ErrorFindly
4164xx Client ErrorMedium

HTTP 416 Range Not Satisfiable

Defined in RFC 7233

What Does HTTP 416 Mean?

The server cannot serve the requested byte range. The range specified is outside the size of the resource.

Common Causes

  1. 1Requesting bytes beyond the end of a file
  2. 2Resume download with incorrect byte range
  3. 3File size changed between range requests
  4. 4Corrupted download manager state

Impact

  • ⚠Download resume fails
  • ⚠Video seeking to invalid position fails

Developer Fix

For web developers and application engineers

  1. 1Check Content-Range in server response for valid ranges
  2. 2Re-request the full resource on 416 error
  3. 3Validate byte ranges before making range requests

Server Admin Fix

For system administrators and DevOps engineers

  1. 1Ensure Content-Length is accurate
  2. 2Return Content-Range header with actual resource size
  3. 3Monitor for invalid range request patterns

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I getting 416 when resuming a download?
The file on the server may have changed since you started the download. Your download manager is requesting bytes that no longer exist. Delete the partial file and restart the download.
How should a server respond to an invalid range?
Return 416 with a Content-Range header showing the actual resource size (e.g., Content-Range: bytes */12345). This helps the client adjust its range request.

Related HTTP Status Codes

206Partial Content200OK

About the Author

Web Infrastructure Team

Verified against official RFC specifications and real-world server configurations. HTTP status code behavior confirmed across Apache, Nginx, and Cloudflare.