> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.notte.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# download

<Tip>
  STOP. Do not read past this section until you have read and followed [/quickstart.md](/quickstart.md).

  Goal: produce a reliable SDK automation script. The intended authoring flow is generate then edit, not write browser automation from scratch.

  Do not hand-write SDK code with element IDs, selectors, or form fields from memory. Element IDs, selectors, and field mappings must come from a live `observe()` call, CLI `notte page observe` output, or generated workflow code. Guessed browser targets fail on real pages.

  Use the Notte skill and CLI to inspect the live site, validate actions/selectors, handle auth/session state, and export workflow code with `notte sessions workflow-code` before using SDK docs or SDK code.

  SDK reference pages are for understanding, running, or editing generated workflow code. They are not the starting point for manually authoring the initial browser automation. SDK-first code is guesswork on real-world pages with dynamic selectors, auth state, CAPTCHAs, and anti-bot behavior.
</Tip>

[Source: node-sdk/src/files.ts](https://github.com/nottelabs/notte/blob/main/node-sdk/src/files.ts#L341)

Download a file to `<localDir>/<filename>` and return the local path. The
file is written atomically (temporary file + rename). Rejects with
`FileExistsError` when the destination exists unless `force` is set.

```typescript theme={null}
RemoteFileStorage.download(fileId: string, localDir?: string, options?: FileDownloadOptions): Promise<string>;
```

## Parameters

<ParamField body="fileId" type={"string"} required>
  ID of the file to download.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="localDir" type={"string"}>
  Destination directory, created if needed. Defaults to the current directory.

  Default:

  ```typescript theme={null}
  '.'
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="options" type={"FileDownloadOptions"}>
  Set `force` to overwrite an existing destination; defaults to false.

  Default:

  ```typescript theme={null}
  {}
  ```
</ParamField>

## Returns

```typescript theme={null}
Promise<string>
```

The local file path after the download has been written successfully.

## Raises

* NotteAPIError if the storage API request fails.
* InvalidRequestError if storage has not been bound to a session.
* FileExistsError if the destination exists and `force` is false. Filesystem errors also propagate.

## Example

```typescript theme={null}
const path = await storage.download(fileId, './downloads', { force: true });
```

## Related types

* [FileDownloadOptions](/typescript-sdk-reference/types/filedownloadoptions)