Skip to main content
You don’t need any software to download from Pixwel. If you don’t have Aspera Desktop (or the Aspera Connect plugin) — or a mounted drive — Pixwel falls back to a plain HTTPS download through your browser, and the file still comes down. This is the universal option: it works in any modern browser, on any computer, with nothing to install.

​
When it’s used

It happens automatically. When you start a download and no Aspera client is running, Pixwel hands the file to your browser over HTTPS instead. You don’t have to choose it — it’s the fallback whenever the faster path isn’t available.

​
How to use it

Just download a file as usual — open the asset, pick your language and version, and click the file. It saves to your browser’s Downloads folder like any other web download.

​
How it compares

Direct download (HTTPS)Aspera Desktop
Install neededNoneAspera app
Best forSmaller files, quick one-offs, any machineLarge media — trailers, masters
Speed on big filesStandard browser speedHigh-speed (FASP)
Pause / resumeNoYes
Direct download is reliable and simple, but it’s a normal browser transfer: a very large master downloads more slowly and can’t be paused or resumed. For big media, Aspera Desktop is faster and resumable.

​
Same rules apply

A direct download is still a download — your permissions and any embargo apply exactly as they do through Aspera, and it’s recorded in your download history.