How To Delete Downloads On Your Mac To Free Up Space

admin, How To , June 22nd, 2022 , 0

MacBooks, despite their higher proficiency than any other laptop in their category, is not famous for the low storage capacity of the Mac drive. And you cannot do without the necessary apps and files/documents. All these downloaded files or applications are directly headed to the Downloads folder of your Mac. However, one can specifically choose a different destination as well. But, to clear space on your Mac drive, one must know how to delete downloads on Mac.

Not to mention a stacked up Mac drive can also impact your Mac’s performance and therefore, learning how to clear downloads on Mac becomes more significant. A full Mac drive may lead to slower response time, slower boot time, and maybe unwanted app crashes due to high load on RAM. So, if you have trouble understanding how to delete downloads on your MacBook, keep on reading and find ways to clear up space on your Mac computer.

Pro Tip
Another great way to delete downloads on Mac is to use Cleanup My System. The Mac utility automatically identifies downloads as well as other kinds of junk on your Mac such as unused disk image or even Xcode junk. It even helps get rid of redundant log files, cache files, and cache reports as well. Here’s how you can get rid of Mac downloads using Cleanup My System Install and launch Cleanup My System. From the left-hand pane click on *Junk Cleaner. From the right-hand side, click on Downloads. Checkmark Downloads* and then click on the *Clean Now* button. That’s how easy it is to remove downloads and several other unwanted files from Mac using Cleanup My System.

Pro Tip

Another great way to delete downloads on Mac is to use Cleanup My System. The Mac utility automatically identifies downloads as well as other kinds of junk on your Mac such as unused disk image or even Xcode junk. It even helps get rid of redundant log files, cache files, and cache reports as well.

Here’s how you can get rid of Mac downloads using Cleanup My System

Install and launch Cleanup My System.
From the left-hand pane click on Junk Cleaner.
From the right-hand side, click on Downloads.
Checkmark Downloads and then click on the Clean Now button.

Cache Cleaner - Cleanup My System

That’s how easy it is to remove downloads and several other unwanted files from Mac using Cleanup My System.

Ways to Delete Downloads on Mac:

How to Delete Downloads on Mac from Downloads Folder?

There is always a direct, manual process of clearing downloads on Mac. This is the folder where all the downloaded files go when downloaded on the Mac. Whether it is a mail attachment, an application, or any other file, it is all stored in the download folder. So, accessing this folder will help you clear downloads in MacBook Air or your other Mac machines.

Here’s how to delete downloads on Mac from the Downloads folder:

Step 1: Open “Finder” from your MacBook’s dock.

Step 2: There, you’ll see a separate menu on the left-hand side. There, find and click on the Downloads button. It is signified by a dark grey icon with an arrow facing downward.

Step 3: To delete a single file, or delete files individually, click on it and press delete. You and also right-click on the file and from the popped up menu, click on Move to Trash.

Step 4: To delete all the files, you can click on the first file, then hold shift and press and hold the downward arrow button simultaneously.

You can also press Command+A to select all. Finally, right-click and select Move to Trash.

file movw to trash

Step 5: Once the files are deleted, they are not yet deleted, but are just transferred to the trash. So, head to the Trash button, right-click on it and then click on Empty Trash from the new popped-up menu. The new trash button will look like a white trash can.

Step 6: Check on the Downloads folder and ensure the files are deleted. It must be empty.

How to Delete Downloads on Mac via Google Chrome Browser?

People also use browsers to download files, media, mail attachments, etc. These files are directly stored in the download history of the browser and can be accessed directly from the browser as well. Here’s how you can access and delete downloads from Chrome.

Step 1: Open Chrome browser.

Step 2: Press CTRL+J. This will open up a new tab listing all the downloads that are stored in the system through the Chrome browser.

Step 3: To delete the downloads individually, press the X [Cross] button at the side of the individual files.

dlt from browser

Step 4: To delete all the files, click on the More Action (three-dot icon) in the upper-right corner.

Step 5: From the drop-down menu, select the Clear All button and confirm the final command to delete the downloads via the Chrome browser.

How to Delete Downloads on Mac from Microsoft Edge Browser?

The process of deleting the downloads from Microsoft Edge browser is the same as that of the Chrome browser; however, let alone one single step. You must delete downloads from these browsers to clear downloads on Mac and clear up some space on the drive.

Here’s how you can delete downloads on Mac from Microsoft Edge browser:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Edge.

Step 2: Press CTRL+J. This will open up a new tab listing all the downloads that are stored in the system through the Microsoft Edge browser.

Step 3: To delete files press on the Hub button signified by three-vertical lines.

download list

Step 4: Click on Clear All to delete download history.

clear all

How to Delete Downloads on Mac from Safari Browser?

Step 1: Open Safari browser.

Step 2: Click on View. From the drop-down menu, click on the Show Downloads button.

Step 3: To remove download, right-click on it, and then select Remove.

Step 4: To remove all the downloads altogether, you’ll notice a Clear button on the top-right corner of the downloads menu.

remove form list

Step 5: Click on the Clear button and remove all the downloads from the Safari browser.

Wrapping Up

Now you have all the effective and powerful ways and means to find and delete downloads on Mac the correct way. After all there are many files in the Downloads folder that just sit there for no reason and occupy storage space. We recommend that you use a cleanup tool like Cleanup My System that will help you get rid of downloads faster and in a hassle-free manner. For more such content, keep reading Best Mac Cleaner.