The quick way to delete downloads on Mac

Deleting downloads on Mac can be a pain because It involves two separate things: cleaning up your Downloads folder and then removing the downloads history from your browser. So, in short, you'll need to: find your Downloads folder, remove your downloads, clear your downloads history in your browser, and (finally) empty your Trash. 

How to delete downloads on Mac via Finder 

Finder is the first place you should look for downloads in on your Mac. If you have a mountain of download files stored, it’d be smart to sort your items and see which of them are the heaviest.

1. Open Finder.
2. Press Cmd+Shift+G.
3. Type in: ~/
4. Open Downloads folder.
5. Righ-click anywhere in the window and select Use Groups.

   

6. Finder will then gather your downloads in groups such as Applications, PDF documents, Images, and others, so you can quickly look through them and delete files you don’t need.

Then you can sort downloads by size: right-click in Finder, click Group By pop-up menu and choose Size.

How to delete downloads from software (e.g. Skype) which are hard to find

It can be a challenge to find the files you downloaded from different apps, such as Skype, on your Mac. By default, all the items you want to save go into the Downloads folder. But, if you have changed these settings, your files would be stored elsewhere. So, how to find those downloads on your Mac. 

If you search for Skype downloads, here’s how to locate them: 

1. Open Skype. 
2. Go to the Skype menu and choose Preferences. 
3. Select Messaging from the list on the left.

In the end, there’s “When I receive a file” setting. It’s set to Downloads, which means all files you download from Skype automatically go into this folder. Open it to locate the files Skype saved and delete them. You can change directory to save your Skype files elsewhere. 

The pretty similar route applies to all other apps you save files from. To make it easier to find files you saved, choose one download location for all your apps. You will eliminate clutter in lots of folders and will be able to delete many files at once. 

Once you’re done deleting your downloads, it’s time to clear the downloads history from the browser you use. Select the section below based on the browser you use.

The easy way to delete large and old files on Mac

However, if you’re looking for a solution that makes clearing out your large downloads (including your Skype downloads history) simple, check out a cleaning utility like CleanMyMac X. 

Large and Old Files feature scans your storage for heavy files piling up on your Mac for a long time. It shows how much space each file takes and helps to quickly get rid of all old documents, .dmg files, and archives that clutter your storage.

Large and Old Files helps you clean up your Downloads folder with just a few clicks. Here's how to clear old downloads on your Mac:

1. Download the free version of CleanMyMac X.
2. Install and launch the app.
3. Click Large & Old Files.
4. Scan your Mac and then select whatever you wish to remove.
5. Click Remove.

And you’re done. As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to remove your downloads on Mac with CleanMyMac X. 

But, if you’d still like to clean up your downloads and download history manually, just follow the steps below.

How to delete old .DMG files on Mac

On macOS, the majority of apps you download come in .dmg format. ".dmg" is a disk image that contains a compressed download file. These files work like hard drives: they can be mounted and ejected.

When you open the .dmg file, you’ll see the application you’re about to install. After installing the application (dragging it to the Applications folder), the .dmg file will stay on your Mac until you delete it. Imagine how many .dmg files you may have unintentionally stored on your Mac. Now, let’s see how to delete them.

First, you need to eject those .dmg files that are still open.

1. Open Finder.
2. Under the Locations you will see the list of all .dmg files.
3. Press the Eject icon to eject a disk image.

   

To delete .dmg files:

1. Open Finder.
2. Type “.dmg” in the search field and press Return.
3. Move the unneeded files to the Trash.

Voila! Now, your Mac is much cleaner.

How to clear downloads history in Chrome

To clear downloads history in Google Chrome browser manually:

1. Launch the Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://history/ in the search field and press Enter.
3. Select Clear browsing data.
4. Select the time range and check the "Download history" box.
5. Click Clear data.

How to clean downloads history in Safari

To clean downloads history in Safari browser:

1. Launch the Safari browser.
2. Click View in the menu bar and select Show Downloads.



3. Safari will show you all the files you downloaded. Press Clear to remove downloads history.

You can alternatively press the arrow down button (↓) to see and clear downloads. 

How to remove downloads history in Firefox

To remove downloads history in Firefox directly:

1. Launch the Firefox browser.
2. Click History, in the menu bar.
3. Select Clear Recent History.
4. Select the time range.
5. Check the “Browsing & Download History” box.



6. Click Clear Now.

Now, your Mac is probably clean of old downloads that used to take space. Keeping your digital space tidy and organized will help you locate files faster and avoid clutter in your folders.