Download / Upload

Definition: A download involves the receipt of a file copied from a remote network location. Often, a person downloads files to their personal computer from a remote server computer. In Microsoft email networks, for example, people download their email from an Exchange server to their Outlook client.

An upload involves sending a copy of a file to a remote network location. For example, Web publishers upload files to their Web server.

Sending files across a computer network does not necessarily constitute an upload or a download. The terms are more commonly used in client/server networking than in peer-to-peer networking.