How to delete downloads on Mac
It’s worth taking the time to delete downloads on Mac: browsers save everything to the Downloads folder, so after a year or two it often holds gigabytes of installers, archives and videos. This guide shows how to find the biggest and oldest files, what is safe to delete and how to keep the folder from filling up again. Check for documents first: sometimes Downloads is the only place they were saved.
- Open MacWashing and choose Storage in the sidebar.
- Open folders to see what takes the space: each file and folder shows its size.
- Select what you no longer need and click Remove; in the Trash, click Empty Trash.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
How to delete downloads on Mac in Finder
- In Finder, choose Go › Downloads (Option-Command-L), or click Downloads in the Dock.
- Choose View › as List, then click the Size column header to put the biggest files first, or Date Added to find the oldest.
- Select the files you don’t need and press Command-Delete to move them to the Trash.
- Empty the Trash to get the space back: see how to empty the Trash on Mac.
Folders show a size only after you choose View › Show View Options and turn on Calculate all sizes. Files you receive with AirDrop land in Downloads too.
What is safe to delete in Downloads
- Installers (
.dmg,.pkg) of apps you already installed. The apps keep working without them. - Archives (
.zip) whose contents you already unpacked. - Second copies of the same file, with
(1)or-2at the end of the name.
Before deleting, check documents, photos and scans: sometimes Downloads is the only place they were saved.
The browser’s download list isn’t the files
Clearing the list of downloads in a browser doesn’t delete any file, and deleting a file in Finder doesn’t remove it from the list.
- Safari: click Show Downloads near the top-right corner of the window, then click Clear. To clear the list automatically, choose Safari › Settings › General and pick an option in Remove download list items. By default Safari removes an item after one day.
- Chrome: the list at
chrome://downloadsis part of your browsing history. Clearing it leaves the files in Downloads.
Keep Downloads from filling up again
- Delete an installer right after you install the app.
- In Safari, File download location in Safari › Settings › General lets you save downloads to another folder or disk.
- Turn on automatic emptying of the Trash after 30 days, so what you delete doesn’t keep taking space.
With MacWashing, it’s one click
Storage in MacWashing shows what takes the most space in Downloads, folders included, so the biggest files are easy to spot. System Junk also lists old installers (.dmg and .pkg) left in Downloads.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Will MacWashing delete anything on its own?
No. Storage only shows sizes; it removes what you select, after you confirm, and moves it to the Trash by default.
Can I delete something macOS needs?
No. macOS files, the standard folders (Library, Documents, Downloads and the like) and MacWashing itself can’t be removed there.
Is it free?
Yes. Storage doesn’t count toward the free trial’s limit, with no account or card needed.
How do I delete all downloads on my Mac at once?
Open Downloads in Finder, press Command-A to select everything, then Command-Delete to move it to the Trash. Check for documents you need first: this removes every file in the folder.
Will deleting downloads remove the apps I installed?
No. Installed apps live in the Applications folder. The .dmg or .pkg file in Downloads is only the installer.
Does clearing the browser’s download history delete the files?
No. It only clears the list. The files stay in Downloads until you delete them in Finder.