How to Change the Download Location in Microsoft Edge Chromium

How to Change the Download Location in Microsoft Edge Chromium

The new Microsoft Edge Chromium is a drastic improvement over the old Edge browser. It seamlessly synchronizes your data between devices, offers the ability to install sites as PWA, supports a large library of extensions, etc. But you still need to take matters into your own hands if you want the browser to act the way you want.

Take the case of file downloads. Microsoft Edge Chromium saves them to the Downloads folder on your PC or Mac by default. It makes sense, but it’s not ideal if you regularly download a lot. The Downloads folder resides in the main partition, and filling it with a bunch of huge files is not a good idea if storage space is an issue.

Fortunately, it is more than possible to change the default downloads folder for Microsoft Edge Chromium, either to another location in the main partition, or to another partition or to a completely drive. So let’s take a look at how to do this, and then go over some other download-related settings that you might be interested in.

Other download-related settings

Microsoft Edge Chromium offers a variety of other download-related settings, all of which could prove incredibly useful at one point or another. Let’s take a look at it below.

Ask before downloading

Rather than sticking to one download location, you can instead configure Microsoft Edge Chromium to prompt you for a new location each time you start a download.

To do this, go to the Downloads screen in the Edge settings (the same screen that allows you to change the default download location). Once there, activate the switch next to “Ask where to save each file before downloading it”.


Microsoft Edge Chromium Change Dowload Location 5

The next time you start a new download, choose a folder through the File Explorer or Finder window that appears, then click Save.

However, Microsoft Edge Chromium will always remember the last download location chosen and point to it by default. This should help speed things up when saving batches of files to one location.

Download PDF files

Microsoft Edge Chromium sports a decent built-in PDF viewer and opens all the PDFs it contains by default. But if you prefer to download your PDFs, perhaps to open them in a dedicated PDF reader instead, there is a built-in setting that can help you do that.

Step 1: Go to the Edge Settings panel, click Site Permissions, and then click PDF Documents.


Microsoft Edge Chromium Change download location 8

2nd step: Activate the switch next to “Always open PDF files externally”.


Microsoft Edge Chromium Change Dowload Location 9

The next time you click on a link to a PDF file, you will be prompted with a Download File button. Click on it to download the file locally.

Clear download history

Worried about someone else snooping around and checking your download history? Why not delete it? Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (or Cmd + Shift + Delete on macOS) to display the Clear Browsing Data dialog box. Select Download History, specify a duration, and click Clear Now. You can also clear site cookies and browser cache while you’re there.

Or you can configure Microsoft Edge Chromium to delete your browsing history every time you leave it. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open the Edge Settings panel, click the Privacy & Services side tab, then click “Choose what to clear each time you close the browser.”


Microsoft Edge Chromium Change Dowload Location 11

2nd step: Activate the switch next to the download history.


Microsoft Edge Chromium Change Dowload Location 12

Microsoft Edge Chromium will delete your browsing history each time you exit all browser windows. Alternatively, you can use the InPrivate navigation windows to stop recording your download history in the first place.

Start download

Changing the default download location in Microsoft Edge Chromium is absolutely essential if you want full control over your file downloads. And the ability to also configure the browser to prompt you for a new location every time can also be incredibly useful, though it can be a little annoying at times.

Fortunately, the download location settings for Edge can be easily changed, so it’s not like you’re stuck with the changes you make indefinitely. So feel free to experience whatever you want.

Then:

Have you ever wondered how the new Microsoft Edge Chromium compares to Mozilla Firefox? Find out now.

Last updated on February 22, 2020

Leave a Reply