By default, most apps will use the Downloads folder to save download files. That's the folder where all files downloaded onto a Mac made from the internet – whether via Safari, other web browsers, AirDrop, or sent through iMessages – will end up. And if you don't keep an eye on that folder and clean it from time to time, it will quickly grow into a disk-space hog, perhaps even bigger than the Pictures folder where all photos are stored by default.
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How Files Are Organized in the Downloads Folder
Unlike other folders, files in the Downloads folder are organized chronologically with the most recent downloads appearing first. The initial set of files displayed in the Downloads folder are the items downloaded on that date, then those files added in the previous seven days. After that the files are grouped together by the previous 30 days, before finally organizing them by month. Of course, macOS allows you to sort the items by size, type, date added and more, but the aforementioned default organization method remains.
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How to Locate the Different Downloaded Files
If you remember when the file was downloaded then it's handy to have a look at this default method of file organization. If not, Finder allows for other options to arrange folders to locate a specific file, letting you search by name, file type, application, date created, date modified or tags – a highly useful addition.
How to Locate Safari Downloads
In earlier versions of Safari, the Downloads button was always present, the items that had been downloaded were displayed in a list, and at the click of a button the list was cleared. Recent versions of Safari display the Downloads button only when there are items in the list, but it’s possible to arrange automated deletion by customizing the deletion time of these entries in the General section within Safari Preferences. Within this tab there is a pop-up menu that includes options to delete “After One Day, When Safari Quits”, “Upon Successful Download”, and “Manually”. By default, this is set to the first of these three options.
Safari History and Privacy
In the same General tab you'll also find a section that allows for the customization of the removal of the browsing history. By default Safari is set to remove these items after one year, but those keen to protect their privacy will want to utilize three great methods of browsing history wiping. These are:
- Set it to “Manually” and clear the history when needed.
- Always use Private Browsing to ensure that Safari doesn't save your browsing history and will ask the websites you visit to not track you.
- Use Private Browsing combined with a VPN service.
Browsing history is valuable data for anyone that wants to know more about you, for example hackers, who can then use that data to scour through your digital life and impersonate you. This is why we highly recommend using a VPN service and the private browsing feature included as part of the browser, since this is the best way to protect your online activity.
How to Remove Downloaded Files, and Download and Browsing Histories
While the browsing history doesn't occupy too much space on the Mac, it’s recommend to clear it from time to time in order to close the door to the gold mine for anyone hoping to collect data about you. To do this manually in Safari, click on the History option in the menu bar then select Show History > Clear History.
Removing items from the Downloads folder can also be done manually by looking up files based on their size and data added, but there is an easier way to remove them and also protect your privacy.
Mac optimization apps such as CleanMyMac provide a simple, clean and easy-to-understand interface that packs in powerful scripts intended to help you to remove the items you don't need. Use the Large & Old Files script, add the Downloads folder as the target and let the software identify “forgotten items” in an instant. Removing web browsing history is done with a single click on all browsers: all you need to do is select the browsers and find this option in the Privacy section. Simple, right?
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Deleting downloads on Mac can be a pain because It involves two separate things: cleaning up your Downloads folder and then removing the downloads history from your browser. So, in short, you'll need to: find your Downloads folder, remove your downloads, clear your downloads history in your browser, and (finally) empty your Trash.
How to delete downloads on Mac via Finder
Finder is the first place you should look for downloads in on your Mac. If you have a mountain of download files stored, it’d be smart to sort your items and see which of them are the heaviest.
- Open Finder.
- Press Cmd+Shift+G.
- Type in: ~/
- Open Downloads folder.
- Righ-click anywhere in the window and select Use Groups.
- Finder will then gather your downloads in groups such as Applications, PDF documents, Images, and others, so you can quickly look through them and delete files you don’t need.
Then you can sort downloads by size: right-click in Finder, click Group By pop-up menu and choose Size.
If you want to remove multiple downloads from your Mac at once, you can do that with CleanMyMac X. This app has a Large and Old Files feature that detects all massive files and lets you delete them all. I will explain how to quickly get to downloads on your Mac using CleanMyMac X later in the article. You'd be surprised at how many GB of space you can reclaim!
How to delete downloads from software (e.g. Skype) which are hard to find
It can be a challenge to find the files you downloaded from different apps, such as Skype, on your Mac. By default, all the items you want to save go into the Downloads folder. But, if you have changed these settings, your files would be stored elsewhere. So, how to find those downloads on your Mac.
If you search for Skype downloads, here’s how to locate them:
- Open Skype.
- Go to the Skype menu and choose Preferences.
- Select Messaging from the list on the left.
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In the end, there’s “When I receive a file” setting. It’s set to Downloads, which means all files you download from Skype automatically go into this folder. Open it to locate the files Skype saved and delete them. You can change directory to save your Skype files elsewhere.
The pretty similar route applies to all other apps you save files from. For example, to find out the Slack downloads location, I opened the app and then navigated to its Preferences.
To make it easier to find files you saved, choose one download location for all your apps. You will eliminate clutter in lots of folders and will be able to delete many files at once.
Once you’re done deleting your downloads, it’s time to clear the downloads history from the browser you use. Select the section below based on the browser you use.
The easy way to delete large and old files on Mac
However, if you’re looking for a solution that makes clearing out your large downloads (including your Skype downloads history) simple, check out a cleaning utility like CleanMyMac X.
Large and Old Files feature scans your storage for heavy files piling up on your Mac for a long time. It shows how much space each file takes and helps to quickly get rid of all old documents, .dmg files, and archives that clutter your storage.
Large and Old Files helps you clean up your Downloads folder with just a few clicks. Here's how to clear old downloads on your Mac:
- Download the free version of CleanMyMac X.
- Install and launch the app.
- Click Large & Old Files.
- Scan your Mac and then select whatever you wish to remove.
- Click Remove.
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And you’re done. As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to remove your downloads on Mac with CleanMyMac X.
But, if you’d still like to clean up your downloads and download history manually, just follow the steps below.
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How to delete old .DMG files on Mac
On macOS, the majority of apps you download come in .dmg format. '.dmg' is a disk image that contains a compressed download file. These files work like hard drives: they can be mounted and ejected.
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When you open the .dmg file, you’ll see the application you’re about to install. After installing the application (dragging it to the Applications folder), the .dmg file will stay on your Mac until you delete it. Imagine how many .dmg files you may have unintentionally stored on your Mac. Now, let’s see how to delete them.
First, you need to eject those .dmg files that are still open.
- Open Finder.
- Under the Locations you will see the list of all .dmg files.
- Press the Eject icon to eject a disk image.
To delete .dmg files:
- Open Finder.
- Type “.dmg” in the search field and press Return.
- Move the unneeded files to the Trash.
Voila! Now, your Mac is much cleaner.
How to clear downloads history in Chrome
To clear downloads history in Google Chrome browser manually:
- Launch the Chrome browser.
- Type
chrome://history/
in the search field and press Enter. - Select Clear browsing data.
- Select the time range and check the 'Download history' box.
- Click Clear data.
How to clean downloads history in Safari
To clean downloads history in Safari browser:
- Launch the Safari browser.
- Click View in the menu bar and select Show Downloads.
- Safari will show you all the files you downloaded. Press Clear to remove downloads history.
You can alternatively press the arrow down button (↓) to see and clear downloads.
Clearing your Mac of downloads once in a while helps to save some space. If you are up to a full spring cleaning of your MacBook, CleanMyMac X has another useful feature — Space Lens. It analyses your storage and shows precisely how much space each folder takes. If your Mac is short on space, Space Lens can help you to locate the heaviest folder and remove it. Download the app for free, to try it yourself!
How to remove downloads history in Firefox
To remove downloads history in Firefox directly:
- Launch the Firefox browser.
- Click History, in the menu bar.
- Select Clear Recent History.
- Select the time range.
- Check the “Browsing & Download History” box.
- Click Clear Now.
Now, your Mac is probably clean of old downloads that used to take space. Keeping your digital space tidy and organized will help you locate files faster and avoid clutter in your folders.
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