Mac Downloads Folder

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May 30, 2020 Despite the fact that Apple keeps the Mac Library folder hidden from users, it’s good to learn how to show the Library folder on Mac. You may need to access the Library folder when you need to clear cache, remove the app’s leftovers, edit preference files manually, etc. When you download a file on your Mac, you can find it in the downloads folder on the dock, or by navigating to that folder in Finder. Dec 02, 2020 The downloads folder is the location on your computer or mobile device where files, installers, and other content downloaded from the internet are placed. It may store content temporarily or permanently, depending on your preferences.

  1. When I download something, a progress bar appears in the dock under the 'Downloads' icon. However, after the download finishes, the solid bar stays under the 'Download' and does not disappear. The solid bar will not disappear from the dock even when I removed the 'Download' from the dock and it will stays between the 'Trash' and the separate line.
  2. Create New Downloads Folder in iCloud Drive: First, you need to create a new folder in your.

When you download a file from the Internet, it is saved in your operating system's downloads folder. Additionally, there is a record of it in your Internet browser. When a file is in the downloads folder, it can take up unnecessary storage space. Also, as it shows the files you've downloaded, it could be a security or privacy risk. To clear your downloads folder or download history, click a link in the list below and follow the instructions.

Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10

To clear the files in the Downloads folder in Windows, follow the steps below.

  1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Downloads, and press Enter.
  2. In the window that opens, highlight all the downloaded files using your mouse or press Ctrl+A. If you do not want to delete all files only select the downloaded file you want to delete.
  1. Press Delete to send the files to the Recycle Bin.
  2. To permanently delete the files, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin in the drop-down menu that appears.
Tip

If there isn't a Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, you can restore it. For help with getting the Recycle Bin back, see: Missing Windows desktop Recycle Bin icon.

macOS and Safari

To clear the files in the Downloads folder on your Mac computer, follow the steps below.

Note

As it's built in to macOS, these steps are the same for those using the Safari browser.

  1. Select Finder from the Dock at the bottom of your desktop.
  1. In the window that opens, select Downloads from the list on the left side of the screen.
  1. Right-click each entry and select Move to Trash in the drop-down menu.
Tip

You may also clear download history entries by highlighting them and pressing Delete.

Google Chrome

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Google Chrome, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
  2. Click the Customize and control Google Chrome button in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Downloads from the drop-down menu that appears.
  4. In the new window that opens, click next to each entry you want to remove.
  5. To clear all entries, click the More actions icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and select Clear all.
Tip

In Chrome, press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+Shift+J (macOS) to view a list of your downloaded files.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Mozilla Firefox

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Firefox, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
  2. Click the Library icon near the upper-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Downloads in the menu that appears.
  1. At the bottom of the expanded menu, click Show All Downloads.
  1. You may delete each file individually using the Delete key. To remove them all at once, right-click in the downloads section and select Clear Downloads in the drop-down menu.
Tip

In Firefox, press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+J (macOS) to view a list of your downloaded files.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Microsoft Edge

Folder

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Microsoft Edge, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
  2. Click the Settings and more icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
  3. In the drop-down menu, select Downloads.
  4. You can remove files individually by clicking the icon, or delete all files by clicking Clear all.
Tip

In Edge, press Ctrl+J to view a list of your downloads.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Microsoft Edge Legacy

Open Download Folder Windows 10

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Microsoft Edge Legacy, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
  2. In the upper-right corner, select the Hub button.
  3. Click the icon that looks like a down arrow.
  4. You can delete each file individually by clicking next to the file entry, or click Clear all to delete all files.
Tip

In Edge Legacy, press Ctrl+J to view a list of your downloads.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Internet Explorer, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Internet Explorer browser.
  2. Click the Gearicon in the upper-right side of the window.
  3. Click View downloads in the drop-down menu that appears.
  4. You may delete each file individually by clicking the X next to the file entry, or click Clear list to delete all files.
Tip

In Internet Explorer, press Ctrl+J to open your Downloads folder.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Opera

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Opera, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Opera browser.
  2. Click in the upper-left corner of the window.
  3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Downloads.
  4. In the tab that opens, you may delete each entry individually by clicking the icon on the right side and selecting Remove in the menu. To delete all files, click the button in the upper-right corner.
Tip

In Opera, press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+J (macOS) to view a list of your downloaded files.

Tip

If you're using Microsoft Windows, you can also see our Windows steps for deleting downloads using Windows.

Additional information

If you’ve been using a Mac for any length of time, you know that it’s more than just a pretty point-and-click, window-and-icon interface. Beneath the surface of the operating system is an entire world that you can access only from the command line. Terminal (in your /Applications/Utilities folder) is the default gateway to that command line on a Mac. With it, instead of pointing and clicking, you type your commands and your Mac does your bidding.

Why would you want to do that? For almost all of your computing needs, the regular graphical user interface is enough. But the command line can be handy when it comes to troubleshooting your Mac, to turn on “hidden” settings, and other advanced chores. It’s a good idea for anyone who isn’t an utter beginner to be familiar with it.

If you aren’t already familiar with your Mac’s command-line interface. First up: How to navigate the file system from the command-line prompt.

The prompt

By default, when you open Terminal, the first thing you’ll see is something like this:

Last login: Fri Jun 25 10:37:06 on ttys000
romansempire@Mac-Pro-8 ~ %

Here’s what you’re seeing:

  • The first line shows the last time you logged into your Mac via the command line; that’s the current time, when you’re using Terminal.
  • The second line is the prompt, and while it can change from system to system depending on configuration, by default it contains several bits of information:
    • In the prompt above romansempire is the user name.
    • Mac-Pro-8 is the name of the Mac (same as the Computer Name in the Sharing pane of System Preferences).
    • The ~ shows where you are in the file system of the Mac. ~ is a shortcut that means the current user’s Home folder. (In the Finder, that’s the folder with your user name and the house icon.)
    • The % is a character that the shell (the default interface that Terminal uses) displays to indicate that it’s ready to accept a command.

Mac Downloads Folder Missing

How to see what’s in a folder

When you first get to the command line, you’re in your home folder. While you’re there—or when you’re in any folder (directory in Unix-speak)—you might want to know what’s in it. To do that you use the ls (or list) command. Type ls and press the Return key, and you’ll see the folders (and/or files) in the current directory.

IDG

The output of the plain ls command is pretty sparse; it shows you the names of files and folders contained in the current directory (including some familiar ones such as Movies, Music, Pictures, and so on). Fortunately, you can add a number of optional switches to the ls command that allow you to see more information. For example, type ls -l (that’s a lower-case L), then press Return. You’ll see something like this:

Empty Downloads Folder Mac

Don’t worry too much about what all that means right now—we’re just getting our feet wet. The point is that ls can provide additional information about files and folders, depending on the options you specify. In this case, that additional information includes the name of the user who owns each item in the directory. (That ownership is part of the Unix system’s file-permissions regime.) The romansempire staff next to most of those items above means that each one is owned by the user romansempire, who is in the group staff. The other understandable bit of information next to each file and folder is the date and time each one was last modified.

One other handy option: You can view invisible files—ones that the Finder doesn’t normally show you—by typing ls -a. (These hidden files all have dots (.) in front of their names.)

How to access other folders/directories

When you’re in the Finder and you want to move to another folder, you find that folder and double-click it. From the command line, you use the cd (or change directory) command instead. So let’s say you’re in your Home folder and want to peek inside the Downloads folder. To do that, you’d type cd Downloads. (Remember to always type a space after any command that has an additional argument, such as the name of a directory in the previous example.) Once you’ve done that, ls will show you the contents of your Downloads folder.

Here are a couple of quick tricks for moving around in your Mac’s file system.

  • If you type cd and press the Return key—with no directory specified—you’ll go back to your Home folder. (You can also type cd ~ to go there.)
  • If you type cd /, you’ll go to the root level of your startup disk.
  • If you type cd .. (that’s two periods), you’ll go to the directory above the one you’re currently in. So if you’re in your home folder, and type cd .., you’ll go to your Mac’s /Users folder.
  • And if you type cd - (hyphen) you’ll go back to the directory you were in before the last time you issued the cd command.

To learn more Terminal commands, see our articles on how to copy and move folders as well as delete files and folders using the command line and get help when you need it from man pages.