3 Quick Ways to Fix the “wget command not found” Error

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Akshat

Last updated: July 24, 2024

Expert verified

Running into the “wget command not found” error can be annoying, especially when you need to download files quickly. But there’s a simple fix. In this post, I’ll show you how to check if wget is installed, fix the PATH variable, and resolve permission issues. I’ll also introduce you to alternative tools like cURL and aria2. By following these easy steps, you’ll have wget up and running in no time. Plus, I’ll share tips on using wget effectively and securely to get the most out of this handy tool.

What is wget?

Wget is a command-line tool that helps you download files from the internet. It’s very useful for getting files quickly and efficiently, especially when you need to automate downloads.

Key Features

• Downloading Files: You can download single files or multiple files from the web.
• Mirroring Websites: Wget can copy entire websites to your local machine for offline browsing.
• Resuming Downloads: If your download gets interrupted, wget can pick up where it left off.

Example

To download a file, you simply use:

wget http://example.com/file

This command saves the file from the URL to your current directory.

Understanding the “wget command not found” Error

The “wget command not found” error means your system can’t find the wget tool. This is a common issue when wget is not installed or not set up correctly.

Why It Happens

• Permission Issues: You might not have permission to use wget.
• Wget Not Installed: Your system doesn’t have wget installed.
• Incorrect PATH: Your system can’t find wget because its location isn’t listed in the PATH environment variable.

How to Fix “wget command not found” Error in 3 Easy Ways

Continue reading for detailed steps to fix the “wget command not found” error:

1. Checking if wget is Installed

Before you can fix the “wget command not found” error, you need to determine whether wget is actually installed on your system. 

1. Open your terminal.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

which wget

If wget is installed and in your PATH, this command will return the path to the wget binary (e.g., /usr/bin/wget). If not, it will return nothing.

2. Installing wget

The easiest way to fix the “wget command not found” error is to install wget on your Linux system. Here are two different methods you can use to install wget:

a. Using Package Manager

To install wget on your Linux system, you can use the package manager that comes with your Linux distribution. Here’s the step-by-step process to do it:

1. Launch the Terminal and execute the command below to update the package manager and install wget:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install wget

2. Enter your user password if prompted and wait for the installation to complete.

3. Finally, you can run the command which wget to confirm if wget is installed on your Linux system. This command will display the path to the directory where the wget command is located. Once confirmed, you should no longer encounter the “wget command not found” error.

b. Compiling wget from Source

Another way to install wget and resolve the “wget command not found” error is to compile its code from the source. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Download the wget source code from the official website.

2. Navigate to the wget source code directory location using the cd command in the Terminal app.

cd ~/download-folder-name

3. Extract the downloaded file by running the following command:

tar -xvf wget-<version>.tar.gz

4. Configure the source code with the following command:

wget-<version>/configure

5. Execute the command below to compile the wget source code:

make

6. Install wget with the following command to fix the “wget command not found” error on your Linux system:

sudo make install

3. Verifying wget Installation

After installing wget, it’s important to verify the installation to ensure it’s correctly set up and ready to use. 

1. Type the following command and press Enter:

wget --version

If wget is installed correctly, you will see output displaying the version of wget and some additional information. This output confirms that wget is installed and ready to use.

4. Configuring the PATH Environment Variable

The PATH environment variable tells your system where to look for executables. If wget is installed but the system can’t find it, you may need to add wget’s directory to your PATH. Follow these steps to configure your PATH environment variable:

1. In your command prompt enter the following command and press Enter:

echo $PATH

This command displays the current directories in your PATH.

2. To determine where wget is installed, run:

which wget

Note the directory path returned (e.g., /usr/local/bin).

3. Now update PATH for the current session:

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

4. Verify by typing:

echo $PATH

The new PATH should include wget’s directory.

5. To make PATH changes permanent, edit your shell configuration file (e.g., .bashrc, .bash_profile, or .zshrc). For example, using nano for .bashrc:

nano ~/.bashrc

6. Add the following line at the end of the file ():

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

Replace /usr/local/bin with the actual path

7. Save and close the file.

8. Reload the configuration file:

source ~/.bashrc

9. Verify the PATH change:

echo $PATH

5. Fixing Permission Issues

Permission issues can prevent wget from running correctly, even if it’s installed. Here, I will guide you through checking and fixing permissions for wget to ensure it has the appropriate access rights.

1. To view a file’s permissions, use:

ls -l /path/to/wget

The output format shows permissions, owner, and group (e.g., -rwxr-xr-x).

2. To check wget permissions, first find wget’s location:

which wget

3. Check permissions:

ls -l $(which wget)

4. Verify that the permissions include an x (execute) for the user, group, or others.

5. If necessary, grant execute permissions to wget.

sudo chmod +x /path/to/wget

Replace /path/to/wget with the actual path obtained from which wget.

Using Alternative Tools to wget

If the above methods don’t fix the “wget command not found” error, try using alternative tools to get wget. Here are some options:

1. cURL: cURL is a command-line tool used for transferring data to and from servers. It is similar to wget and can be used as an alternative to it.
2. aria2: aria2 is a command-line tool used for downloading files from the internet. It can simultaneously download files from multiple sources, making it faster than wget.

Here’s how to install and use cURL:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal app.
2. Install cURL by running the following command: 

sudo apt-get install curl

3. To download a file using cURL, run the following command:

curl -O <url> 

And here’s how to install and use aria2:

1. Head to the Terminal window on your Linux system.
2. Run the following command to install aria2 on your Linux system :

sudo apt-get install aria2

3. To download a file using aria2, run the following command:

aria2c <url>

8 Best Practices for Using wget in Linux

While wget can be a powerful and useful tool, it’s important to know how to make the most of it. Here are some best practices for using wget in Linux:

• 🔍 Check the source: Always check the source of the file you’re downloading to ensure it’s legitimate and safe. Don’t download files from untrusted sources or websites you’re unfamiliar with.
• 💾 Use -i for batch downloads: Use the -i option to download multiple files from a list. This can save you time and effort if you need to download a large number of files. For instance, you can run wget -i list.txt if the list exists in a text file.
• 💻 Be Mindful of Bandwidth Usage: Be mindful of bandwidth usage when downloading large files or multiple files at once. This is especially important if you’re on a limited bandwidth connection or if you’re downloading files from a server that’s far away. To limit download speed to 1MB/s, use the wget --limit-rate=1m http://example.com/file.zip command line via Terminal.
• ❌ Use -nc to prevent overwriting: Use the -nc option to skip downloading files that are already in the target directory. It lets you prevent overwriting important files and save space on your Linux system. Your command should look like this: wget -nc http://example.com/file.zip
• ⚠️ Be Caution with Recursive Downloading: Recursive downloading is useful for downloading entire directories or websites. However, it can be resource-intensive and quickly fill up your hard drive if you’re not careful. For example, if you want to limit the recursive depth to 2, use the wget -r -l 2 http://example.com/ command.
• ↩️ Use -c to resume interrupted downloads: Use the -c option to resume downloading a file from where it left off if the download was interrupted for any reason, such as a lost internet connection. Your command would be similar to wget -c http://example.com/file.zip if you are downloading a file from a URL.
• 🔇 Suppress output with the -q option: Use the -q option to suppress output from wget. This can be useful if you’re running wget in a script or automated process and don’t want to clutter the output with unnecessary information. An example of this command is: wget -q http://example.com/file.zip
• 📂 Use -P to specify the download directory: Use the -P option to specify the download directory. This option is helpful when saving downloaded files to a particular directory instead of the current working directory. The command syntax would be: wget -P /path/to/directory http://example.com/file.zip

Key Takeaways

In this article, I walked you through fixing the “wget command not found” error. I have covered checking if wget is installed, configuring your PATH, and fixing permissions. I also introduced alternatives like cURL and aria2, and shared best practices for using wget effectively and securely, so you can get the most out of this powerful tool.

To expand your knowledge, check out these suggestions:

• Master the help command in Linux to quickly find command-line options and documentation.
• Learn how to troubleshoot DNS issues using the nslookup command in Linux.
• Discover how to resolve package installation problems related to the dpkg error code (1).

Frequently Asked Questions