Windows actually includes a powerful but often overlooked tool called bitsadmin (Background Intelligent Transfer Service). While its syntax isn't as elegant as wget/curl, it gets the job done for basic downloads:

bitsadmin /transfer myDownloadJob /download /priority normal http://example.com/file.zip C:\Downloads\file.zip

For Windows 7 SP1+ and Windows 10/11, PowerShell provides robust download capabilities:

# Basic download
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://example.com/file.zip" -OutFile "C:\Downloads\file.zip"

# With progress display
(New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile("http://example.com/largefile.iso","C:\Downloads\largefile.iso")

Originally designed for certificate management, certutil can surprisingly handle HTTP downloads:

certutil -urlcache -split -f http://example.com/installer.exe installer.exe

Note: This creates a cache entry that you might want to clean up afterward with:

certutil -urlcache * delete

For complex scenarios (headers, authentication, etc.), PowerShell becomes more capable:

$headers = @{
    "Authorization" = "Bearer token123"
    "User-Agent" = "MyDownloadScript/1.0"
}
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://api.example.com/data" -Headers $headers -OutFile "data.json"

Here's how to implement a simple download script in a .bat file using PowerShell:

@echo off
set URL=http://example.com/update.zip
set DEST=C:\Updates\patch.zip

powershell -Command "(New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile('%URL%', '%DEST%')"

Many developers transitioning from Linux/Unix environments ask whether Windows provides native command-line download utilities comparable to wget or curl. The requirement becomes critical when automating processes while minimizing third-party dependencies.

While Windows doesn't include direct equivalents, these native tools can handle HTTP/S downloads:

1. bitsadmin (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)

The legacy tool for queued downloads with resume capability:

bitsadmin /transfer myDownloadJob /download /priority normal https://example.com/file.zip C:\Downloads\file.zip

2. certutil (Certificate Utility)

Originally for certificate management but useful for simple downloads:

certutil -URLcache -split -f https://example.com/script.ps1 script.ps1

3. PowerShell's Invoke-WebRequest

The most robust modern solution (Windows 7+):

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://example.com/package.tar.gz" -OutFile "C:\temp\package.tar.gz"

Advanced usage with headers:

$headers = @{
    "Authorization" = "Bearer token123"
    "User-Agent" = "MyAutomationScript/1.0"
}
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -Headers $headers -OutFile $output

Proxy Support: All methods honor system proxy settings by default

HTTPS: Certutil may require -f flag to bypass certificate checks

Progress Tracking: PowerShell 5.1+ shows progress bars automatically

For complex scenarios requiring cookie handling, proper redirect following, or REST API interactions, consider these workarounds:

# PowerShell wrapper for advanced functionality
function Get-WebResource {
    param(
        [string]$Url,
        [string]$OutputPath,
        [hashtable]$Headers = @{}
    )
    try {
        $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
        $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Url -Headers $Headers -UseBasicParsing
        [System.IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($OutputPath, $response.Content)
        return $true
    } catch {
        Write-Error "Download failed: $_"
        return $false
    }
}

• Windows 7: Requires PowerShell 3.0+ for Invoke-WebRequest
• Windows 10 1709+: curl.exe alias included (actual curl binary)
• Windows Server Core: All methods available except GUI-based bitsadmin frontend