---
title: "416 Range Not Satisfiable — what it means and how to fix it"
description: "The byte range you asked for does not exist within the file. What causes an HTTP 416, what to try as a visitor, and what to check if it is your own site."
url: https://atoneplace.net/error/416/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

1. Delete the partial download and start it again from the beginning
2. Clear the browser or player cache so it re-reads the file's real size
3. If a video will not seek, reload the page to fetch fresh metadata

## If it's your site

1. Include `Content-Range: bytes */<length>` in the 416 so the client can correct itself
2. Change the ETag whenever a file's content changes, so stale resumes are rejected as 412 rather than producing corrupt files
3. 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](https://atoneplace.net/error/404/)
- [403 Forbidden](https://atoneplace.net/error/403/)
- [401 Unauthorized](https://atoneplace.net/error/401/)
- [429 Too Many Requests](https://atoneplace.net/error/429/)
- [400 Bad Request](https://atoneplace.net/error/400/)
- [413 Content Too Large](https://atoneplace.net/error/413/)
- [422 Unprocessable Content](https://atoneplace.net/error/422/)
- [405 Method Not Allowed](https://atoneplace.net/error/405/)
- [409 Conflict](https://atoneplace.net/error/409/)
- [415 Unsupported Media Type](https://atoneplace.net/error/415/)
- [408 Request Timeout](https://atoneplace.net/error/408/)
- [410 Gone](https://atoneplace.net/error/410/)

## Sources

- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Status Code Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-status-codes/)
- RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics — IETF (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.html)