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How do you change Windows’ default download path?

Sep 30, 2016

I would like to keep my drive paths as clean as possible and C:Downloads is much nicer than C:UsersMynameDownloads. How can I stop Windows 10 from using the user name profile location by default?

1. Open Windows Explorer

2. Create the folder you want to have as your new Downloads folder (i.e. C:Downloads)

3. Under This PC, right-click Downloads

4. Click Properties

5. Select the Location Tab

6. Click Move

7. Select the folder you made in Step 2

8. Once it has finished copying everything to the new folder, click OK to close the Properties Window

It is not Windows itself that downloads files, but rather its applications like web browsers or other network clients. If you are specifically talking about downloading files from the Internet, your web browser has a setting for the default download location. You can even set it to ask you each time where you want to put a file that you are about to download.

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