How to beginner · 3 min read

How to download wandb artifacts

Q: How to download wandb artifacts

Use the wandb.Api() class from the wandb Python SDK to access and download artifacts. Instantiate the API, retrieve the artifact by its name and version, then call artifact.download() to save it locally.

Quick answer

Use the wandb.Api() class from the wandb Python SDK to access and download artifacts. Instantiate the API, retrieve the artifact by its name and version, then call artifact.download() to save it locally.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
pip install wandb
Weights & Biases account with API key configured (wandb login)

Setup

Install the wandb Python package and authenticate your environment with your W&B API key.

Install wandb: pip install wandb
Login to W&B CLI to configure your API key: wandb login

bash

pip install wandb
wandb login

Step by step

This example shows how to download a specific artifact from your W&B project using the Python SDK.

python

import wandb

# Initialize the W&B API
api = wandb.Api()

# Specify the artifact path: "entity/project/artifact_name:version"
artifact_path = "your-entity/your-project/model-weights:v0"

# Retrieve the artifact
artifact = api.artifact(artifact_path)

# Download the artifact locally (returns the local directory path)
local_dir = artifact.download()

print(f"Artifact downloaded to: {local_dir}")

output

Artifact downloaded to: /home/user/wandb/artifacts/model-weights:v0

Common variations

Download the latest version by omitting the version tag, e.g., "your-entity/your-project/model-weights".
Use artifact.file("filename.ext") to access a specific file inside the artifact.
For asynchronous workflows, use Python's async features with W&B's API calls wrapped in async functions.

python

import wandb

api = wandb.Api()

# Download latest artifact version
artifact = api.artifact("your-entity/your-project/model-weights")
local_dir = artifact.download()

# Access a specific file inside the artifact
file_path = artifact.file("weights.pt")
print(f"File path: {file_path}")

output

File path: /home/user/wandb/artifacts/model-weights:v0/weights.pt

Troubleshooting

If you get authentication errors, ensure you have run wandb login and your API key is valid.
Check that the artifact path is correct and that you have access permissions to the project and artifact.
If download hangs or fails, verify your network connection and W&B service status.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use wandb.Api() to programmatically access artifacts in your W&B projects.
Call artifact.download() to save artifacts locally for use in your workflows.
Ensure your W&B API key is configured via wandb login to avoid authentication issues.

Verified 2026-04

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