How to Make a Downloads Folder & Set It as Your Download Location

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Easily organize your downloads by creating a new folder
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Nowadays, basically any device you purchase that can access the internet will have a Downloads folder already created. However, you may want to make a downloads folder in a different location, or you might want to replace a Downloads folder that got accidentally deleted. In this article we'll teach you how to make a new Downloads folder, including how to adjust your browser settings to automatically download to the new folder.

Creating a New Downloads Folder

To create a new downloads folder, create any new folder in any location you want on your device and title it "Downloads" (or something similar). To automatically save downloads to this folder, you'll need to update the settings in the web browser you use. You can't change your download location on mobile devices.

Section 1 of 5:

Windows

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  1. 1
    Open File Explorer. This is usually in your taskbar, and the icon looks like a yellow folder. If you don't see this icon in your taskbar, use the taskbar search bar to search for "file explorer" and choose that option in the window that pops up.
  2. 2
    Click This PC in the left-hand sidebar. This will open up a list of all of the drives on your computer.
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  3. 3
    Double-click on the drive where you want to create the new folder. Most people choose the "C:" drive, since it is usually the primary drive. This is more reliable because it is the same drive used to run the Windows operating system. However, you can choose any drive that you want including external hard drives, depending on your storage needs.
    • Note that if you choose an external drive or non-SSD drive, saving files to this folder will take longer than if you choose an internally installed SSD.
    • If you only have one drive, it's probably the C drive, and you'll want to choose that one.
  4. 4
    Choose a subfolder (optional). You can place your downloads folder anywhere you want on your drive, as long as it's somewhere that you'll remember. The standard Downloads folder is located in C:\Users\[username] , where [username] is your Microsoft account name. If your main drive isn't the C drive, you'll see a different letter at the start of the pathway.
    • If you want to create a new downloads folder in the same location that it would normally be kept, double-click on the Users folder in your main drive. If you don't see a Users folder, you can create your own or just put the downloads folder in the main drive directory.
  5. 5
    Add a new folder. You can do this one of two ways:
    • Right-click in a blank area in File Explorer (like to the right of your folders, where there's no information) and choose New > Folder .
    • Click New in the upper-left corner of the File Explorer screen, then choose Folder .
  6. 6
    Rename the folder "Downloads". Naming the folder "Downloads" is optional, but you should give your folder a name that is easy to remember as well as a name that explains the folder's function. [1]
    • Press ↵ Enter or click a blank spot in File Explorer to deselect the folder and apply the name.
    • If you don't name your folder "Downloads," it will still function as a downloads folder. This is because you can manually choose your downloads folder in the web browser you choose. Web browsers are the only applications that utilize downloads folders, so there's no way to set a default downloads folder in your computer's system settings. Learn how to change your browser's downloads folder below .
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Section 2 of 5:

macOS

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  1. Finder is, by default, in your dock. The icon has an image of a blue and white smiling face.
  2. 2
    Navigate to the location you want to create your downloads folder. By default, your Mac will create a Downloads folder for you when you download something from the internet. You can, however, choose whatever location you want for your new downloads folder.
  3. 3
    Create a new folder. There are two ways to do this: [2]
    • Click File at the top of the screen, then click New Folder .
    • Press ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Cmd + N .
  4. You can call it "Downloads" if you want, but you can name the folder anything. Just make sure that it's a name you'll remember and a name that describes the purpose of the folder.
    • Press ⏎ Return or click a blank spot in Finder to deselect the folder and apply the name.
  5. 5
    Create a symbolic link (optional). While you'll have to manually change what folder your web browser uses for downloads, you can create a symbolic link between your old Downloads folder and your new one so right-clicking a file and choosing Send to Downloads will send it to your new Downloads folder.
    • Open Terminal. You can do this by opening Launchpad and searching for "Terminal," or by opening Finder and going to /Applications/Utilities and double-clicking Terminal . [3]
    • Run sudo rm -rf ~/Downloads . This command will remove your old Downloads folder. You will be prompted to enter your password; you won't see the asterisks as you type in your password, but simply type it and press Return to submit it.
    • Run ln -s "[new Downloads location]" ~/Downloads . Replace [new Downloads location] with the path of your new Downloads folder. This will create a symbolic link between the two folders, and direct files to your new Downloads folder when sending them to Downloads via Finder. [4]
      • For example, if your made a new folder named "Downloads" in your Documents folder, the path would be /Documents/Downloads . That would make the command you need to run ln -s "/Documents/Downloads" ~/Downloads .
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Section 3 of 5:

Android

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  1. 1
    Open your files app. This might be called My Files (like on Samsung) or it could be the Files by Google app (on Google Pixel). If you don't know what your files app is called, search for "files" and open the system app that has an icon of a file folder.
  2. 2
    Tap Internal Storage . It has an icon of a memory card (which looks like a blue rectangle with a white line near the bottom).
  3. 3
    Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner. This will open a menu.
  4. 4
    Tap Create folder or Create new folder . A popup will appear on your screen asking you to name your folder. Type in the name, then tap Create . [5] You can name the folder Downloads or you can choose something else, but make sure it's a name that's easy to remember and name that lets you know this folder is for downloads.
    • On mobile, you can't change the default download location for any browser app. You will have to manually move files from your old Downloads folder to the new downloads folder you created.
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Section 4 of 5:

iPhone and iPad

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  1. 1
    Open the Files app. The app icon has a blue folder. It may not be on your Home Screen, so you may need to search for it by swiping to the left and using the App Library search bar.
  2. 2
    Navigate to the location you want to place your new downloads folder. The default Downloads folder is located in the iCloud Drive location, but you can choose On My iPhone if you prefer.
  3. 3
    Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner. This will open a menu.
  4. 4
    Tap New Folder . The new folder will be placed at the bottom of your file list. Type a new name for the folder, then press done to confirm. [6] You can name the folder Downloads or you can choose something else, but make sure it's a name that's easy to remember and name that lets you know this folder is for downloads.
    • On mobile, you can't change the default download location for any browser app. You will have to manually move files from your old Downloads folder to the new downloads folder you created.
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Section 5 of 5:

Setting Your Downloads Folder

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  1. 1
    Chrome
    • Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner, then click Settings > Downloads .
    • Click Change next to the "Location" option, which is the first option on the list.
    • Choose your new Downloads folder. [7]
  2. 2
    Safari
    • Click the Safari menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
    • Go to Settings > General .
    • Click File download location and choose your new Downloads folder. [8]
  3. 3
    Edge
    • Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner, then click Settings > Downloads .
    • Click Change next to the "Location" option, which is the first option on the list.
    • Choose your new Downloads folder. [9]
  4. 4
    Firefox
    • Click the three horizontal line icon (☰) in the upper-right corner, then click Settings .
    • In the "General" section, find the "Downloads" header.
    • Click Browse… next to "Save files to" and choose your new Downloads folder. [10]
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  • Question
    I don't know much about computers. How do I download something?
    Community Answer
    To download something from the internet, you need to have it open in your browser. If it is a picture for example, you can either slide and drop it to your desktop, or right click it and choose "save image as" (then pick where you will save it on your computer and give it a name). You can right click and save whole web pages this way too. It is important that you always choose "save as" and not "save," because this way you get to pick where your file goes, so if you make a new folder and call it "downloads" for example, you can choose to put all your downloaded files in them. Downloading music or videos is a bit more complicated, especially since most are not meant to be downloaded.
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    I have a document that I want to put in a folder when it's downloaded. How do I do this?
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    Download the document. You can then just drag and drop it into the folder you want.
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    Community Answer
    On most pictures, you can right click with your mouse to open up the usual menu. You will most likely find a "save as" option. Clicking that will send the picture of your choice to your files. From there, you can choose which file you want to save the image in. Two common files that are best for saving (or downloading) are your desktop or pictures. Some websites will ask you to download something. If this is what you are talking about, sometimes there is a download button. This button will download the image or file to your folder (officially called on HP/ Windows, Windows Explorer). You will find the download in the downloads folder of your Windows Explorer or other file folder.
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      Tips

      • Consider creating subfolders inside your download folder to organize your downloaded files. For example, you can create subfolders named "Movies" and "Music" so you can see the movies and music files that you have downloaded in separate folders.
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      • After you create a new folder you should change the default download folder for the software that you use for downloading to make sure that the new files that you download are saved in the new download folder that you have created. Otherwise, the software will continue to save files in the old download folder.
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      • Download folders can become quite large in size if you frequently download large files. Try to create a download folder on a drive that has a lot of free storage capacity so you have enough storage space to save downloaded files.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-new-folder-cbbfb6f5-59dd-4e5d-95f6-a12577952e17
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/organize-files-with-folders-mh26885/mac
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/terminal/open-or-quit-terminal-apd5265185d-f365-44cb-8b09-71a064a42125/mac
      4. ↑ https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/301159/how-to-replace-the-systems-download-folder-with-one-in-an-external-drive/391008#391008
      5. ↑ https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/create-new-folders-in-my-files-app/
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/organize-files-and-folders-iphab82e0798/ios
      7. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95759?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/download-items-from-the-web-sfri40598/mac
      9. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/change-the-downloads-folder-location-in-microsoft-edge-4049e93b-0ef6-e44f-aca0-7d5f37a39294
      1. ↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/where-find-and-manage-downloaded-files-firefox?redirectslug=Downloads+window&redirectlocale=en-US#w_change-where-downloads-are-saved

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