How to Change Download Folder for Microsoft Edge?

Microsoft has switched their EdgeHTML project to Chromium’s Blink engine to offer the best performance and compatibility. By default, the downloading directory for most browsers is set to the user’s download folder of the system.

However, this can be changed in the settings of the browser. Most users would want to keep their downloaded files in other drives rather than the system drive. In this article, we will provide you methods through which you can easily change the download folder for the Microsoft Edge chromium.

Changing Download Folder through Browser’s Settings

The default and easiest method to change the download directory is by using the browser’s settings. Microsoft has included an option for the download directory. Now users can change the download folder to any other folder in any drive. The interface gets updated with each version but the below steps will give you the idea about changing the download directory in Microsoft Edge chromium.

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser by double-clicking on the shortcut or by searching it through the Windows search feature.

   

2. Now click on the Settings and more (three dots) and choose the Settings in the list.

   

3. Select Downloads on the left pane and then click on the Change button.

   

4. Now select any of your folders where you want to download the files.

   

Changing Download Folder through the Registry Editor

The Registry Editor can be used to modify different types of settings for the applications. Sometimes the keys or values will be missing for that specific setting and a user have to create them manually. A wrong configuration in the Registry can cause issues for the system. However, by following the below steps, you can safely configure the download folder for the Microsoft Edge chromium.

Note: We recommend that you should create a backup of the Registry before making any new changes.

1. Press the Windows and R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Now type “regedit” and press the Enter key to open the Registry Editor. Choose the Yes option for UAC (User Account Control) prompt.

   

2. In the Registry Editor window, you need to go to the following key path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

3. If the Edge key is missing, then create it by right-clicking on the Microsoft key and choosing the New > Key option. Rename the key as “Edge“.

   

4. Now right-click on the right pane of the Edge key and choose the New > String Value option. You need to rename this value as “DownloadDirectory“.

   

5. Open the DownloadDirectory value and then add the folder path in the value data.

   

6. After making all these changes in the Registry Editor, you must restart the computer to apply the changes.

Changing Download Folder through the Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor is another method through which you can configure this specific setting. The settings are already available here for Microsoft Edge. Users just need to open the setting and change the toggle option for that setting.

Check your “Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Edge” or “User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Edge” paths in the Local Group Policy Editor. If the setting that is used in the below method is already available, then use that and skip downloading new policy files.

1. Open your browser and go to the Microsoft site, then select the version details of your Microsoft Edge and click on the GET POLICY FILES to download.

   

2. Once downloaded, extract the zip file by using the WinRAR or similar application.

   

3. Open the extracted folder and navigate to “MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates\windows\admx“.
4. Now copy the “msedge.admx” and “msedge.adml” files and paste them in the “C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions” folder.

   

   Note: The language file located in the language folder should be copied to the language folder.

5. Sometimes you must restart the computer to find these new policy files in the Local Group Policy Editor.
6. Press the Windows and R keys together on your keyboard to open the Run dialog. Type “gpedit.msc” in the box and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

   

7. In the Group Policy Editor window, you need to go to the following path:

   Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ Microsoft Edge

   

8. Double-click on the setting named “Set download directory” and it will open up in another window. Now you need to change the toggle option from Not Configured to Enabled.
9. Add the folder path that you want to set for download in the below box.

   

10. Click on the Apply/Ok button to save these changes. This will change the download folder for the Microsoft Edge chromium.