If you pay to download music, games, apps, software, or other digital files, your rights are protected under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Downloads are treated as digital content. This means the law sets clear standards that traders must meet — and gives you remedies if those standards are not met.

For a general overview of digital protections, see Digital Content – Your Rights.

What Counts as a Download?

Digital downloads include:

  • Purchased music files.
  • Downloaded films or TV episodes.
  • Video games (console, PC or mobile).
  • Apps and in-app purchases.
  • Computer software.
  • Digital expansion packs or add-ons.
  • E-books.

If you paid for access or ownership, consumer law applies — even if the product is intangible.

1. The Download Must Be of Satisfactory Quality

A reasonable person would expect the download to:

  • Install properly.
  • Run without major bugs or crashes.
  • Not corrupt files or devices.
  • Match normal performance expectations.

Minor glitches may not automatically breach the law, but serious faults or repeated failures may mean the content is not of satisfactory quality.

2. It Must Be Fit for Purpose

If the digital content is sold for a specific purpose, it must fulfil that purpose.

For example:

  • Software advertised as compatible with your operating system must work on it.
  • A game sold for a specific console must function on that console.
  • An editing program advertised for professional use must perform to that standard.

If you told the seller about a specific requirement before buying and relied on their advice, the download must meet that requirement.

3. It Must Be As Described

Descriptions, trailers, screenshots, feature lists and performance claims form part of the contract.

If a game advertises:

  • Multiplayer mode.
  • Specific graphics quality.
  • Certain playable features.

Those features must be present.

If the download does not match what was advertised, your rights are triggered.

If the Download Is Faulty

Step 1: Repair or Replacement

Your first remedy is usually a repair or replacement.

This might involve:

  • A software patch.
  • A corrected file.
  • A working replacement download.

The trader must fix the issue within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience.

Step 2: Price Reduction or Refund

If the problem cannot be fixed, or is not fixed within a reasonable time, you are entitled to:

  • A partial refund, or
  • A full refund (depending on how serious the issue is)

You do not have to accept endless unsuccessful attempts to fix the issue.

See What To Do If Digital Content Rights Are Breached.

If the Download Damages Your Device

If faulty digital content damages your phone, computer, console or other device, the trader is legally responsible.

This includes situations where:

  • Malware is included.
  • A corrupted update damages your system.
  • A defective file causes software failure.

The trader must:

  • Repair the damage, or
  • Pay for the repair

No “No Refund” Excuses

Some platforms claim digital downloads are “non-refundable”.

However, businesses cannot remove your statutory rights. If the download is faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose, consumer law overrides blanket “no refund” policies.

Read more: Unfair Terms – What the Law Says.

If the Seller Refuses to Help

If the trader refuses to fix the issue or refund you:

Cooling-Off Rights and Downloads

Digital downloads are different from physical goods when it comes to cancellation rights.

If you agree to immediate download and acknowledge that you lose your cooling-off right, you may not be able to cancel simply because you changed your mind.

However, this does not remove your right to a remedy if the download is faulty or misdescribed.

In Simple Terms

If you pay for a download, it must:

  • Work properly.
  • Match its description.
  • Be suitable for its stated purpose.
  • Not damage your device.

If it doesn’t, you are entitled to a fix, a refund, or compensation — and the trader cannot contract out of those rights