27

I'd like to keep my drive paths as clean as possible, and C:\Downloads is much nicer than C:\Users\Myname\Downloads. Can I stop Windows 10 from doing this by default?

Peter Mortensen
  • 12,326
Dr. John A Zoidberg
  • 409

5 Answers5

54
  1. Open Explorer.
  2. Create the folder you want to have as your new Downloads folder (i.e.: c:\downloads).
  3. Under "This PC", right-click "Downloads".
  4. Click Properties.
  5. Select the Location tab.
  6. Click Move.
  7. Select the folder you made in step 2.

enter image description here

  1. Once it's done copying things hit OK to close the properties window.
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007
  • 113,841
14

It's not Windows itself that downloads files, but rather, it's applications like browsers or other network clients. If you're talking specifically about downloading files from the world wide web, your browser has a setting for the default download location. You can even set it to ask you each time where you want to put a file that you're about to download.

Charles Burge
  • 2,180
9

The easiest solution is to make C:\Downloads a link to C:\Users\Myname\Downloads: then either path can be used to access the down-loads.

In order to create any file in the root directory you need to start a Command Prompt with administrator privileges (it's an option when you right-click the Windows Start button on the task-bar). Then issue the command:

mklink /d C:\Downloads C:\Users\Myname\Downloads

There is no need to change anything else, nor to move existing files, which are retained in the user directory hierarchy along with new files subsequently added, so they will be included whenever the user directory is backed up.

You can use a similar technique to create C:\Documents, C:\Music, C:\Pictures, etc.

AFH
  • 17,958
2

The simplest way I found is to move the entire folder to the new location. Do it as follows:

  • Open C:\ in explorer
  • Open C:\Users\Username in another explorer
  • Right click and drag the Download folder to C:\
  • Release the right mouse button
  • Select Move here
  • Windows detects the change and sets things up for you

This way you don't have to do any linking, registry editing or changing libary settings, windows takes care of it.
As far as I tried it works with every so called 'library' (Documents, Music, Downloads, etc.) in your user folder, you can even move them to network drives.
However you may need to click on the 'Download' shortcut in the little save dialog next time you download something as either the windows explorer or sometimes the application itself tends to remember the old save location, or pre-select the Desktop folder when the original folder doesn't exists anymore. After doing this once things should continue as before.

Kimmax
  • 364
1

PowerShell method:

$userShellFoldersPath = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders'
IF((Test-Path -Path $DownloadPath) -eq $false) {
     New-Item $DownloadPath -Type Directory -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null
}
IF((Get-ItemProperty $userShellFoldersPath).'{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}')
{
    Set-ItemProperty -Path $userShellFoldersPath -Name '{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}' -Value $DownloadPath
}
#Windows 10
IF((Get-ItemProperty $userShellFoldersPath).'{7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4}')
{
    Set-ItemProperty -Path $userShellFoldersPath -Name '{7D83EE9B-2244-4E70-B1F5-5393042AF1E4}' -Value $DownloadPath
}
#Restart Explorer to change it immediately   
Stop-Process -name explorer

More details How to change Windows' default download path by PowerShell

frank
  • 1,874