HTTP 206 Partial Content and range requests
206 Partial Content is the response to a range request: the client asked for a byte range of a resource and the server returned just that portion. It underpins resumable downloads and media streaming, where players fetch a file in chunks. In crawler logs it usually reflects media or large-file fetching rather than page crawling.
What 206 means
206 Partial Content is returned when the server fulfils a range request — the client sent a Range header asking for specific byte ranges, and the server replied with only those bytes plus a Content-Range header. It is how clients resume interrupted downloads and how media players stream large files without fetching everything at once.
It is a success status, but a partial one: the body is a slice, not the whole resource.
206 and crawling media
Range requests matter most for large binary resources. A video player, for instance, requests ranges to start playback quickly and seek within a file. Crawlers that fetch media may also use ranges, producing 206 responses.
For ordinary HTML pages, 206 is not expected — pages are small and fetched whole as 200. If you see 206 patterns, they typically map to media, PDFs, or downloads. Make sure your origin and CDN support range requests so those resources behave correctly.
- 206 answers a Range request with a byte slice
- Powers resumable downloads and media streaming
- Expected on media/large files, not on HTML pages
Operator checklist
Confirm your server and CDN honour range requests (Accept-Ranges) for media and large downloads. Verify Content-Range and the partial body are correct. Expect 206 on media resources, and treat 206 on an HTML page URL as unusual and worth checking.
How it appears in analytics and logs
A 206 means the server returned a requested byte range rather than the whole resource. It indicates range-request behaviour — common for video, audio, and large downloads — not standard HTML page crawling.
Diagnostic use case
Understand 206 responses tied to media and large files, and confirm range support works for the resources that rely on it.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can surface where 206s occur, helping you see range-request activity on media and large files separately from ordinary page fetches.
Common mistakes
- Disabling range support and breaking media seeking or resumable downloads.
- Returning a full 200 body when a Range header was sent.
- Expecting 206 on ordinary HTML pages rather than media resources.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Status codes carry no personal data. WebmasterID reports 206 patterns for crawler traffic without exposing individual visitors.
Related pages
- HTTP 200 OK: what it means for crawlers
200 OK means the request succeeded and the server returned the resource. For crawlers it is the green light to process and potentially index a page. The subtle trap is the soft 404 — an error or empty page served with a 200 status, which wastes crawl budget and pollutes the index.
- HTTP 304 Not Modified and crawl efficiency
304 Not Modified is the response to a conditional request when the resource has not changed since the client last fetched it. The server returns no body, so the crawler reuses its cached copy. Correct conditional-request support with ETag or Last-Modified saves bandwidth and crawl budget.
- Website observability
See the status codes crawlers receive across pages and media.
Sources and verification notes
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.