Commands.page Logo

How to Set Custom User-Agent String in aria2c on Ubuntu

This guide explains how to configure a custom user-agent string when using aria2c on Ubuntu. Changing the user-agent allows you to mimic specific browsers or devices, which can help bypass server-side restrictions or improve compatibility with certain download links. We will cover both temporary command-line flags and permanent configuration file settings to ensure you can manage your download identity effectively.

Using the Command Line

The quickest way to set a custom user-agent is by using the --user-agent flag directly in your terminal command. This method applies only to the specific download session you are running.

Open your terminal and run the following command structure:

aria2c --user-agent="Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36" https://example.com/file.zip

Replace the string inside the quotes with the specific user-agent you wish to emulate. This tells the server that the request is coming from a different client than the default aria2c identifier.

Using the Configuration File

For a permanent solution that applies to all aria2c downloads, you can modify the configuration file. This is ideal if you frequently encounter servers that block default download managers.

  1. Open or create the aria2 configuration file located at ~/.aria2/aria2.conf.
  2. Add or edit the following line:
user-agent=Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36
  1. Save the file and exit the editor.

Any subsequent aria2c commands will now automatically use this custom user-agent string without requiring additional flags. If the configuration file does not exist, you can create it using a text editor like nano or vim.

Verifying the User-Agent

To confirm that your custom user-agent is being sent, you can use a testing service that echoes request headers. Run aria2c against a URL that displays request information, or check the server logs if you have access to them. This ensures that your configuration changes have taken effect before attempting critical downloads.