change download location

By default, whenever you download a file from the Internet, no matter what browser you are using, windows will save it to a dedicated downloads folder within the user’s profile. For most people changing the location of this folder is not necessary, but there can be reasons why you would want to do this. If you’re running low on storage space on a particular drive or partition, changing the default download location on Windows 11 can save you from the headache of moving or deleting any files. It is possible to change the default download location in Windows 11 and in this article, we will show you 2 options on how you can achieve this.

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Option1 – Change the Location of the Downloads Folder in Windows 11 Downloads Settings

The first option is the most direct way to change the location of the Downloads folder. It is very simple and can be done with minimal effort.

Step 1:  Make a new download folder at the destination location, such as D drive.

Step 2: Open This PC and right-click the Downloads folder to select the Properties option. If you don’t see the Downloads folder on This PC, double click Folders and you can see it on the list.

Step 3: Hit the Location tab and then click the Move… button.

Step 4: After that, you are able to select a destination for the download files. You can head to the new download folder you created in step 1 and click Select Folder to continue.

Step 5: Click the Apply button to apply the change. You will then get a prompt that asks you to move all of the files from the old location to the new location. It is highly recommended to choose the Yes button.

change download location

Now, all contents of the previous download folder have been moved from C drive to the new location. And in the future, the files downloaded from the Internet will also be kept in this location.

Option 2 – Change the Location of the Downloads Folder within your Web Browser

The second option is to simply change the default download location with the web browser settings. In the below steps I have used Microsoft Edge but the process is very similar to other browsers such as Chrome.

Step 1: Open your web browser.

Step 2: Click on the “Settings and more” 3-dot option. Then, select “Settings”.

change download location

Step 3: Under “Advanced settings”, click on “View advanced settings”.\

change download location

Step 4: Under “Downloads”, click on “Change” to change the default download location to another drive.

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