How To Control Where Downloaded Files Are Saved on a Mac

When you download something in Safari, another browser, or Mail, it is saved to the Downloads folder by default. But you can change that to another location or have it prompt you each time.

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Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Let's talk about controlling where files go when you download them.
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So when you download something, say in your web browser, it will by default go to the Downloads folder. But it doesn't have to. You can customize where it goes to or control it on a case by case basis. So, for instance, here I am at my own website and there's a download here for a Keyboard Shortcut pdf. If I click on it it will automatically download into the Downloads folder. I could find that in the Dock or just switch to the Finder and create a new Finder window. I can then go to Downloads and look and that's where I'll find it. But what if I don't want it to go there.
Well, there is a Setting in Safari for that. Go to Safari, Settings, make sure you're on General and right there you will see File Download Location. You'll see it set to the Downloads folder. So you could change that by simply selecting Other. Then you can choose any folder you want including creating your own folder. So, for instance, if you'd rather have a Downloads folder in your Documents folder you can just create one there and set it to that. 
Now another option is you can go and choose Ask for Each Download. So now when you go to download something like this it's actually going to prompt you and you can navigate to wherever you want in the Finder and save that file there. So with every download you can specify exactly where you want it to go, perhaps skipping the steps where you go to you Downloads folder, get that file and then move it to a more permanent location. 
Now even if you have it set to a folder, like the Downloads folder, you can still control on a case-by-case basis. Instead of clicking here you can hold the Control Key and click or do a two finger click on a trackpad or a right click on your mouse and then you get the Context Menu. The Context Menu has a download linked file which will do the same thing as just clicking it but also Download Linked File As and then you can specify a location even if that is not your setting in Safari Settings. So if you want most of your files to go to the Downloads folder but occasionally want to specify exactly where a file goes that's the way to do it. 
Here's another technique you should know about. That is, in Safari if you click on a link what happens to it depends on the website. The website actually has the power to specify whether you open a file in the browser or whether it downloads. For instance, a pdf can very easily just be another webpage that you go to view that is just a pdf. So sometimes you'll click on a pdf and it actually opens up in Safari and then you have to go to File, and Save to save it. Other times you click on a pdf like this and the server says no, this is a download. Just go right to downloading this file. Don't display it. But even when it is going to display a pdf you have the option to circumvent that and just download it. Watch the Status Bar at the bottom and you can see it shows the link to the pdf. Now if I hold the Control Key down see how it says Display A Menu For. That's where we get the Context Menu. But if I hold the Option Key down notice now how it says Download. So instead of doing whatever the server wants now it specifically going to download this file. Note that when you Control Click and you see Download Link to File that's actually doing the same thing. So this isn't necessarily redundant because in some cases clicking a link will display the pdf but Control clicking and choosing Download Link to File or simply Option clicking will download the file rather than display it. 
Now whatever browser you're using you've got a setting for Where Downloads Go. So, for instance in Chrome here, if i go to Setting, there are a ton of settings. So if I just search for Downloads I can see here there is a whole section for Downloads and there's a location. I can change that location or turn the switch On for Ask Where to Save Each File Before Downloading. So basically the same thing just shown in a different way. 
Now other apps sometimes have a Download setting as well. For instance in the Mail App if you go to Mail, Settings, and then you're in General, you can see there is a Downloads folder option here as well. You can set it to any location that you want. So Mail can maintain a different Downloads folder than Safari. 
Here's another thing to note. If you're using iCloud Drive and you go to the top level of iCloud Drive you'll notice that there is a Downloads folder there as well. So, I've got a Downloads folder in iCloud Drive but also in my Home folder I've got a Downloads folder there. What's with the two Downloads folders? Well, the Downloads folder, in your Home folder, that's the default one for use on your Mac. It's a local folder that's not part of iCloud Drive at all. It's in your Home folder. The Downloads folder in iCloud Drive, well the reason that is there is because the iPhone and iPad don't have local storage, at least not in the same way that the Mac does. So, the Downloads folder is part of iCloud Drive there. So even if you've never created or used a Downloads folder in iCloud Drive on your Mac this Downloads folder is going to be there because your iPhone or your iPad needs it. If you like you can set your Downloads folder on your Mac in Safari and other apps to the iCloud Drive Downloads folder as well. 
Although in general it's best to avoid that because a lot of times on our Macs we're downloading large files, say large video files, application installers, things like that, that you don't really need to have on iCloud Drive. At least not at first. So it's best to download those locally, not have them sync across all your devices. Your iPhone and iPad won't even be able to use app installers that are for the Mac, for instance, and then simply maintain two separate downloads folders knowing the iCloud Drive one is primarily for iOS and iPad OS. Your Home folder Downloads folder is primarily for your Mac. 
Also note that after you've downloaded a file then you should get a button here in the Tool Bar for Safari. It won't appear there until you've downloaded something. You click there it will show you your recent downloads. You can clear this list. It won't remove the file from your Downloads folder or wherever you saved it. It's just clearing this list out of a handy list of files you originally downloaded. The idea being you downloaded something and you want to get quick access to it without having to switch to the Finder first. You can go in here. You can click on this little magnifying glass here and it will reveal the file in the Finder or you can double click on it right there and it will open it for you skipping the Finder. So it is a quick way to download and then use something without having to leave Safari in-between. There's a setting for this as well. It's right under the File Download Location. You can see Remove Download List Items and you can have it automatically do it after a Day, whenever you quit Safari, Right after the Download is done. So in other words that list will just show downloads in progress, not completed ones. Or set it up for Manually so keep the downloads listed there until you select one and remove it. Hope you found this useful. Thanks for watching.

Comments: 3 Responses to “How To Control Where Downloaded Files Are Saved on a Mac”

Ralph Henson

2 years ago

I have an Ipad and a Mabook Air from my school. As a teacher, I download files, but both are limited in storage. Can I use the iCloud downloads instead, and how do I make sure they don't get on the drives? Thanks for a great help.
Been using macs for 30 years, but I've learned more from you in the last three.

Gary Rosenzweig

Ralph: My advice is to just keep the Downloads folder neat. After downloading, move the file or use it as needed. Downloading to the iCloud Downloads folder is the default for your iPad, but using that on your Mac won't help free up space in the short term as the file would still be cached locally and using space.

John MacKenzie

Thanks again, Gary. I learn so much from these videos.

Comments Closed.

How To Control Where Downloaded Files Are Saved on a Mac

Comments: 3 Responses to “How To Control Where Downloaded Files Are Saved on a Mac”

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