Troubleshooting PDF downloads

If you’re having trouble downloading PDFs, the error is usually caused by one of two things: internet connectivity (which is different from signal strength) or not having enough RAM (flexible short-term memory that aids in processing power) available to perform this task.

The PDFs are generated on demand by your browser rather than being downloaded from a server, so if things are taking longer than expected, the download request can time out. 

We have some tips that may help.

Please note: Downloading is disabled for trial members and unavailable to Recipe Club members. Learn more.

Try this first

Refresh your web browser and try again. If the issue persists, then we recommend selecting the "Exclude Pictures" checkbox in the Preferences section of your account (you can find this by tapping the three horizontal lines ☰ in the top right corner and then scrolling down to My Stuff).    

If that doesn't help

Try the recommended steps below:

• Use a different browser and/or device. If this works, then you know the issue is local to the original device or browser you were using and you can troubleshoot further from there. Try these steps:
  • Check to see if you have the latest updates installed for your web browser, and update if you don't.
  • Quit every application except your web browser and close all browser tabs except the portal before downloading. If this works consistently, then the issue is likely caused by a RAM shortage (which is a hardware issue). Consistently quitting unused applications can help. 
  • Another possibility is that browser plug-ins are interfering with generating a PDF on demand. A way to test this is to sign in from a private or incognito browser window and test the download there. If it consistently works, then you’ll need to turn off your browser plug-ins or update them. 

If you try these steps and are still having trouble, let us know and we're glad to help troubleshoot further. Be sure to let us know which steps listed above you’ve tried.