Downloads

If a track plays normally but the Download button doesn't save the file, the download request is most often being intercepted before it completes — typically by a browser extension, privacy setting, in-app browser, or network filter. The track itself is fully available.

This guide walks through the most common causes in order, starting with the fixes that resolve the majority of reports.

Most likely causes

In rough order of how often we see them:

1. Ad blockers or privacy extensions (uBlock Origin, AdBlock, Brave Shields, Privacy Badger, Ghostery, etc.) silently cancelling the download request.
2. In-app browsers — opening the site from inside Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X/Twitter, Messenger, Discord, or LinkedIn often blocks programmatic downloads.
3. iOS Safari opening the audio inline instead of saving it to Files.
4. Network-level filters — corporate Wi-Fi, school networks, NextDNS, AdGuard DNS, Pi-hole, or a VPN's built-in blocker.
5. Antivirus web protection (Norton, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, McAfee, Sophos) intercepting the file.
6. Strict tracking protection in Firefox, Safari, or Brave dropping cross-origin requests.
7. Stale browser state — old cached data or an outdated session.

Step 1 — Ad blockers and privacy extensions

Why it happens: Many blocklists match anything that looks like a CDN or media subdomain. They cancel the download request before it ever leaves your browser. Playback still works because audio streams are loaded differently — but the download itself is blocked.

How to check:

• Open DevTools (right-click → Inspect → Network tab).
• Click Download.
• If the request shows as (blocked), (cancelled), or never appears at all, an extension is blocking it.
• The Console tab may show net::ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT (Chrome) or a similar failure (Firefox).

Fix:

• Whitelist finetuning.ai in the extension's settings.
• Or temporarily disable the extension for this site and retry.
• Or open the site in an Incognito/Private window where extensions are off by default.

Common culprits:

Some browsers ship blocking built-in — these aren't extensions, they're settings:

If you use Brave, click the Shields icon in the address bar and set it to Standard for finetuning.ai. Same idea for Firefox's shield icon.

Step 2 — Open in a real browser, not an in-app webview

Why it happens: When you open a link from inside an app like Instagram or TikTok, the page loads in that app's built-in browser. Most of these webviews disable programmatic downloads entirely — clicking Download does nothing or just opens the audio inline with no save option.

Fix: Tap the ⋯ menu in the in-app browser and choose Open in Safari (iPhone) or Open in Chrome (Android), then try the download again.

Step 3 — iOS Safari quirks

Why it happens: iOS Safari sometimes opens audio in the inline media player instead of saving it. Older iOS versions are especially prone to this.

Fix:

• On iOS 13+, a download prompt should appear — tap Download. The file lands in Files → Downloads.
• If the audio opens inline instead, long-press the audio player and choose Download Linked File.
• As a fallback, log in on a desktop browser, download from there, and AirDrop or email the file to your phone.

Step 4 — Network-level filtering

Why it happens: Corporate Wi-Fi, school networks, hotel Wi-Fi, and custom DNS services like NextDNS, AdGuard DNS, or Pi-hole can block media downloads even when your browser is clean.

How to check: Switch to mobile data (or your phone's hotspot) and try again. If it works on mobile data, your network is the cause.

Fix:

• Use a different network, or
• Whitelist finetuning.ai on your network's filter, DNS service, or Pi-hole.
• VPNs with built-in blockers can also be the cause: NordVPN's Threat Protection, ProtonVPN's NetShield, Mullvad's DNS blocking, or Surfshark's CleanWeb. Disable the blocker (not the VPN itself) and retry.

Step 5 — Antivirus or endpoint security

Why it happens: Some antivirus suites scan downloads in real time and block files they don't recognise. Generated audio with non-standard metadata can occasionally trip these heuristics.

Common offenders:

• Norton 360 (Safe Web / Download Insight)
• Kaspersky (Web Anti-Virus)
• Bitdefender (Web Protection)
• McAfee (WebAdvisor)
• Sophos Home (Web Protection)
• Avast / AVG (Web Shield)

Fix: Temporarily disable the AV's web protection module, retry, and if it works, add finetuning.ai to the AV's allow list.

Step 6 — Try a different browser or fresh profile

If the steps above don't help, try a different browser entirely (Chrome → Firefox, or vice versa), or clear site data:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → View permissions and data stored across sites → search finetuning.ai → Clear data.
• Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Manage Data → search finetuning.ai → Remove.
• Safari: Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data → search finetuning.ai → Remove.

Then reload the page, log in again, and try the download.

Still stuck?

If none of these work, please contact support with:

• Your browser and version (e.g. Chrome 131, Safari 18).
• Your operating system (e.g. macOS 15, Windows 11, iOS 18).
• A screenshot of your browser's DevTools → Console when you click Download. Right-click the page → Inspect → Console tab. Whatever error appears there will tell us exactly what's being blocked.

That information lets us diagnose the issue in minutes instead of guessing.