How to Change Download Location to External Hard Drive Mac UPDATED Free

How to Change Download Location to External Hard Drive Mac

I've seen a lot of chaotic and disorganized Downloads folders on Mac. A lot. For me, at least, it's much easier to keep my downloaded files cleaned upward and organized if I download to my Desktop which I'm constantly looking at then to download to the downloads binder which I don't pay attention to until it gets too cluttered to notice annihilation.

How to Change the Default Downloads Folder on Your Mac

So if you're the same way, information technology's good to know that you lot can change where Safari, Firefox, and Chrome automatically put their downloads.

So for today'southward article, allow's go over how to alter the default download binder on the Mac!

Luckily, the process of changing the default download directory pretty similar in the three main Mac browsers.

Modify the Default Download Location in Safari

Open the Safari app and click on the Safari drop-downwards carte du jour at the top left.
Choose Preferences.
Make certain General tab is selected and so modify the File Download Location to wherever you want.

As you lot can see, I've got mine prepare to "Desktop," merely you can pick an alternate location with that "Other" choice. Clicking "Other" will bring you lot to the familiar macOS open/save dialog box, from which yous tin can select any folder you want to employ.

If you're feeling really fancy, yous could instead change that toggle shown in my 2nd screenshot above to "Inquire for each download," which volition mean that you can file away everything you download exactly where you desire it to go, every fourth dimension. While this is a nifty feature merely information technology can get cumbersome to have to cull a download location for each and every download y'all do.

Change the Default Download Location in Firefox

With theFirefox browser, you'll get-go the same way equally you did with Safari.

Launch Firefox and click on its named menu(i.east. the FireFox pulldown menu) in the upper lefthand corner.
Select Preferences.
Under the General tab, at the characterization: Save files to click cull and select the binder you want your downloads to go to.

Again, the "Always ask me where to save files" radio push you encounter above will make Firefox ask you each time you initiate a download.

Change the Default Download Location in Chrome

Google made information technology just a teeny bit harder to change your default downloads folder in theChrome browser, but the steps begin the aforementioned way every bit the other two browsers.

Launch Chrome and select the Chrome menu from the superlative of your screen.
Select Preferences.
Curlicue downwards the settings on the side carte until yous come across Advanced. Click on it.
Choose Downloads.
Click on Change next to Location and select the folder y'all desire your downloads to go to.

As with Safari and Firefox, there's a choice to make the browser ask you where to put the file you're downloading every time.

As Steve Jobs used to say, "Oh aye, at that place'due south one more thing."

Mail also uses the Downloads folder to shop attachments you salvage, so if yous'd like to be really thorough, y'all could change that, too.

Click on theMail pulldown menu at the top of Postal service and so select Preferences. Adjacent, under the General tab, you tin can modify the download location only as you can with the web browsers:
And then now that you lot've got all of your browsers (and Mail!) set up to do exactly what you need them to, you tin can go forrad knowing that your Downloads folder will never get as well chaotic and disorganized again. Getting things done is and then much easier when you lot stay organized.

If you're a Mac user and enjoyed this article, you might want to cheque out this TechJunkie article:How To Flush the DNS in Mac Mojave.

Practice you lot have any tips or tricks for managing downloads on your Mac? If so, we'd beloved to hear from you lot in a comment below!