Can files in download folder safely be deleted

Documents, media files, and the like can be used regardless of where you put them. The only thing to be aware of regarding moving or copying them is re-accessing a file from the history e. If you open a file with your software while it is still in the Downloads directory and later move it somewhere else, the Recent Documents will still point to the old location and won't find it there. Directly executable programs don't get installed, you just run them.

You can do that in the download directory or move them somewhere else. To run them, you either go to the directory where they are, issue a command that includes the path to where they are, or create a shortcut of some kind that knows where the executable is located. If you move or copy an executable to somewhere else, any shortcut will need to be updated to point to where it is. Software installation packages typically unpack the actual software files or download the ones you need, and store those elsewhere, creating system links to the working files.

The installation package is then unnecessary. You can delete it, or save it in case you want to reinstall it without having to download it again. You can move or copy it; it won't make any difference where you run it from; it will always install its files where they are supposed to go. Note, though, that a few packages will set up the working files wherever the installation package sits, especially if the instructions say to move the installation package to a destination directory before running it, or you are inattentive and miss a prompt asking where to install it.

So verify that the download directory does not contain any working files or a child directory with working files. If it does, the easiest solution is to uninstall it and then reinstall it in the desired location. Summary: Within the limitations described above e. But there is no benefit to deleting the Downloads directory, itself. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top.

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Learn more. Is it safe to delete files in download folder Ask Question. Asked 3 years, 8 months ago. Active 3 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 46k times. Improve this question. Have you tried deleting them to see what happens? If the files are stored elsewhere it shouldn't be a problem Yes, unless you have configured any programs to run direct from there.

Why do you want to delete the folder? Removing the files should be sufficient; otherwise, you'll need to change your default down-load folder in all your browsers.

Depending on the number of files and size of files, cleaning up your Downloads folder might free up to a few GBs of space. Would not it be nice if there was an easy to way to automatically delete unchanged files from the Downloads folder?

With Windows 10 Fall Creators Update version , Microsoft introduced a new option in Storage sense to automatically delete files from the Downloads folder. The option, when turned on turned off by default , automatically deletes unchanged files from the Downloads folder after 30 days. This means that the feature deletes only files that have not seen any changes over the last 30 days.

The option comes in handy especially if you often download software from the web using a web browser.

As you know, after installing a program, the setup file in the Downloads folder is of no use. Here is how to configure Windows 10 to automatically delete files from Downloads folder after 30 days.

IMPORTANT: While this is a handy option, please remember that Windows 10 automatically deletes all files not just programs or any file type that have not seen any changes over the past 30 days. So, you might lose important files. If you often save important files in Downloads folder which is not a good practice , this feature is not for you.

Step 1: Open Settings app. Step 2: In the Storage sense section, turn on the Storage sense feature by moving the slider to on position. Step 3: Now, click Change how we free up space link. Once again, make sure that you have turned on Storage sense feature as mentioned in the first step.

How to delete the Windows. Click on System. Click on Storage. Click the Clean now button. Under the 'Storage sense' section, click the Free up space now option. Check the Previous Windows installation s option.

Click the Remove files button. This will take you to the options screen for Storage Sense. May 18, - Windows 10 got the ability to clear the downloads folder automatically in. The one we need is Delete files in my Downloads folder that haven't.

How to delete all files in a directory with RoboCopy. Click on This PC from the left pane. In the 'General' tab, click the Disk Cleanup button. Click the Cleanup system files button. Click the OK button.