The Perfect Setting for Chrome, to keep your Downloads Organised.

Out of the box, Google Chrome will automatically save downloads on your computer into your downloads folder. So you have one place to go for all your downloaded files if - which is fine if you don't organise or backup your files. 

Typically, files in your downloads have little significance; however, if you regularly move files out of downloads to put them elsewhere, you need to change your download settings in Google Chrome - to speed up the process of organising your downloads.

Why saving directly to your downloads folder is a terrible idea.

As discussed in this earlier blog about organising Google Drive, file organisation is vital in a business environment. It is a bad idea to have every file you downloaded placed into a single "downloads folder" not only is it disorganised, but you are also mixing data and increasing the likelihood of mistakes happening when sharing these files. 

Additionally, it is unlikely your downloads folder gets backed up. Failure to backup files containing personally identifiable information is a GDPR breach.

Take a minute to look in your downloads folder; it's a mess, right? It is not very clear which file is which. Typically a collection of random files names making identification very hard. Suppose you need to share a file you downloaded a while back; there is no way to identify the correct file. You are more likely to make mistakes and share or move the incorrect file.

How to download files in an efficient and organised way.

Google Chrome has a straightforward solution making the process of organising your downloads efficient, organised and secure. It does this by asking you where you should save a download on your computer, rather than simply dumping all downloads into a single folder.

When you click a download, a window will pop up, letting you pick where to save the file. This window will also remember the last location you saved, making it easy to put multiple files into one spot. The downloaded file will still appear in Chrome's download bar at the bottom of the window too.

It is common for team members to receive files in many forms. Some come by email, others need to be downloaded from file-sharing services such as Dropbox and some from websites, such as HMRC.

These downloads can't all go into one location; they need to be organised. Typically placed into corresponding folders.

If you run an accountancy practice, you can’t dump your client's annual tax return details into your downloads folder. These need to be saved in the associated Client folder or Shared Drive.

When you set Chrome to ask you where to save a download before the download commences, you can select where these files should be saved - so they get put in the right place from the start. Instead of hanging around in your downloads folder, with all the other files, you have downloaded for all eternity. Let's face it, you never clear out your downloads, until your computer is low on space!

How to enable organised downloads in Chrome.

This setting can easily be turned on in Chrome settings - for our clients, it is already activated as it makes organising and keeping on top of their files so much easier. 

If your business is struggling to organise its data correctly, and you’re willing to learn new and better ways to manage, share and collaborate on data, book a video call below.