How do I remove auto download?

Having files automatically download to your computer can be convenient, but it can also fill up your storage space and slow down your device over time. If you want to disable auto downloading, there are a few simple steps you can take for common web browsers and devices.

Quick Answers

Here are quick answers to common questions about disabling auto downloads:

• For Chrome – Go to Settings > Advanced > Downloads and toggle off “Ask where to save each file before downloading”
• For Firefox – Go to Options > General > Downloads and uncheck “Always ask you where to save files”
• For Microsoft Edge – Go to Settings > Downloads and toggle off “Ask me what to do with each download”
• For iOS devices – Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and toggle off “Music” and “Apps” under Automatic Downloads
• For Android – Varies by model but look for Download Manager or Auto-download settings and disable
• For Mac computers – Go to Safari > Preferences > General and uncheck “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading”

Disabling Auto Download in Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers, so you may want to disable auto downloads there first. Here is how:

1. Open the Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner to open the menu.
3. Select “Settings” from the menu.
4. Scroll down and click on “Advanced.”
5. Under “Downloads,” toggle off the setting called “Ask where to save each file before downloading.”

Now Chrome will no longer automatically begin downloads right away when you click links or buttons to download files. It will instead prompt you each time to pick a save location for downloads.

Alternative Option in Chrome

An alternative option in Chrome is to keep auto downloading enabled but disable the option to open certain safe file types automatically after downloading. To do this:

1. Follow steps 1-3 above to get to Settings.
2. Under “Advanced” click on “Privacy and security.”
3. Under “Security,” toggle off the setting for “Open certain file types automatically after downloading.”

This will still auto download files when clicked, but prevent media files like PDFs and images from opening directly in the browser.

Disabling Auto Download in Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is another popular web browser used by millions of people. To disable auto downloads there:

1. Click the menu button in the top right corner (the three horizontal lines).
2. Select “Options” from the menu.
3. Go to the “General” section of options.
4. Under “Downloads,” uncheck the box for “Always ask you where to save files.”
5. Click “OK” to save the changes.

Now Firefox will prompt you for a download location each time instead of automatically downloading files to a default location.

Alternative Option in Firefox

Similar to Chrome, you can also just disable auto opening of downloads in Firefox without fully disabling auto downloading:

1. Follow steps 1-3 above to access Options.
2. Go to the “Applications” section.
3. Under “File Types,” select the file types you want to disable auto opening for after downloading.
4. For each file type, uncheck the box that says “Preview in Firefox” to disable opening automatically.
5. Click “OK” to save changes.

Disabling Auto Download in Microsoft Edge

The default browser for Windows 10 and 11 is Microsoft Edge. To disable auto downloads:

1. Click the three horizontal dots in the top right for menu.
2. Select “Settings” from the menu.
3. Click on “Downloads.”
4. Toggle off the setting for “Ask me what to do with each download.”

This will make Edge always prompt for a download location instead of saving files automatically to a preset location.

Alternative Option in Edge

You can also just prevent certain file types from opening automatically after downloading:

1. Follow steps 1-3 above to access Downloads settings.
2. Scroll down to “Open file downloads automatically” section.
3. Toggle off the file types you don’t want to open automatically after downloading.

Disabling Auto Downloads on iPhone and iPad

On iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, you may want to disable auto downloads for music, apps, books, and more. To do this:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on “iTunes & App Store.”
3. Under “Automatic Downloads” section, toggle off downloads for “Music,” “Apps,” and any other content types you want to disable auto downloading for.

This will prevent new purchases and app updates from automatically starting downloads without your permission.

Review Automatic Downloads Settings

You can review and adjust the Auto Download settings any time by going back to the iTunes & App Store section of Settings on iOS devices:

Setting	Description
Music	New music purchases and playlists will not download automatically when toggled off.
Apps	App updates and new app purchases won’t download automatically with this disabled.
Books	New book purchases won’t download right away if disabled.
Audiobooks	Any new audiobooks you buy won’t download automatically.
Updates	Disabling this prevents new iOS updates from downloading in the background.

Disabling Auto Downloads on Android

On Android devices, auto download settings vary slightly by manufacturer. But in general:

1. Open your Android device’s Settings app.
2. Search for “Download manager” or “Auto-download” in Settings.
3. Tap the matching setting and disable auto downloading options for music, apps, photos, videos, etc.

If you can’t find a Download Manager, you may also see auto download settings under Apps, Storage, Music, Photos, or other locations in Settings. Just search for “download” to track it down.

Common Android Auto Download Settings

Here are some common places to find and disable auto downloading options on Android devices:

• Download Manager – Turn off “Auto-download” options here.
• Apps – Disable “Auto-update apps” and “Auto-download apps.”
• Storage or Storage Manager – Turn off “Auto download” or “Download and install automatically” settings.
• Music or Photos – Disable “Download over Wi-Fi automatically” options.

Disabling Auto Downloads in Safari on a Mac

Safari is the default web browser included on Mac computers. To disable auto opening downloads there:

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. Click on the Safari menu and select “Preferences.”
3. Go to the “General” section.
4. Uncheck the box for “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading.”
5. Close Preferences.

Now media files like images and PDFs won’t open automatically in QuickLook or Preview after downloading in Safari on a Mac. But files will still be automatically downloaded to your Downloads folder.

Alternative Option in Safari

To fully disable auto downloading in Safari on a Mac:

1. Follow steps 1-2 above to open Preferences.
2. Go to the “Downloads” section.
3. Under “When downloading a file:” choose “Ask each time” from the dropdown menu.
4. Close Preferences.

This will prevent downloads from starting automatically and always prompt you for a save location instead.

Conclusion

Disabling auto downloads can be done in just a few clicks in most major browsers and devices. The key settings to look for are:

• Ask before downloading or Always prompt for download location – Disables auto downloads.
• Open safe files after downloading – Prevents auto opening but still downloads automatically.
• Auto-update apps – Stops apps from updating automatically if disabled.

Adjusting these auto download settings to your preferences helps free up storage space, prevent unwanted data use, and gives you more control over files saving to your device. Just remember to check back periodically on the auto download settings as software updates may sometimes enable them again by default.