Change Download Location Mac

  1. However, you can change the install location for your apps using the Creative Cloud desktop app. All apps that you install after making this change will install in the new location. Open the Creative Cloud desktop app. (Select the icon in your Windows taskbar or the macOS menu bar.).
  2. Change where your files are stored in Photos on Mac. When you import photos and videos into Photos, they’re copied to the Photos library in the Pictures folder. If you prefer, you can store photos and videos outside the Photos library (for example, in a folder on your Mac or on an external drive) and still view them in Photos.
30 Apr 2016

You can easily change the Downloads folder location on Mac OS X.

Using File Explorer or Mac Finder, drag the OneDrive folder to your preferred location. Note: For more information, see Install OneDrive on an external drive. Go back to the OneDrive setup screen, select Get started, and then follow the instructions until you get to the screen where you can change your OneDrive folder's location.

Why Move Downloads Folder?

There may be different reasons why people want to move their Downloads folder location.

Change Where To Send Downloads

These days many of the Apple Macs come with solid state drives (SSD) which are not as large in volume/capacity as the hard disk drives (HDD) used to be. For example, the standard Macbook Pro Retina comes with 256GB of SSD space. Some of that is used for the operating system and then you are left with very little for photos, downloads, files, apps, etc.

As a result of new Macs with smaller internal storage, you may want to move your Downloads folder to another volume such as an external drive, flash drive or SD card connected to your Mac. Yes, you can move your downloads folder permanently to another volume like this.

How To Move Mac OS Downloads Folder

Follow these steps to move your Downloads folder on Mac OS to another location:

1. Create New Downloads Folder

Change Download Location Macbook Pro

Go to the location where you want your new Downloads folder to be and create a folder named “Downloads“.

For example, I have an external drive plugged into USB where I want the Downloads folder to be. So I find my external drive in Finder and create a new “Downloads” folder there.

2. Copy Existing Downloads Over

If you want to keep your existing downloads, you’ll need to copy it over.

Simply use the Finder app to drag and drop the contents of the existing Downloads folder to the new Downloads folder.

3. Delete Old/Default Downloads Folder

In order to create a symbolic link in step 4 below, you’ll need to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Mac OS. It may not be possible to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Finder directly due to permissions on the folder so you’re better off doing it in the Terminal using sudo command.

Open the Terminal app and type the following command followed by your password for your account:

View the code on Gist.

Note that this deletes your old/default Downloads folder with all it’s contents.

4. Create Symbolic Link

Next you’ll create a symbolic link from the default Downloads folder in Mac OS to the new one in the other location.

Open the Terminal and type the following command:

View the code on Gist.

Note that command creates a link (ln command) between a target and source directory. The -sparameter creates a symbolic link.

Be sure to change /Volumes/My Passport 1/Downloads/with the absolute path to your new Downloads folder you created in the new location. In my case, Mac OS gave my external drive the path /Volumes/My Passport 1/and then I add the /Downloads/part to the path in the command. The backslashes in the path is simply to escape the spaces in the folder name of the external drive.

If you’re not sure what the path to the new location is and you’re using either an internal or external storage, you can use the Disk Utility app in Mac OS to determine the mount point.

Mac OS Downloads Folder Moved!

That’s it, you’re all done moving your Mac OS Downloads folder.

The symbolic link you created in step 4 will ensure that any applications putting downloads in the old location ~/Downloadswill go to the new Downloads folder in the new location so that you don’t have to go and edit the Downloads folder in individual applications.

Change Font Book preferences on Mac. Default Install Location. Choose where to install fonts: User: Fonts are available only to you and are located in the Fonts folder in your home Library (/Library/Fonts/). To see your home Library folder, click the Finder icon in the Dock, press and hold the Option key, then choose Go Library. However, you can easily change the Safari File Download Location to Desktop, iCloud Drive or any other location on your Mac. Change Safari File Download Location on Mac There are Mac users who are happy with the way things function and know for sure that all downloaded files, Music, Photos and Videos will be available in the Downloads Folder on. Change where your files are stored in Photos on Mac. When you import photos and videos into Photos, they’re copied to the Photos library in the Pictures folder. If you prefer, you can store photos and videos outside the Photos library (for example, in a folder on your Mac. Go back to the OneDrive setup screen, select Get started, and then follow the instructions until you get to the screen where you can change your OneDrive folder's location. Select Change, choose the new folder location, and then select OK. You'll see a message letting you know that the OneDrive folder in the new location already has files in it.

You can’t natively run iPad apps on a Mac computer without using an emulator, though that will change with a new generation of Macs, set to come out by the end of 2020.

You can easily change the Downloads folder location on Mac OS X.

Why Move Downloads Folder?

There may be different reasons why people want to move their Downloads folder location.

These days many of the Apple Macs come with solid state drives (SSD) which are not as large in volume/capacity as the hard disk drives (HDD) used to be. For example, the standard Macbook Pro Retina comes with 256GB of SSD space. Some of that is used for the operating system and then you are left with very little for photos, downloads, files, apps, etc.

As a result of new Macs with smaller internal storage, you may want to move your Downloads folder to another volume such as an external drive, flash drive or SD card connected to your Mac. Yes, you can move your downloads folder permanently to another volume like this.

How To Move Mac OS Downloads Folder

Follow these steps to move your Downloads folder on Mac OS to another location:

1. Create New Downloads Folder

Go to the location where you want your new Downloads folder to be and create a folder named “Downloads“.

For example, I have an external drive plugged into USB where I want the Downloads folder to be. So I find my external drive in Finder and create a new “Downloads” folder there.

2. Copy Existing Downloads Over

If you want to keep your existing downloads, you’ll need to copy it over.

Simply use the Finder app to drag and drop the contents of the existing Downloads folder to the new Downloads folder.

3. Delete Old/Default Downloads Folder

In order to create a symbolic link in step 4 below, you’ll need to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Mac OS. It may not be possible to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Finder directly due to permissions on the folder so you’re better off doing it in the Terminal using sudo command.

Open the Terminal app and type the following command followed by your password for your account:

Note that this deletes your old/default Downloads folder with all it’s contents.

4. Create Symbolic Link

Location

Next you’ll create a symbolic link from the default Downloads folder in Mac OS to the new one in the other location.

Change Download Location Ie 11

Open the Terminal and type the following command:

View the code on Gist.

How To Change Download Location On Mac Safari

Note that command creates a link (ln command) between a target and source directory. The -sparameter creates a symbolic link.

Be sure to change /Volumes/My Passport 1/Downloads/with the absolute path to your new Downloads folder you created in the new location. In my case, Mac OS gave my external drive the path /Volumes/My Passport 1/and then I add the /Downloads/part to the path in the command. The backslashes in the path is simply to escape the spaces in the folder name of the external drive.

If you’re not sure what the path to the new location is and you’re using either an internal or external storage, you can use the Disk Utility app in Mac OS to determine the mount point.

How To Change Airdrop Download Location On Mac

Mac OS Downloads Folder Moved!

How To Change Origin Download Location Mac

That’s it, you’re all done moving your Mac OS Downloads folder.

Change Download Location Mac

Change Download Location Mac

The symbolic link you created in step 4 will ensure that any applications putting downloads in the old location ~/Downloadswill go to the new Downloads folder in the new location so that you don’t have to go and edit the Downloads folder in individual applications.

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