How To Delete Downloads On Mac?

It is crucial to know how to delete downloads on Mac to free up space on your Mac. Your macOS device space can quickly get eaten up by downloads if you regularly download content from the web. All your downloaded files directly go to your Downloads folder unless you choose a different location to save them. This post will help you learn how to delete downloads on a Mac in detail. The downloads folder can take up your device’s memory and can slow down its performance. There are two simple ways to clear downloads on your macOS device. Read on to learn how to delete downloads on Mac!

How To Delete Downloads On Mac?

In this section, I will teach you how to delete downloads on Mac. It is recommended that you regularly delete your files from the Downloads folder either manually or using cleanup applications.

Here are the steps for how to delete downloads on Mac Pro.

1. Using the Finder app, search the Downloads folder.
2. In this folder, you’ll see a list of all downloaded files.
3. Scroll down to find the files you want to delete.
4. Now, select the downloaded file by clicking on it.
5. Right-click on the selected file and select Move to Trash.

Thus, your Downloads folder will now be empty! You can repeat the same procedure if you also want to learn how to delete downloads on MacBook Air.

Delete All Downloads On Mac

The Mac’s Download folder can sometimes slow down the device’s performance. Simply follow these steps to learn how to delete all downloads on Mac.

1. To start, launch the Downloads folder in Finder.
2. Now, press the Command + A keys to select all files in the folder.
3. Go to the top Finder menu.
4. Here, click on File and select Move to Trash from the drop-down menu.

You can also right-click after selecting the files and then select Move to Trash to delete all files. Or else you can also press Shift while selecting the first and then the last download file.

Keep on reading further to know more about how to delete downloads on Mac Dock.

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Delete Multiple Downloads On Mac

Most of the time the Downloads folder is out of sight but still takes up a lot of storage space! You can follow these steps to learn how to delete multiple downloads on Mac.

1. To start, launch the Downloads folder in Finder.
2. Then, select one download and at the same time press the Shift key.
3. Choose the other downloads you want to delete.
4. Now, drag all the selected downloads into the Trash.

You can now keep on reading to know how to permanently delete downloads on Mac.

Permanently Delete Downloads On Mac

Deleting files from the Downloads folder permanently is a good option to speed up your Mac device’s performance. You can follow these steps if you want to learn how to delete downloads on Mac Air permanently.

1. Using the Finder app, search the Downloads folder.
2. In this folder, you’ll see a list of all downloaded files.
3. Scroll down to find the files you want to delete.
4. Now, select the downloaded file by clicking on it.
5. Right-click on the selected file and select Move to Trash.
6. Then, right-click on the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

But remember that the deleted downloads cannot be recovered once you empty Trash on your Mac.

Delete Downloads On Mac Without Mouse

Many people among us do not know how to delete downloads on Mac without a mouse. You can use the Delete Immediately command to delete downloads on Mac! Simply highlight the file and use Option + Command + Delete to delete the file. Otherwise, you can open Finder’s menu and hold down the Option key. This will change the Move to Trash option to Delete Immediately. 

Delete Files On Mac

It is better to delete files and folders you no longer need to make space for new ones! This means deleting old files, clearing the Downloads folder, or erasing hidden files that are taking up space. Therefore, you can use the same above methods if you want to know how to delete files on Mac.

Delete Browser Downloads On Mac

Now, I hope you’ve understood how to delete downloads on Mac from the Downloads folder. The web browsers like Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox too keep a record of all your Downloads. Here, I will teach you how to delete browser downloads On Mac through Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox.

Safari

Follow these steps to delete your Downloads on Mac Safari.

1. Open Safari and click on the Safari top menu bar.
2. Here, select Clear History from the drop-down menu.
3. From the next window, click on Clear and then select the files you’d like to delete.
4. Or else select Clear All History to delete everything.
5. Now, click on Clear History.

Thus, your downloaded history along with the browsing data on Safari is now deleted.

Google Chrome

You can follow these steps if you want to delete the download history from Mac Google Chrome.

1. Open Google Chrome and click on Chrome from the top menu bar.
2. From the Chrome drop down menu, select Clear Browsing Data.
3. Then, click on the Advanced tab on the pop-up window.
4. Select the activity you’d like to delete by clicking on the checkbox.
5. Change the time range to All Time to clear all download data.
6. Then, click on Clear Data.

Thus, all the download history on Mac Google Chrome is wiped clean!

Firefox

Similarly, deleting your downloads in Mac Firefox is also easy if you follow these steps.

1. Open Firefox and then click on the Tools tab.
2. From this tab, select Downloads.
3. Click on Clear Downloads button from the new window.

You can also wipe out your entire download history on Firefox. Simply click on History >> Clear Recent History >> click on Time Range to Clear >> select a time range >> OK.

To figure out such kinds of things on DeleteBy

FAQ

Should You Delete Downloads On A Mac?

If you’ve downloaded an application, it has likely left a . dmg behind in your downloads that is rendered worthless once you install the program. Browsers also keep track of all the items you download, so it may be a good idea to clear those as well.

Why Can’t I Delete Downloads On My Mac?

You cannot delete a file if an application is using it! If your Mac is displaying the “file in use” error, you need to figure out which application has a hold over the file and close that application.

Should I Empty My Downloads Folder?

If you clear your downloads out at least once a month, you’ll keep your computer running smoothly and save a ton of storage space.

Can You Safely Delete Downloads?

If you have already added the programs to your computer, you can delete the old installation programs piling up in the Downloads folder. Once you have run the installer files, they just sit dormant unless you need to reinstall the program you downloaded.

Conclusion

In the above post, I’ve explained how to clear downloads on Mac in detail. Deleting downloads on Mac helps to free up space on your hard drive. The easiest way to delete downloads on Mac is through Finder! Just open the Finder app >> Downloads >> select the file >> right-click on it >> select Move to Trash. Alternatively, you can even select and drag the downloaded file to the Trash can in the dock. You need to empty the Trash can if you want to permanently delete files from your Downloads folder. Once you learn how to delete downloads on Mac, you can get rid of unwanted clutter in your Downloads folder.