Download Folder Cleanup
Downloading files to your computer can quickly fill your hard drive. If you’re frequently downloading files, it may be necessary to delete them. Deleting unneeded files is generally good maintenance and will help with your systems performance, so you wont’s get angry about that!! More importantly, it is good for security and that will be a relief to most.
Since most most browsers in Windows (Chrome, Edge, Safari) default to this download folder you will be able to easily navigate to this place and clean it out.
The Steps to Clean Out Your Downloads Folder
Open Windows Explorer. The fastest way to do this is to use the Windows+E key. You can also use the search bar in the bottom left of the screen and search for “Windows Explorer”. Alternatively you can open the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar if it is there.
Select the Downloads folder in the left pane. Press Ctrl+A to select all the files or choose them individually.
Right-click the selected files and choose Delete.
For good measure, hold the shift key while you select Yes to confirm. The items will bypass the recycle bin and be permanently deleted.
The Downloads folder will now be empty.
Why Should You Do this
If you download frequently, you should be emptying your downloads folder on a regular basis. It is better for overall performance of the system and it is could for security too. A lot of time you download personal or confidential documents from your web browser. The less that could get compromised the better and this is one way to do it.
This is also useful if you are in a Citrix environment. I published a funny TikTok about it!
Hapyy IT’ing
Dan
Dan
I am an IT professional with over twenty years experience in the field. I have supported thousands of users over the years. The organizations I have worked for range in size from one person to hundreds of people. I have performed support from Help Desk, Network / Cloud Administration, Network Support, Application Support, Implementation and Security.