HTTP 416 — Range Not Satisfiable
HTTP 416
Range Not Satisfiable
The byte range you asked for does not exist within the file.
What 416 actually means
The client sent a `Range` header pointing outside the resource — asking for bytes 5000-6000 of a 3000-byte file. It usually means the client's idea of the file has gone stale: a download resuming from an offset into a file that has since been replaced with a shorter one, or a media player seeking against a cached length that no longer matches. The response should include a `Content-Range` header giving the real size.
Common causes
- A download resuming past the end of a file that changed on the server
- A media player seeking beyond the actual duration
- A cached `Content-Length` that no longer matches the current file
- A client requesting a range against a resource whose length is unknown
If you're just trying to view the page
- Delete the partial download and start it again from the beginning
- Clear the browser or player cache so it re-reads the file's real size
- If a video will not seek, reload the page to fetch fresh metadata
If it's your site
- Include `Content-Range: bytes */<length>` in the 416 so the client can correct itself
- Change the ETag whenever a file's content changes, so stale resumes are rejected as 412 rather than producing corrupt files
- The specification allows ignoring an unsatisfiable range and returning the whole resource with 200 — often kinder to clients
Reference
- Status code
- 416
- Reason phrase
- Range Not Satisfiable
- Category
- 4xx — Client Error
- Defined in
- RFC 9110 §15.5.17
Common questions
- What does HTTP 416 mean?
- The byte range you asked for does not exist within the file. The client sent a `Range` header pointing outside the resource — asking for bytes 5000-6000 of a 3000-byte file. It usually means the client's idea of the file has gone stale: a download resuming from an offset into a file that has since been replaced with a shorter one, or a media player seeking against a cached length that no longer matches.
- How do I fix a 416 error?
- Delete the partial download and start it again from the beginning
- Is 416 a client error or a server error?
- 416 is in the 4xx range, which means client error. The request itself was the problem, so retrying it unchanged will usually return the same code.
Related pages
- 404 Not Found The server is reachable and working, but there is nothing at the address you ask
- 403 Forbidden The server understood the request and is refusing to allow it, and logging in wi
- 401 Unauthorized You need to authenticate, and either you did not or your credentials were reject
- 429 Too Many Requests You have sent more requests than the service allows in a given period.
- 400 Bad Request The server could not understand the request because something about it is malfor
- 413 Content Too Large The request body is bigger than the server is willing to accept.
- 422 Unprocessable Content The request is well-formed and understood, but the data in it fails the rules.
- 405 Method Not Allowed The URL exists, but it does not accept the HTTP method you used.
- 409 Conflict The request cannot be completed because it clashes with the current state of the
- 415 Unsupported Media Type The server will not accept the format of the body you sent.
- 408 Request Timeout The server gave up waiting for the client to finish sending its request.
- 410 Gone The resource was deliberately removed and is not coming back, and there is no fo