Internet Explorer Won’t Download Delivered Files

Today I came across an issue where Internet Explorer 9, and maybe some earlier versions, won’t download files that were delivered off SSL with PHP or ColdFusion. I was very frustrated as I have been securely delivering files this way for a long time. I eventually found the solution in a forum -

This is what worked for me to resolve the exact issue you are having, and may be useful for anyone else in the same position:

Firstly – Note: this answer only relates to people who are having trouble downloading non-IE files over SSL (https://), such as .exe, .pdf, .msi etc.

Go to Internet Options in IE9 (Tools > Internet Options) or click the cog in the top right of the Browser and go to Internet Options.

1. Choose the Advanced Tab
2. Scroll down to Security
3. Un-check Do not save encrypted pages to disk

You should now be able to download the file that IE9 won’t download.

Have fun.