Forum Discussion
MicrosoftAnnouncing the Open/Save as/Save and Delete prompts for downloads!
Update: Open/SaveAs is now available on Edge Stable ( version >= 86.0.622.38)
Greetings, Microsoft Edge Insiders!
As a part of our top feedback, we have been looking at implementing features from Microsoft Edge legacy. One of those items is a feature asking users if they want to Open, Save As, Save, or Cancel a download. This week, we're excited to announce that this setting is now available in our Dev and Canary channels! We expect all builds with version >= 87.0.629.0 to have this feature.
To enable it, navigate to edge://settings/downloads and toggle on, "Ask me what to do with each download." Once you download a file after enabling that setting, you will see options to:
- Open the file, which downloads it to a temporary folder and opens the file. This temporary folder will attempt to clear itself whenever you start a new browser session
- Save as, which opens the file explorer, allowing you to rename and choose where the file is saved
- Save the file, located under the ... button, which saves the file to your default downloads folder (you can also change this on the Downloads settings page)
- Cancel the file download entirely, this is also located under the ... button
Another feature we're adding is the ability to delete downloads directly from the browser itself. If you head to the Downloads page, you can now right-click on a downloaded item (or the ... menu for the item in the download shelf/bar) and select "Delete file." Once you do this, the file will be deleted from your computer. We hope that this will help users who like to download files automatically while still keeping their downloads folder clean.
We encourage you to give these changes a try! Have a suggestion on how to improve these new download features? Navigate to the browser's ... menu > Help and feedback > Send feedback to let us know your thoughts.
- The Microsoft Edge Product Team
There is absolutely an extra click after this change.
Before: Click link > Change folder if needed > Save
Now: Click link > Click Save As > Change folder if needed > Save
Additionally that extra click happens at the bottom of the screen (whereas the file browse dialog appears in the middle of the screen), so that extra click is probably far from where your mouse cursor was.
149 Replies
i-am-kent I would also like to throw in my bid to provide a legacy option to go straight to the Save As dialog. In this manner, when the file in question happened to have the same name as an existing file in the last used folder, an incremented number would appended to the end of the filename, allowing me to save it promptly.
After this change, after clicking "Save as" the filename does not increment in the Save As dialog, leading to the "File already exists" prompt. It's unfortunately a noticeable interrupt in workflow.
- Let's possibly bring more icons to edge in areas where they are boring like when downloading files it should look like an icon of what I am downloading such as a word document icon for a document, PowerPoint icon of a presentation image for a jpeg and etc. You get the idea. And not just the blue program icon or the default google download box with the cd disk.
i-am-kent This is awful. There needs needs to be a law not to do this to people. Do you guys comprehend what it's like to support someone over the phone and you are walking through the steps and you throw in an extra step?
Normal people get confused, and advanced users, who work to streamline their workflow, get annoyed (nicest word I could think of).
Some people are saying "one extra click is not bad" but when you need to download 15 updates to set-up a computer, that's 15 extra clicks, 15 times you need to stop, 15 chances to miss the right thing, 15 times you need to leave the keyboard to reach for the mouse (or reach up to the screen) to click the extra button.
Do that 10 times per day and that 150 extra steps. Now you are entering RSI (repetitive stress injury) area. Either make the default to off or put a warning label on it that it may result in injury or defenestration.
TechPotato, it's only an extra click IF you turn this optional feature on in your Settings. Otherwise, it's zero clicks and saves directly to the Downloads folder or whatever other folder you specify in Settings. Further in that case where it is an extra click, where you want it to prompt you to browse for a folder to save (rather than using the same Download folder each time) that's 1 extra click in a long sequence of clicks, so as % change, it's a small increase even then.
This one click in that long sequence replaces SEVERAL extra clicks and a fundamental workflow change for those of us who frequently just need to open or run a file without saving it. Before this change, we would have to save the file, then launch it, then navigate back to it and delete it later. On balance, I think the minor change (1 click in an existing long sequence) for some vs. several clicks plus a workflow change (adding a whole step to delete the file), this is a net win.
To be fair, I get that any extra click is a negative. So I'm not trying to be inconsiderate to your concerns. This response is more directed at your angry tone: this is a great improvement for many of us. Instead of just complaining and threatening RSI (presumably to raise the specter of lawsuits, all of which is absurd), perhaps you could propose an alternative that would help address your concerns without just suggesting MS undo the work they did to help solve this as one of the most requested feature changes that had always been in IE and old Edge, but was missed in the new Edge.
15 or 500 files, it's a lot, so you better turn this prompt off in here: edge://settings/downloads
why is it so hard to just click on "save as" and then choose your download location? while maintaining other options such as open, cancel and save. this new settings adds useful features at the cost of 1 click. I don't see any problem with this. it takes a lot more clicks to just switch between multiple download options if they offered it in settings.
it's not that it's hard to click one extra time, it's that there's zero reason for it to be like this. It wasn't a problem before they removed it to add this feature.
All that needs to be done is add a simple option to toggle it for people that want it in the settings, nothing needs to be changed for the people that don't want it.@i-am-kent I really do hope that the ability to open the Save As window automatically without going through the whole bottom screen prompt thing is planned on being added as I've had to downgrade my Edge version to v85 for now and if it's not added eventually I will almost certainly need to switch browsers.
How to disable the “do you want to open or save this file?” prompt Launch Registry Editor (Start >> Run >> regedit.exe) Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Shell. If it doesn't exist, create the AttachmentExecute key.
Lewis-H wrote:How to disable the “do you want to open or save this file?” prompt Launch Registry Editor (Start >> Run >> regedit.exe) Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Shell. If it doesn't exist, create the AttachmentExecute key.
Huh! Why use registry when you can simply go to Edge settings to turn it on/off. o.O
edge://settings/downloads
i-am-kent I'm really not a fan of this change. All it's really done is increase friction for me, doesn't solve any problems I had, and only creates new ones. I get why people wanted this feature, but it's a problem I solved ages ago in my workflow so all this really does is add a second prompt I need to click for every file I download.
I hope this feature becomes optional soon.
- Based on the other replies to this post, it seems half the people hate this change and half think it's better. That means you need to have both options available.
I've pretty much stopped using Edge Dev and switched to the released version for now (since a windows update force installed it anyway) but once this change makes it's way to that version I'll ditch Edge and go back to Chrome. Yes, this change is that annoying. - Can we add a button to open file location
ethanmenzel, that's already there. After you download the file, it provides the same option under the 3-dot Options menu we've always had in new Edge to "Show in folder".
