How to Make Chrome Save Files to a Different Folder

Download files to your desktop or to any folder you choose

What to Know

  • In the Chrome Settings menu, select Advanced > Downloads  > Location > Change and select a new location. 
  • To specify a location each time, go to Settings > Advanced > Downloads > Ask where to save each file before downloading
  • To find a download, go to Menu > Downloads.

This article explains how to change the Chrome default download folder, find a downloaded file, be prompted for where to save files, and adjust multiple file download permissions on a desktop Windows PC or Mac.

Chrome downloading downloading files

How to Change Chrome's Default Download Folder

When you download files with the Google Chrome web browser, Chrome saves those files to a specific file folder. You can change this default download location to organize your downloads, free up space on your hard drive, or redirect downloaded files to an online storage service, such as Dropbox. It's also possible to set up Chrome to ask you for a download location each time you download a file. To change the Chrome default download location:

  1. Open Chrome and select the menu icon (the three vertical dots), and then choose Settings.

    Settings in Chrome
  2. Select Advanced in the left pane.

    Advanced in Google Settings
  3. Select Downloads.

    Downloads in Google Advanced Settings
  4. Next to Location, select Change.

    Change Location button in Chrome settings
  5. Navigate to the folder you want to use as the default download folder, then choose Select. Now, when you use Chrome to download a file, it is saved in the newly specified folder.

    Folder navigation window

How to Find a File Downloaded From Chrome

To find where Chrome downloaded a file, open the searchable list of downloaded files. To access this list:

  1. Open Chrome and select the menu icon (the three vertical dots), then choose Downloads.

    The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+J (on Windows) or Option+Command+L (on a Mac).

    Downloads in the Chrome More menu
  2. A list of downloaded files and associated URLs display. To open a file, select the filename. It opens in your computer's default application for the file type.

  3. To delete a file, select the X next to the filename. It is removed from your list of downloaded files.

Have Chome Ask Where to Save a File

To bypass the default download folder and specify where to save files each time you download:

  1. Open Chrome and select the menu icon (the three vertical dots), and then choose Settings.

    Settings in Chrome
  2. At the bottom of the screen, select Advanced.

    Advanced in Google Settings
  3. Select Downloads.

    Downloads in Google Advanced Settings
  4. Turn on the Ask where to save each file before downloading toggle. Chrome now asks you for a download location each time you download a file.

    Ask where to save each file before downloading in Chrome settings

How to Change Multiple File Download Permissions in Chrome

To adjust whether Chrome asks if you want to download multiple files from the same website:

  1. Open Chrome and select the menu icon (the three vertical dots), and then choose Settings.

    Settings in Chrome
  2. Select Privacy and security from the menu on the left.

    The Chrome settings with the Privacy and Security heading highlighted
  3. Select Site Settings under Privacy and Security.

    The Chrome settings with the Site Settings heading highlighted
  4. Scroll down to Permissions and select the down arrow next to Additional permissions.

    Additional Permissions in Chrome settings
  5. Select Automatic downloads.

    Automatic Downloads in Chrome Settings
  6. Turn on the Ask when a site tries to download files automatically after the first file toggle.

    The "Ask when a site tries to download" option in Chrome settings
  7. Chrome now asks permission before downloading multiple files from a single site.

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