Saving outside the Downloads folder

Saving outside the Downloads folder

The WebExtension downloads API only lets an extension save into folders inside the browser's default download directory. Save In destinations are therefore relative paths under that directory. To make a destination land somewhere else, you redirect a subfolder of the download directory to another location — but which redirect works depends on your browser and operating system.

The short version

	Firefox	Chrome	Notes
Change the default download folder	✅	✅	Simplest and safest
Real subfolder of the download dir	✅	✅
Directory symlink (ln -s, mklink /D)	✅ follows it	❌ rejected (download is interrupted)
Linux bind mount (mount --bind)	✅	✅	Needs root
Windows junction (mklink /J)	✅	✅	⚠️ Dangerous — can destroy the target folder. See below.

Chrome refuses to save through a symlink — it treats a symlinked destination as unsafe and interrupts the download (USER_CANCELED). A real directory, a junction, or a bind mount has no symlink reparse point, so Chrome saves into it normally. Firefox happily follows a symlink.

The recommended fix on every OS is to change the default download folder. The link/mount tricks below are for people who understand the trade-offs — and Windows junctions in particular carry a real risk of data loss.

The simplest option (any browser, any OS)

Change the browser's default download folder to a common parent, then let Save In file into real subfolders under it:

• Chrome: Settings → Downloads → Location.
• Firefox: Settings → General → Files and Applications → Downloads.

The only trade-off is that this moves the base folder for all downloads.

Redirect a single subfolder

Create the redirect inside the download directory and use the relative name (e.g. archive) as your Save In destination. The target folder must already exist.

Firefox — symlink (any OS)

# Linux / macOS
ln -s /path/to/archive ~/Downloads/archive

:: Windows (needs admin or Developer Mode)
mklink /D %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\archive D:\Archive

Chrome — Windows: junction (⚠️ dangerous, avoid if you can)

A junction works with Chrome and mklink /J needs no admin — but junctions are easy to turn into data loss, so prefer changing the default download folder.

The danger: a junction looks like a normal folder, so tools that recurse into folders treat it as the real thing.

• Deleting the junction can delete the target's contents. Removing it with rmdir /S, dragging it to the Recycle Bin, or some file managers follows the junction and wipes the linked folder — not just the link.
• Backup, sync, and search indexers may follow it and duplicate the target, or propagate a deletion into it.

If you accept the risk:

mklink /J %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\archive D:\Archive

Remove it only with rmdir (no /S) or fsutil reparsepoint delete %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\archive — never rmdir /S and never by deleting it in Explorer, or you can lose everything in the target folder.

Chrome — Linux: bind mount

A bind mount presents the target as an ordinary directory. It needs root, and should go in /etc/fstab to survive a reboot:

sudo mount --bind /path/to/archive ~/Downloads/archive

Chrome — macOS

macOS has no simple directory redirect that Chrome accepts: a symlink is rejected, and a Finder alias is not a real link that the download API follows. Options:

• Change the default download folder (above), or
• Use an Automator Folder Action (or a Shortcuts automation) on the download folder that moves files elsewhere after they land, or
• Advanced: mount a real filesystem at the subfolder path (e.g. bindfs via macFUSE, or a mounted disk image).

Notes

• Hard links don't apply. A hard link can only name a file, never a directory, so it can't redirect a destination folder.
• The target directory must exist first, or the download fails.
• Paths containing .., absolute paths, and hidden segments such as .private are not accepted as destinations.

Behaviour above was verified against current Chrome and Firefox: Chrome interrupts a symlinked download and writes through a junction (Windows) and a bind mount (Linux); Firefox follows a symlink. Save In's CI re-checks this contract on Windows and Linux for both browsers.