206 Partial Content (RFC 7233)

This is an educational reference page about HTTP 206 Partial Content. The page itself is served as 200 OK so it can be indexed as HTTP documentation.

The server is delivering only part of the resource (byte serving) due to a range header sent by the client. The range header is used by HTTP clients to enable resuming of interrupted downloads, or split a download into multiple simultaneous streams.

What it means

HTTP 206 Partial Content means the server is sending only the byte range or ranges requested by the client.

Common causes

A browser requests part of a video, audio file, PDF, or large download.
A client resumes an interrupted download with a Range header.
A CDN or origin supports byte-range requests for seekable media.

How to fix it

Include Content-Range and the correct Content-Length for the returned range.
Return 416 when the requested range cannot be satisfied.
Use 200 OK instead when the server ignores Range and sends the complete representation.

Example response

HTTP/1.1 206 Partial Content
Content-Range: bytes 0-1023/4096
Content-Length: 1024
Content-Type: video/mp4

Developer notes

206 is common for media playback and resumable downloads. Correct range headers matter because clients use them to stitch content together.

Questions

What does HTTP 206 mean?

HTTP 206 means the response contains only part of the requested resource, usually because the client sent a Range header.

Is 206 an error?

No. HTTP 206 is a successful response used for partial downloads, streaming, and byte-range requests.