{"id":"mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-clean-up-my-downloads-folder","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clean-up-my-downloads-folder","category":{"id":"mac-storage-basics","title":"Mac storage basics"},"subcategory":{"id":"finding-big-files","title":"Finding big files, Downloads and the Trash"},"question":"What's the quickest way to clean up my Downloads folder?","alt_questions":["downloads folder too big mac","clear downloads mac","delete old downloads macbook","organise downloads folder mac","downloads taking up storage"],"short_answer":"Sort Downloads by Size, then by Date Added; delete used installers, disk images and archives, and move anything worth keeping to an external drive or the cloud.","answer_markdown":"Open Downloads in Finder, switch to **List view** and sort by **Size** to deal with the biggest items first, then by **Date Added** to spot anything old. Installers, disk images and archives are usually the easy wins.\n\nFor anything you might want later, move it to an external drive or cloud folder rather than keeping it on your Mac. Storage Studio's What's Using Space includes Downloads in the places it checks, and you can move the whole folder's contents to an external drive with a link left behind. See [moving folders](/faq/moving-folders/).","answer_html":"

Open Downloads in Finder, switch to List view and sort by Size to deal with the biggest items first, then by Date Added to spot anything old. Installers, disk images and archives are usually the easy wins.

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For anything you might want later, move it to an external drive or cloud folder rather than keeping it on your Mac. Storage Studio's What's Using Space includes Downloads in the places it checks, and you can move the whole folder's contents to an external drive with a link left behind. See moving folders.

","answer_text":"Open Downloads in Finder, switch to List view and sort by Size to deal with the biggest items first, then by Date Added to spot anything old. Installers, disk images and archives are usually the easy wins.\n\nFor anything you might want later, move it to an external drive or cloud folder rather than keeping it on your Mac. Storage Studio's What's Using Space includes Downloads in the places it checks, and you can move the whole folder's contents to an external drive with a link left behind. See moving folders.","tags":["downloads","cleanup","finder"],"related":[{"id":"mac-storage-basics.can-i-delete-dmg-files-after-installing","question":"Can I delete .dmg files after installing an app?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/can-i-delete-dmg-files-after-installing"},{"id":"mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-find-large-files-on-my-mac","question":"How do I find large files on my Mac?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-find-large-files-on-my-mac"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What's the quickest way to clean up my Downloads folder? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Sort Downloads by Size, then by Date Added; delete used installers, disk images and archives, and move anything worth keeping to an external drive or the cloud.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Mac storage basics","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/"},{"name":"What's the quickest way to clean up my Downloads folder?","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clean-up-my-downloads-folder"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clean-up-my-downloads-folder","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What's the quickest way to clean up my Downloads folder?","alternateName":["downloads folder too big mac","clear downloads mac","delete old downloads macbook","organise downloads folder mac","downloads taking up storage"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Open Downloads in Finder, switch to List view and sort by Size to deal with the biggest items first, then by Date Added to spot anything old. Installers, disk images and archives are usually the easy wins.\n\nFor anything you might want later, move it to an external drive or cloud folder rather than keeping it on your Mac. Storage Studio's What's Using Space includes Downloads in the places it checks, and you can move the whole folder's contents to an external drive with a link left behind. See moving folders.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clean-up-my-downloads-folder"}}]},"fragment":"
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Mac storage basics · Finding big files, Downloads and the Trash

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What's the quickest way to clean up my Downloads folder?

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Short answer: Sort Downloads by Size, then by Date Added; delete used installers, disk images and archives, and move anything worth keeping to an external drive or the cloud.

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Open Downloads in Finder, switch to List view and sort by Size to deal with the biggest items first, then by Date Added to spot anything old. Installers, disk images and archives are usually the easy wins.

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For anything you might want later, move it to an external drive or cloud folder rather than keeping it on your Mac. Storage Studio's What's Using Space includes Downloads in the places it checks, and you can move the whole folder's contents to an external drive with a link left behind. See moving folders.

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