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IDM is Corrupted – How to Fix

Evan Gower October 21, 2019

IDM, or Internet Download Manager, is a piece of software that integrates with Chrome, Firefox, and other web browsers. This useful tool can increase your download speed multiple times, but it also allows you to schedule downloads and pause and resume them. Once you’ve integrated it into your favorite web browser, you won’t be able to come back to the default download manager.

Although it supports proxy servers, firewalls, redirection, cookies, and many other online processes and tools, IDM has a reoccurring problem with the error message that reads “This extension may have been corrupted.” Naturally, you could always try installing the tool on a different web browser, but this is sometimes out of the question. Here are some ideas regarding what might went wrong, and what you could do.

The Tech Support Tip

The first line of defense in situations where browser add-ons and extensions stop working is to remove them from the browser and install them again. If the reinstall doesn’t help, try reinstalling your browser. Install IDM again after you reinstall the browser. Follow these steps.

Uninstall your web browser from your computer.
Delete the installation folder.
Install a tool like CCleaner and do both a Custom Clean and a Registry It is important to find and delete all files related to your web browser or the IDM extension when using CCleaner.
Reboot your computer.
Install your favorite web browser and the IDM extension again.

Don’t worry about your browser data. As long as you have an account with them, most browsers allow you access to your exact setup, including bookmarks and history, from any computer out there.

Change the Default Maximum Connection

This simple tweak may help you fix the corruption problems. Bear in mind, however, that the settings that you change here may revert at some point. If you see the same error again at some point (be it at the next boot, or months from now), apply this solution.

Open your IDM.
Go to options.
In the options menu, click the Connection
Under the Max. connection number section, set the Default max. con. number to “1.”
Click OK to save the settings.

Copy this solution to a document on your desktop, just in case the problem arises again.

Repair Extensions

If you’re using Google Chrome, follow these steps. They’re simple and detailed. Either type chrome://extensions/ URL into the address bar, or:

Open Google Chrome.
Click on the 3-dots menu at the upper right corner of your browser.
In the drop-down menu, click More tools ->
Find the IDM Integration Module extension (the one that is showing the error message). Click “Repair” (it is located under the extension name).

Check to see if IDM is working now. If not, proceed to the next step.

Enable IDM

If the extension is still persistently showing the same error message, it could be that IDM has been disabled in your browser. These things can happen automatically or by user accident. Either way, here’s how to solve this.

Go to this link in Google Chrome.
At the top of the page, just under your bookmarks bar, you’ll see the following message: “This item has been disabled in Chrome. Enable this item.”
Click on the “Enable this item” link.
Now, restart Chrome.

If the IDM issues are still present, move on to the next method.

Disable Antivirus/Firewall

Although IDM is said to work perfectly with your antivirus, the Windows Defender or firewall may still interfere with the extension. First of all, the vast majority of antivirus programs offer the option to exclude a particular file/folder from the regular scans. Google “how to create an exception in [enter antivirus name].”

Of course, this goes for Windows Defender too. In Windows Defender, however, these are called ‘exclusions,’ so here’s how to do it.

Firewall is probably a bit more annoying, so you should start off by turning it off completely. Once it is off, check to see if IDM has started functioning properly. If it has, turn the firewall back on and contact IDM support. When asked, tell them that your firewall is causing the issue.

Enjoy IDM, or Contact the Support

If your IDM is working properly now, you’re all set, but you might want to bookmark this page, just in case the corruption error rears its ugly head again. If the IDM error is still popping up, contact the support and explain your situation clearly and provide as much detail as you can.

Have you fixed your IDM? Do you know another way to troubleshoot this error? Help the community by telling your story. If you have a solution of your own, feel free to post the tutorial in the comments section below.