Want to use a custom folder for Chrome downloads? Here is how to change the Chrome download location in Windows.
Even with the built-in Microsoft Edge browser, no other browser is as dominant and powerful as Google Chrome for web browsing on Windows. Whenever you download a file in Chrome, it is automatically saved to your default Downloads folder. In case you don’t know, every Windows user account has a default Downloads folder located in your home folder. Google Chrome, instead of creating a new folder, uses the default folder. This makes it easy to find and manage all your downloads folder in one place.
While this is a good thing, there might be times when you want Chrome to save downloaded files in a different folder. For example, I don’t use the default Downloads folder for my Chrome downloads. Instead, save them to a different drive. Like me, if you want to automatically save Chrome downloads to a different folder, you need to change Chrome’s default download location. Thankfully, the entire process is pretty simple and easy.
In this quick and easy guide, let me show you how to change the default download folder in Google Chrome on Windows. Let’s get started.
Quick navigation links:
What is the Default Download Location in Google Chrome
Now, you might be wondering where my downloads on Chrome are.
By default, Chrome uses the Windows Downloads folder as the default location. To open it, launch the File Explorer and go to the “C:\Users\<username>\Downloads” location. You need to substitute <username> with your actual Windows user account name.
Anything you download in Chrome is automatically saved to the default Downloads folder.
Steps to Change the Chrome Download Location
To change the Chrome download location, we need to open the Chrome Download settings and modify it from there. Here is how to do it in simple steps.
- Open the Chrome browser.
- Click on the “Menu” icon (three vertical dots) in the top bar.
- Select the “Settings” option.
- Go to the “Downloads” on the left sidebar.
- Press the “Change” button next to “Location.”
- Select the folder you want to set as Downloads.
- Click the “Select Folder” button.
- Chrome will set the new folder as the default download location.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, we need to open the Google Chrome browser. To do that, either click on the pinned Chrome icon on the taskbar or open the start menu, search for “Google Chrome“, and then click on the result to open it. You can also use the “chrome” Run command (Windows key + R).
In the Chrome window, click on the “Menu” (three vertical dots) icon and select the “Settings” option. This action will open the Chrome settings page.
After opening the Settings page, click the “Downloads” option on the left sidebar. You can get to this same page by typing “chrome://settings/downloads” in the address bar and pressing Enter. Next, on the right page, click the “Change” button next to “Location”.
Important note: On older versions of Chrome, you have to expand the “Advanced” section to see the “Downloads” option on the left sidebar.
Now, select the folder of your choice that you want to use as the new Downloads folder for Google Chrome and click the “Select Folder” button.
As soon as you do that, Chrome changes the download location to the newly selected folder. You can see the new download location under the “Location” section on the Download settings page.
That is all. With that, you’ve successfully changed where Google Chrome saves downloaded files. If you want Google Chrome to ask you where to save the file each time, turn ON the “Ask where to save each file before downloading” option.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
Good to know: How to change default download location in Windows
