What it means
The server is returning only part of the resource, as requested by a Range header. Content-Range says which bytes are included.
Common causes
- Video or audio players seeking within a file
- Download managers resuming or splitting downloads
- PDF viewers loading pages on demand
How to fix it
As a client or visitor
Assemble ranges using Content-Range. If you get 200 instead, the server ignores ranges and you received the full file.
As the site or API owner
Advertise Accept-Ranges: bytes, validate ranges and answer 416 for unsatisfiable ones. Make sure compression or proxies do not break byte ranges.
Example response
HTTP/1.1
HTTP/1.1 206 Partial Content
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:30:00 GMT
Server: nginx
Content-Range: bytes 0-1023/146515
Content-Length: 1024
Content-Type: video/mp4Specification
FAQ
› Why does my video not seek?
The server probably answers range requests with 200 instead of 206. Enable byte-range support on the server or CDN.
› Can a 206 contain several ranges?
Yes, as multipart/byteranges, though most clients request one range at a time.