You have status codes like 200 that say: all good, here's the full content. But sometimes you don't want to retrieve everything at once. Think of a video you start halfway through. Or a large download that was momentarily interrupted. In those cases, the server only sends back a portion. So then you don't get a 200, but a 206.
It sounds like an edge case, but it is not. The 206 appears regularly in modern websites and applications, especially those working with media files or smart loading methods.
Specifically, what does 206 mean?
In short, the 206 status indicates that the request succeeded, but only part of the requested data was returned. And this is done that way on purpose. The client itself requested a piece, and the server says: fine, here's only that part.
Technically, this is done with a Range header. The browser (or tool) then says something like: give me byte 1,000 to 2,000 of this file. And if the server supports that, a 206 Partial Content comes back nicely, with exactly that piece of data.
Where do you see this reflected?
You won't encounter it when opening a regular web page. There, you'll just get a 200 back. But as soon as you work with large files, or with media you can flush, that changes.
For example:
- You start a video somewhere halfway through. The player then does not ask for the whole file, but starts from that point.
- You resume a download that was aborted halfway through.
- Some apps and scripts load files in chunks - to optimize speed or memory.
In all those cases, it works with a partial request, and the 206 comes into play.
How do you check if your site's server is returning 206 status codes?
Want to check this on your own site? There are several ways to do that. With Screaming Frog you can see what status codes your pages return, but you usually don't see 206 there because it only crawls whole pages.
Better to use a tool such as Letter carrier or curl, where you manually include a Range header. For example, request only the first 500 bytes of a file and see what comes back. If you see HTTP/1.1 206 Partial Content, then you know enough.
Just want a quick look at what code you get when flushing a video or download? Open your browser, press F12, go to the tab Network and see what happens. Chances are you will see a 206 appear somewhere.
What about status code 200 then?
That's a good one to put next to 206 for a moment. Because technically they are similar: both indicate that everything went well.
Yet the difference is simple. 200 means: here is the whole file. Just everything.
206 means: you only asked for a part, so you only get a part back.
So they are not alternatives to each other, but each with its own application. If a server does not support 206, but you do make a Range request, it can still return everything with a 200, which you do not always want.
Why is 206 convenient?
It ensures that you are not pulling in data unnecessarily. This is especially important with media, large files and mobile connections. Why pull up 5 MB if you only need 200 KB of it?
It also plays a role when resuming downloads or smartly streaming files. For users, the difference is not immediately apparent, but for performance and bandwidth it certainly matters.
What can you do with this knowledge yourself?
If you build your own APIs, serve videos or offer downloads, it's good to know if your server supports 206. And whether you have set up the behavior correctly. Sometimes it's a matter of allowing headers or setting up your CDN or cache layer correctly.
And even if you only manage a site, it is useful to know that this status exists. Especially if you're working on load times, logging or debugging media.
Summary
The 206 status is not an error message, but a confirmation: you asked for a piece, and you get that piece. No more, no less.
The difference with 200? That one sends everything back no matter what you asked. 206 listens better.
And if your site needs to respond quickly, efficiently and correctly to these types of requests - whether you offer media or not - a reliable hosting environment is essential. At Surver, we make sure your site can handle that flexibility.
