Baidu Netdisk without the desktop client: download in the browser on Windows, Mac and Linux
You press the download button on a Baidu Pan share and a Chinese pop-up tells you to install Baidu Netdisk first. You can ignore it. Here is why the pop-up appears, what the client would ask of you, and how to get the same files with nothing but your browser.
Why the pop-up appears
Baidu’s website only hands out small single files, and only to logged-in users. A big file, a folder, or more than one file at a time is passed to the desktop client. For most shares that means: no client, no download.
Client or browser?
| Baidu Netdisk client | Browser download with PanPull | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Yes. On Windows it also starts with the system and stays in the background | None |
| Baidu account | Required | Not needed |
| Language | Chinese only | 29 languages |
| Speed | Capped on a free account | A normal download from PanPull’s storage |
| Cost | Free, or Baidu’s paid SVIP membership | Free up to 150 MB, then by size |
| Systems | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS; Linux as .deb or .rpm |
Anything with a browser |
If you do want the client, take it from Baidu itself at pan.baidu.com/download and not from a download portal.
Typical cases for the browser route
- Office or university PC: you have no rights to install programs.
- Linux: you would rather not install a closed-source package for one file.
- Your own Mac or PC: you do not want one more program that runs in the background.
Steps
- Copy the share link into the PanPull link checker. Add the extraction code if there is one.
- Look at the result: how many files, how large in total, what price.
- Log in to PanPull with an email address and a password, and pay by PayPal or card unless the order is free.
- Wait for the email that says your download is ready, then open its link. Your order page has the same link.
A share with one file gives you that file. A share with several files gives you one ZIP archive with the folder structure inside.
Unpacking the ZIP
| System | How |
|---|---|
| Windows | Right-click the archive, then Extract All |
| macOS | Double-click the archive |
| Linux | Use the file manager, or type unzip and the file name in a terminal |
Keep free disk space of about twice the archive size: once for the ZIP, once for its contents.
More on the PanPull blog: Download from Baidu Pan without the client.
Have a Baidu link? Check it on PanPull and see the size and price first. Up to 150 MB is free.