Choose how Firefox handles the files you download from the web.

[GaBaN]

With version 98.0 the saving of .exe files won't ''ask me'' if i want to save the file like in previous versions.I read that the default saving attitude now is auto-saving. I have changed to ''always ask'' most of my content type like it was before, but the .exe type is missing. Please fix this on next version because a misclick - autosaving a .exe file can make things pretty bad. I have tried finding the ''Old Firefox'' folder in order to replace my old prefs.js but i guess newer versions have stopped using that folder.So please fix it.

[ReallyAnnoyed]

Me too! There's lots of files I want to open without saving and Firefox was great in giving me the option to decide to just open or to save. Like everyone else, I cannot for the life of me figure out why they would take this choice away. Please fix this ASAP!

[Michael83]

The article Changes to how file downloads are handled in Firefox version 98 describes the overall new behavior of Firefox for all file downloads.

The problem is, when handling a lot of files on a daily basis and one doesn't need/want to download every single one of them. For example I just need to view and/or print several pdf's through Acrobat Reader. Most definitely, I do not need to load my hard drive with temp pdf (or other) files every day, when working.

All downloads used to go to Temp first. Combined with the setting to always open with a specific program (i.e.: pdf's with Acrobat Reader), files are always opened/processed with a reliable app and then IF necessary saved in a location on the hard drive.

If someone needs to ALWAYS save all downloaded files, then there is a setting for that too: "Save file". Then files are automatically saved to the default download folder (whether Win default or user edited). No one lost a downloaded file from the Temp folder. Even if so, you can always download it again! And if you need to save it... see my previous sentence.

I get the idea "save one extra click", but that is what Settings are for: setting up the behavior preferred, based on the user's needs. I don't understand why this had to change, rendering Settings useless.

The article suggests right-click on file in download list (top-right) and select "Always open in [application]". Indeed, all files open with the preferred app, yet they are ALSO downloaded in my Downloads folder.

Until now, files were temporarily stored in... Temp folder and since the file was open, say in Acrobat Reader, I could choose whether to save it in my hard drive or not.

This new behavior, where files are being automatically saved regardless of the setting (open with, save file, always ask) is utterly pointless and defeats the purpose of settings. This is really frustrating, filling up my hard drive for absolutely no reason at all. I DON'T need/want to accumulate hundreds of unnecessary files in my drive on a daily basis. It is absurd.

I really hope this goes away soon. Mozilla needs to figure this out.

Looking forward for v99.

In the mean time: thumbs up to Ujudkma, who came up with a temp solution:

about:config -> Accept the Risk and Continue -> improvements -> browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel: false

[martinPanda]

Hello,

I second this request,

The possibility to open files without them being saved to Downloads (or wherever) was one of the main advantages why I am (was) using Firefox and not other browsers like Chrome. (yes, I know the files are downloaded anyway to some temp folder, but I could either ignore them there, or once in a while delete all the stuff from there - it was not mixed with my real downloaded files that I wanted to save).

I don't know if this change was done in the effort to be "more like Chrome", but please consider that many of us are using FF because it is different/better than Chrome; and the effort to make it the same may be counterproductive.

Currently, even when I set manually all the filetypes to "always ask", it still saved them to Downloads when I clicked "open in <some program>".

[Gustav]

I also want the old download behavior back.

I'm wondering how this came about? How did the Firefox team think that this would be a better way for thing?

Had there been hundreds or thousands feature requests to change the how it works or is it just some project manager or developer that thought that they needed to do a change to a core part of how the browser works just "for the sake of change".

Firefox should, in my opinion, keep functions as they are an only change if where needed.
Add features that are necessary in the core of the program and everything else as user removable extensions.

Now you have wasted development time on something that many that care don't want. And those that don't care were OK how it was before (unless you have the thousands of feature requests for this change).

Please roll this back.

Please consider your development efforts in the future and focus on squashing bugs, implementing needed api's for extension programmers and work to make Firefox better at what it is meant to do - display web pages.

[TheDaveWSC]

Let me open files instead of downloading them if I want, or I'm switching browsers. Now instead of clicking the link and hitting open, I have to click, save, navigate, open... Why?

[Dylav]

Thanks Michel83 for THE solution !  😉

[Rindis]

Half of my downloads are *.csv files that I copy a few numbers out of. There is no reason to force me to save off a dozen files every day that become useless 30 seconds (at most) after I get them. They're the equivalent of notes on scratch paper, and I have zero reason to keep them around; opening directly into an appropriate spreadsheet program is more than enough.

[OplsGodnotagian]

Yes. Please bring the old download system back.  Why do you have to change something just for the sake of changing it. Good grief.

[UliBär]

Yes, please restore the commonly accepted previous download behavior!

Now the download folder is constantly cluttered with tons of temporary files, which formerly only got downloaded to a temporary destination, possibly opened and viewed and finally got deleted automatically on exit of Firefox.

I (and obviously many others) absolutely can not find any benefit of this new behavior. In contrast this new behavior leads to many deficits and a lot of surplus work to do, to keep your disk tidy.

Maybe i'm blind, but i can absolutely not see any benefit for anyone. Please restore to the accepted behavior or enlighten me (and the many others) of the miraculous benefits of this "improvement".

[leighclark]

This "feature" totally breaks my ability to automatically import citations into Endnote.

Previously I could export a citation from a journal and directly open it with Endnote. Now I would have to save it "somewhere" and then swap applications and reimport it. At least don't deprecate the old behaviour completely.

[nattE]

I have always used Firefox even far back as it was launched. Best browser by far and much of it because the possibility to choose what to just open and what to download.

Now if this new download everything is going to stay without the possibility to click it on or off(without the workaround, which can go POOF in next patch), I might have to start using some other browser because all are the exact same piece of cr..  after that and my "loyalty" to FF ends there.

You already botched the android version which made me quit it on my phone but this awfully looks like I have to change on pc too. 😞

[ECS]

I agree with others that this "update" to the download process should be undone. The prior download process worked well. I understand the "always ask" option and have set PDFs to "always ask", however II have found no way to do the same for common document file-types, such as Microsoft office files and images, e.g., JPEGs. 

[tmein]

Please make the option to have the old behaviour a permanent feature. I understand if you want it simpler as a default (well, I don't, but I get that web these days is all about the least possible amount of questions for the user as possible) but there are many of us who rely on the "open" functionality in our workflows. I download a lot of temporary files I want to store in temp only for as long it takes to copy something out of them. Even with the option to ask every time where to store a file there's significantly more hassle involved with selecting temp, downloading and then opening the file where before it was a simple one click option on the download popup...

[Jon]

Hey all, 

Here with an exciting update…

Your idea has quickly received a great deal of votes (kudos) and support here in the Mozilla Connect community, so we are upgrading the status to “Trending idea.” This means it’s now one step closer to reaching our internal teams for review—learn more about The Idea Journey. 

Please keep the conversation going and stay tuned for updates 😃

-The Community Team

[Jon]

Hey all, 

Here with an exciting update…

Your idea has quickly received a great deal of votes (kudos) and support here in the Mozilla Connect community, so we are upgrading the status to “Trending idea.” This means it’s now one step closer to reaching our internal teams for review—learn more about The Idea Journey. 

Please keep the conversation going and stay tuned for updates 😃

-The Community Team