Install Modern Download Manager add-on. In the standard mode when MDM button is in the Menu just click button, go to "Downloads" and choose "Clear All Downloads". In the new version will be "Clear All Downloaded". Due to Firefox Australis bug I can't add this feature to MDM button on navigation bar. :( In the bar mode click Menu icon on the left side of the bar and make the same steps like in the standard mode.

@ TEO, thanks for your timely response.

BTW, the method you have specified clears the downloaded items from the MDM list only and not from the FIREFOX's list, isn't it? my query was how to clear them from FIREFOX's download history.

Right-click a download that you want to "remove" and use Remove From History.

@ the-edmeister, that would be tedious work when i have lots of items, right? i am looking for an automated solution rather than remove 100-s of item manually. i am ok with any solution - native or using an extension.

Sorry, I am not aware of any way of doing exactly what you want to do.

@annylan In the Modern Download Manager click Downloads History, right click any finished download and choose Clear Downloads. Will be removed only all finished downloads. In the next MDM this feature will be in the MDM menu.

@ teo951, thanks to you, i followed your steps and it deleted my entire firefox download history irrespective of completed or not. i guess you did not understand my question correctly. :( http://forums.mozillazine.org/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif

now can anyone please help me how to restore that list?

You can't recover deleted downloads unless you have a backup copy of the places.sqlite database file. Note that you can select multiple items in the Downloads Manager (Library) in the usual with Shift or Ctrl and left click and remove selected items with the delete key.

Along the lines of cor-el's last post, if you want to delete most of the downloads, you can select the entire list using Ctrl+a then Ctrl+click the ones you want to exclude from the selection.

In some cases, Firefox supports "places queries" to drill down on specific kinds of history. However, I didn't see one for downloads documented in the MDN article, so I'm not sure whether there is a way to query just for successfully completed downloads.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Tech/Places/Places_query_URIs

1. is there some setting in about:config to change the function of "clear downloads" button in the firefox download manager to this?

2. it would be great if any developer created an extension for this.

Hi anniyan, I think that will require an add-on.

I'm not sure of the best place to propose a new add-on but if you see one that already works with that window, perhaps the developer would be interested in adding that feature?

i would be more than happy if someone develops an addon like this. i guess i would have to wait, coz i am no developer. :(