By default, anything you download from a web browser usually ends up in the Downloads folder on your computer. This is pretty much true regardless of the operating system you are using.
Most people will use the default download location, but in some cases it may be helpful to change this folder. For example, if you are uploading several large files and you do not have enough local drive space, you can upload the files to an external hard drive or network drive.
In this article, I will show you how to change the default download folder location for all major browsers. It is different for each browser, and each browser has different parameters.
Google Chrome
In Chrome, click the settings icon (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner of the window.
Then click “Settings” in the menu list.
Scroll to the bottom and click the “Advanced” link.
Scroll down again until you see the Downloads heading. Go ahead, click the “Change” button and select a new location. If you need different downloads saved in different locations, be sure to toggle the Ask where to save each file before uploading option.
Microsoft Edge
In Microsoft Edge, you click the button with three horizontal dots and then click Settings.
A sliding menu will appear on the right side. Scroll down until you see the “View advanced settings” button and click on it.
Scroll down to the Downloads section. Click the “Change” button and select a new download location. You can also choose if you want Edge to ask you where to save each download.
Internet browser
If you are still using IE, you need to click on the gear icon and then click on View Downloads.
A popup will appear listing all current or previous downloads using IE. Click the Options link in the lower left corner.
Click the Browse button to change the location of your downloads folder.
Safari
It’s pretty easy to change this setting in Safari. Click “Safari” in the menu bar at the top and then click “Preferences.”
In the Preferences dialog, make sure you are on the General tab. Below you will see the download location of the file.
If you click on this drop-down menu, you can select Other to select a different folder. You can also select Ask on every download if you want it to be available for every download.
Plus, by default, Safari keeps a list of all the items you’ve downloaded in one day. You can change this setting to When Safari Quits, After Successful Loading, or Manual.
Another cool Safari option is the “Open” safe “files after download” option, which is usually checked by default. Safari assumes that images, movies, PDFs, etc. are safe, but I find it quite risky. I recommend disabling this setting as it serves no useful purpose other than making your computer more vulnerable to malware or viruses being installed.
Fire fox
Finally, we have Firefox, which is probably the easiest to change. Just click the button with three horizontal bars in the upper right corner and then click Settings.
Then, on the General tab, click the Select button next to the Save Files To field and select a different folder.
As with all other browsers, you can use Firefox as a place to save each download individually. This guide is about this. Enjoy!
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