changes to file download locations in version 98
Re: Changes to how file downloads are handled in Firefox version 98: Personally I don't consider this an enhancement. Since I upgraded to v98, every file I open online, even if I'm not saving it, is saving a copy of itself onto my desktop. (To be precise, D:\OneDrive\Desktop). And I look at up to 20 files per day, so this is getting pretty annoying.
My regular downloads directory still exists, and that should be where temporary copies of files are being stored prior to my closing or saving them (right?). But it's empty.
Note that under Settings > General > Downloads, the default is set to Always Ask rather than one specific directory. However I believe that is for the "permanent" version of the files, not the temporary version.
How do I get Firefox to revert back to the pre-98 defaults for the temporary versions of files? I was hoping this change was a mistake but I see that 98.01 did not fix it and from the article referenced above, it looks like changes were made deliberately. And the desktop is clearly not a place where temporary files should be being placed.
Thanks.
Chosen solution
It seems likely that the preference browser.download.folderList is set to 0. Quote from searchfox. org: 0 - The desktop is the default download location. 1 - The system's downloads folder is the default download location. 2 - The default download location is elsewhere as specified in browser.download.dir. 3 - The default download location is elsewhere as specified by cloud storage API getDownloadFolder Further: browser.download.useDownloadDir - bool True - Save files directly to the folder configured via the browser.download.folderList preference. False - Always ask the user where to save a file and default to browser.download.lastDir when displaying a folder picker dialog
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox
WARNING: Changing preferences through this interface not officially supported Hidden settings edited using the about:config tool are explicitly not supported, which means that Mozilla makes no guarantees they will be supported in the future, or that Mozilla will fix them if they break. Mozilla does not test these preferences, and will not in the future. That includes security and performance testing which these preferences may affect.
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Hi Brent, when you choose "Open with [application]" in the Download dialog, or if you select "Use [application]" on the Applications list on the Settings page, the behavior has changed:
- Before Firefox 98, "Open with [application]" saved the file in the Windows TEMP folder, and passed that path to the application
- Starting in Firefox 98, "Open with [application]" saves the file in your default download folder, and passes that path to the application
Is your default download folder set to your Desktop? Normally it would be Downloads:
If you need to modify that folder, you can change to that option temporarily to enable the Browse button, update the folder, then switch back to "Always ask you where to save files."
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It seems likely that the preference browser.download.folderList is set to 0. Quote from searchfox. org: 0 - The desktop is the default download location. 1 - The system's downloads folder is the default download location. 2 - The default download location is elsewhere as specified in browser.download.dir. 3 - The default download location is elsewhere as specified by cloud storage API getDownloadFolder Further: browser.download.useDownloadDir - bool True - Save files directly to the folder configured via the browser.download.folderList preference. False - Always ask the user where to save a file and default to browser.download.lastDir when displaying a folder picker dialog
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox
WARNING: Changing preferences through this interface not officially supported Hidden settings edited using the about:config tool are explicitly not supported, which means that Mozilla makes no guarantees they will be supported in the future, or that Mozilla will fix them if they break. Mozilla does not test these preferences, and will not in the future. That includes security and performance testing which these preferences may affect.
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Modified by Chris Ilias
jscher2000: Thanks for assisting, but as noted in my post the download setting was already set as you suggest.
terry21: Think that may have done it, thanks. I've only tried one download but can see from the title bar that it is in the downloads file. Also changed the window that comes up, different from prior to v98 but assume that's the change that went with the new version. In addition, instead of pdf files opening in another tab in Firefox (basically a preview) with a download button available, they're now going directly to the download window, which is ok with me. (That was not something I ever chose, it just started happening at some point.)
May have even solved a weird issue I had commonly, where a pdf download either encountered a sharing violation (no further info available) or stated that it was not a pdf file. I had workarounds for those but they were still a PITA.
Thanks all for your help.
Strange. The default value for browser.download.folderList is 1 so I wonder how it got changed to 0. And on mine, if it is set to 0, I can see that problem on the Settings page. Puzzling.
Brent said
In addition, instead of pdf files opening in another tab in Firefox (basically a preview) with a download button available, they're now going directly to the download window, which is ok with me.
Your call on the Preview (Open in Firefox) vs. download (Save File): View PDF files using Firefox’s built-in viewer. (Unless you're on a managed computer where your IT department might block the built-in viewer.)
