How to clear your Downloads folder

When you download a file from the Internet, it is saved in your operating system's Downloads folder. Additionally, there is a record of it in your Internet browser. When a file is in the Downloads folder, it can take up unnecessary storage space. Also, it could be a security or privacy risk as it shows the files you've downloaded. To clear the Downloads folder or download history, click a link in the list below and follow the instructions.

Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10

To clear the files in the Downloads folder in Windows, follow the steps below.

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. In Windows 11, type download.
   In Windows Vista to Windows 10, type downloads.
3. Locate the Downloads file folder in the search results and click it to open the folder.
4. In the Downloads folder, press Ctrl+A to select all the downloaded files. If you don't want to delete all files, select individual ones by holding Ctrl and left-clicking each desired file.

• How to select or highlight multiple files and folders.

5. Press Delete to send the files to the Recycle Bin.
6. To permanently delete the files, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin in the drop-down menu that appears.

macOS and Safari

To clear the files in the Downloads folder on your Mac computer, follow the steps below.

1. Select Finder from the Dock at the bottom of your desktop.

2. In the window that opens, select Downloads from the list on the left side of the screen.

3. Right-click each entry and select Move to Trash in the drop-down menu.

Google Chrome

Follow these steps to clear the files in the Downloads folder for Google Chrome.

1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
2. Click the Customize and control Google Chrome button in the screen's upper-right corner.
3. Select Downloads from the drop-down menu that appears.
4. In the new window that opens, click next to each entry you want to remove.
5. To clear all entries, click the More actions icon in the screen's upper-right corner and select Clear all.

Mozilla Firefox

Follow these steps to clear the files in the Downloads folder for Firefox.

1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Click the Library icon near the upper-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Downloads in the menu that appears.

5. You may delete each file individually using the Delete key. To remove them all at once, right-click in the downloads section and select Clear Downloads in the drop-down menu.

Microsoft Edge

To clear the files in the Downloads folder for Microsoft Edge, follow these steps.

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Click the Settings and more icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
3. In the drop-down menu, select Downloads.

Clear all download history

1. In the top right corner of the Downloads window, click the More options icon.

2. Select Clear all download history from the drop-down menu.

3. In the prompt that appears, click the Remove all button.

Clear a single entry

To remove a single entry, move your mouse over it, and click the trash can icon.

Microsoft Edge Legacy

Follow these steps to clear the files in the Downloads folder for Microsoft Edge Legacy.

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. In the upper-right corner, select the Hub button.
3. Click the icon that looks like a down arrow.
4. You can delete each file individually by clicking next to the file entry. Or, you may delete all files by clicking the Clear all option.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Follow these steps to clear the files in the Downloads folder for Internet Explorer.

1. Open the Internet Explorer browser.
2. Click the Gear icon on the upper-right side of the window.
3. Click View downloads in the drop-down menu that appears.
4. You can delete each file individually by clicking next to the file entry. Or, you may delete all files by clicking the Clear list option.

Opera

Follow these steps to clear the files in the Downloads folder for Opera.

1. Open the Opera browser.
2. Click in the upper-left corner of the window.
3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Downloads.
4. In the tab that opens, you may delete each entry individually by clicking the icon on the right side and selecting Remove in the menu. To delete all files, click the button in the upper-right corner.

Android devices

As Android tablets and smartphones have many manufacturers, you many need to use some intuition to navigate through the menus during this process. That said, here are the steps for clearing the downloads folder using a Pixel 6A as an example.

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the device's screen to access the app drawer.
2. Tap the Files or My Files app icon.

3. Look for an icon or section labeled Downloads and tap to open it.

4. In the upper-right corner of the screen, tap the kebab menu. Then, tap Select all in the drop-down menu.

5. Verify all files are selected and tap the trash can icon.

6. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Move XX Files to Trash button.

iPhone and iPad

Follow the steps below to remove files in the Downloads folder on an iPhone or iPad.

1. Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen.
2. Type files in the Search text field, and tap the Files app in the search results.

3. On the Browse screen, tap the On My iPhone or On My iPad entry under Locations.

4. Tap the Downloads folder.

5. To delete one file, gently press your finger on it until a menu opens, and tap Delete at the bottom of that menu.

6. To delete multiple files, tap the ellipsis icon at the top-right corner, and tap the Select option in the menu.

7. Select each file you want to delete, or tap Select All (A) to select all files in the folder.
8. Tap the trash can (B) icon at the bottom of the screen to delete the selected files.