use?">
    They're stored on your machine, and the model picker shows each one's size
    before you download it. You can delete any of them from the same place.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It downloads every time I restart.">
    That points at the install step failing rather than the download — the file
    never lands where the app expects it. Send us a debug log; see
    [how](/troubleshooting#send-us-a-debug-log).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Snippet file="still-need-help.mdx" />

## Related

* [Local models](/guides/local-models)
* [Local transcription isn't working](/help/fix/local-transcription-not-working)
* [Network allowlist](/help/it/network-allowlist)