• Mac Downloads Folder Not Updating
• Mac Download Folder Path
• Mac Downloads Folder Path

Sep 08, 2021 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

The download folder on Mac can often contain important files. We have all deleted quite a lot of folders in a bid to get back some precious space on our Macs, and the in-built utility for disk cleanup is a handy tool in such cases. However, the problem here is that it is quite possible that these tools also delete your downloaded files. That is not all - many other reasons can lead to the deletion of the downloads folder on your Mac, including accidental deletion by using the wrong commands on the shell, improper or interrupted copy-paste functions, and so on.

Generally, the trash bin has any deleted files - but once you have deleted them from there, then recovery may not be so obvious. This is where you need software to recover the deleted download folder in Mac.

How is it possible to get back the deleted downloads folder?

Whenever you download something on your Mac, it goes into one place by default — the Downloads folder. Normally you download files from your web browser, but other apps also use Downloads as a repository for files transferred to your Mac. Today we look at managing the Mac Downloads folder and keep it from taking up a lot of storage on your computer. How to access Downloads. You can easily access the Downloads folder is easily accessed from Finder’s sidebar. If you don’t see it under Favorites, go to Finder Preferences, and turn it on in the Sidebar tab. You can also quickly get to it from Go Downloads ( Option+Command+L ). The Downloads folder is aptly named. This video will help you find your 'Downloads' folder on your Mac so that you can find our setup file and start the installation of WORDsearch 11. Mar 23, 2017 Change The Default Downloads Folder Path. Open File Explorer and right-click the Downloads folder under This PC in the navigation column. Select Properties from the context menu. Go to the location tab in the Properties window. Click the ‘Move’ button and select a different folder to use as the default downloads folder.

Once you have emptied the Trash Bin as well, then the files do not just disappear from your Mac. That specific area is juts marked to be overwritten - and unless any other files or folders are placed there, your files are still in the Mac, and there for you to recover. However, you cannot access them as easily- but to make it all simpler for you, a Mac data recovery software is what you need.

Part 1: Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac Recover lost Data

You cannot just use any Mac data recovery software. You need one that helps you to recover the deleted download folder on Mac with ease and is reputed as a data recovery tool for Mac. This is where Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac comes in.

Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac is amongst the most trusted Mac recovery software and can help you to recover the deleted download folder on Mac without any difficulty. Some of the reasons as to why it is the best in the area include:

In addition to recovering deleted download folder on Mac OS X:

• Retrieve downloads folder due to deletion and inaccessibility.
• Recover various file types like videos, images, archives, documents, songs, etc
• Only read and recover data, no leaking, modifying, or things like that, 100% safe.
• Allows you to rescue data from Macbook, iPod, Mac desktop, USB drives, digital cameras, mobile phones, and other storage media.

Part 2 Guide to Recover Deleted Download Folder on Mac

As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest benefits of using Recoverit Mac data recovery software is the simplicity and ease of use that comes along with it. Using it to recover the deleted download folder on Mac is as simple as 1-2-3!

Step 1. Selecting a disk

To recover deleted files on Mac, you can select the hard drive partition where you lost your important downloads.

Step 2. Scan for deleted files

Recoverit will start scanning deleted files, which will display some recoverable files after the first scan.

Step 3. Select specific files for recovery

When the scan completes, the results will be displayed in the form of a list of files that can be recovered from the drive/partition. You can search, sort, and filter through these results to find the specific files or folders that you want to recover. Once done, click on Recover, enter the path of the place where you want those files to be saved.

Part 3 Tips for Recover Download Folder files on Mac

How to maximize the chances of recovery

Even the best Mac data recovery software does not guarantee a 100% recovery rate to recover the deleted download folder on Mac. For maximizing the chances of recovering your deleted data on a Mac, a few tips like the ones given ahead can be helpful:

• Once you realize that you have deleted a folder or file that you need to recover, avoid using the particular memory area or partition to avoid the deleted folder from being overwritten.
• The memory scan may take a lot of time- you should avoid using your Mac during that time to speed things up.
• Do not install any non-trusted or non-genuine recovery software, as they could do more harm than good.
• Do not use any software for ‘permanent deletion’ since they could make recovery hard or even impossible.

How to avoid such situations in the future

No matter how careful you may be, recovery will never be 100%. You should avoid situations that need you to recover the download folder on Mac. A few tips on doing the same are:

• Before you delete any file from the Trash, be sure that it will not be required in the future. A period of at least 30 days should be there between sending a file to the recycle bin and deleting it.
• When you are using shell commands, especially for deletion, be very careful about what you are typing. A simple error like typing ‘c’ instead of’ could have disastrous consequences.
• If you are using any utility for deleting files and disk cleanup, then avoid automatic cleanups. Be aware and sure about what it is deleting to have better control over it all.

Thus, with all the knowledge above, you should not only be able to recover the download folder on Mac with ease, but also avoid any such situation in the future.

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You can easily change the Downloads folder location on Mac OS X.

Mac Downloads Folder Not Updating

Why Move Downloads Folder?

There may be different reasons why people want to move their Downloads folder location.

These days many of the Apple Macs come with solid state drives (SSD) which are not as large in volume/capacity as the hard disk drives (HDD) used to be. For example, the standard Macbook Pro Retina comes with 256GB of SSD space. Some of that is used for the operating system and then you are left with very little for photos, downloads, files, apps, etc.

As a result of new Macs with smaller internal storage, you may want to move your Downloads folder to another volume such as an external drive, flash drive or SD card connected to your Mac. Yes, you can move your downloads folder permanently to another volume like this.

How To Move Mac OS Downloads Folder

Follow these steps to move your Downloads folder on Mac OS to another location:

1. Create New Downloads Folder

Go to the location where you want your new Downloads folder to be and create a folder named “Downloads“.

For example, I have an external drive plugged into USB where I want the Downloads folder to be. So I find my external drive in Finder and create a new “Downloads” folder there.

2. Copy Existing Downloads Over

If you want to keep your existing downloads, you’ll need to copy it over.

Simply use the Finder app to drag and drop the contents of the existing Downloads folder to the new Downloads folder.

3. Delete Old/Default Downloads Folder

In order to create a symbolic link in step 4 below, you’ll need to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Mac OS. It may not be possible to delete the old/default Downloads folder in Finder directly due to permissions on the folder so you’re better off doing it in the Terminal using sudo command.

Open the Terminal app and type the following command followed by your password for your account:

Note that this deletes your old/default Downloads folder with all it’s contents.

4. Create Symbolic Link

Next you’ll create a symbolic link from the default Downloads folder in Mac OS to the new one in the other location.

Open the Terminal and type the following command:

Mac Download Folder Path

Note that command creates a link (ln command) between a target and source directory. The -sparameter creates a symbolic link.

Be sure to change /Volumes/My Passport 1/Downloads/with the absolute path to your new Downloads folder you created in the new location. In my case, Mac OS gave my external drive the path /Volumes/My Passport 1/and then I add the /Downloads/part to the path in the command. The backslashes in the path is simply to escape the spaces in the folder name of the external drive.

If you’re not sure what the path to the new location is and you’re using either an internal or external storage, you can use the Disk Utility app in Mac OS to determine the mount point.

Mac OS Downloads Folder Moved!

That’s it, you’re all done moving your Mac OS Downloads folder.

Mac Downloads Folder Path

The symbolic link you created in step 4 will ensure that any applications putting downloads in the old location ~/Downloadswill go to the new Downloads folder in the new location so that you don’t have to go and edit the Downloads folder in individual applications.