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How to best manage the Downloads Folder

Can you please explain the downloads folder? If I delete for example a spreadsheet that I downloaded from an e-mail, is it gone, or does it also reside in another folder? Do I need to continually manage this folder by saving the files in it to other areas prior to clearing the folder out? The downloads folder bugs me because it has a lot of downloaded images, Quicken (qfx) files, and disk images. Do I need to save these disk images if I have already install the programs, and have Time Machine backing everything up? Thanks for your help.
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Mike K

Comments: One Response to “How to best manage the Downloads Folder”

    13 years ago

    The Downloads folder is meant to be a temporary place to store files downloaded from the web and email. You should move the files from the Downloads folder at your earliest convenience to a location that fits how you like to organize your files.
    In the case of installers like disk images, you can delete them once you have installed the program. Or, you can save them to a place you create, like maybe Documents/Installers in case you think you might need them again to re-install the software.
    Never rely on Time Machine as a place to "archive" files. Once a file has been deleted and enough time has passed then Time Machine will get rid of it to make more room. Time Machine is for backups only -- not permanent storage.

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