Forum Discussion
i-am-kent
Microsoft
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.
i-am-kent Time to go back to Chrome.
I agree with nikolam340 .
In my opinion, Microsoft hasn't fixed anything regarding this issue (saving documents via the web browser). They just changed it to a different kind of "horrible". We don't need or want anything "flyout flashy" and click heavy. We just want it to work with one click of the mouse to get the Save As dialog box so when I saving 10 or 20 documents in a row I'm not having to keep moving my mouse to the top of the screen and clicking two additional times for each document before going back to click the next document. PLEASE go back to the old Save As dialog box behavior.
- Everyone, please take this how it is meant. While I would very much like this issue to be fixed for those of us who it affects, we are repeating the same information over and over. There are seven pages of comments on this thread, and at least one page's worth from myself, and I'm not the only one who has gone into detail about this issue.
I am not interested in repeating myself every month or two. The information is there and in detail, already. Several of us have submitted detailed feedback about this through Edge's feedback option. If someone such as the OP of this thread who actually has power to make a change wishes to get more information from me or others, then certainly I'd go over it with them. For what it's worth, I think Microsoft already understands the issue. I will have no trouble believing that it might never be fixed, however.
Since Chromium including initially Chromium Edge already did things the way some of us preferred, it's easy to compare and see the difference. The code already exists in Chromium. The simplest solution would be for Edge to have one additional switch to toggle between the new way of handling downloads and the old way.
I don't even use Edge anymore because of this issue; I haven't touched it in at least 2-3 months, and I'm not going to test Edge's behavior until I read about the issue being fixed. Chrome does what I need. While I was interested in Chromium Edge and would still be using it had this feature not been implemented in a way I could fully circumvent, the effort needed to repeatedly convey the same ideas is not worth it to me. I am unsubscribing from this thread. Google will likely highlight the appropriate news article for me when or if someone reports on this issue being fixed.
Apologies if I come out sounding rough, I just don't want to keep going through the same information.
Good luck and take care.roirraWedorehT, I assume that's directed at me, because I had just posted you asking about the nature of your problem. However, the original problem described has been largely fixed (that it didn't recall a custom download destination between downloads). I don't understand your unwillingness to address the nature of the remaining problem when part of it has been fixed. Especially given that the fix that has been made was due in part to this very forum and discussion. Pointing to Chrome is only helpful as a baseline, given that Edge will probably never work exactly the same, the important thing is to learn if it's working for you in the way it does work, and if not, for you to give fresh feedback following the changes the developers made to get it closer to your request.
HotCakeX has also posted about a further update that's coming that we've not seen yet which may get you the rest of the way there.
I have been trying to get used to this feature for awhile now, but to me, this only added a problem instead of created a solution. I can't tell you the number of times I click a link three or four times trying to figure out why "nothing is happening" only to discover an un-noticable bar has appeared at the bottom of the screen which now has my download in it three or four times. Now I have to cancel all the duplicate downloads and still have to click the three dots next to one of them to get the Save As dialog to appear so I can save the file. Even if I did get used to this and look for the bar at the bottom of the screen when nothing happened after clicking the link, Microsoft has still created an extra step where I need to click the three dots and choose Save to get the Save As dialog box that I wanted in the first place. The person behind me has this exact problem as well so I know I'm not the only one who hates this new behavior in Edge Chromium.
People that had their browser configured to bring up the Save As dialog all the time did that for a reason. Because they ALWAYS want to choose where to save the file and the NEVER want the file to Open in their browser. Why did Microsoft mess with something that was doing exactly what people wanted? PLEASE put it back to the old behavior where the Save As dialog box comes up the first time I click the file to download. The bar appearing at the bottom is completely unnecessary, just present the user with the Save As dialog. i-am-kent
You can turn it off yourself.
Click ... - SETTINGS - DOWNLOADS and make your choices there.
I have tired both settings repeatedly over the past few months and neither option gets me back to the way it used to behave.
i-am-kent This change is straight up downgrade for me. I want to choose where I save my files, and I never want to open them in a browser. Old option fit well into this workflow, while new one requires more clicking and only thing I'm getting in return are options I don't want to use at all.
I get that some people might want to have this new feature, and it was feasible to add it, but I don't get why adding a new feature must means removing old one that worked well. This new option could've been added next to old ones, not instead.
I really hate the new behavior of the tiny file save prompt at the bottom. Can you please just utilize the standard file save dialog, which can be interacted with via keyboard? This is one of the worst changes you've made to the browser so far, in my memory.
Before it was easy, you click on a file, pick a folder location, hit Enter. Now I click a file link, then stare and think it's doing nothing. Then I eventually notice the tiny unobtrusive prompt at the bottom that can only be interacted with via mouse. Which UX designer told you this was good behavior?
i-am-kent: Is there a possibility to control this feature via Group Policies? Like automate that all *.RDP files are automatically opened. There seem to be a possibility for example set "Always open PDF files externally" with GPO, but I cannot find how to configure other file types. Would be really helpful to get .RDP files automated so that they are being opened after the download.
i-am-kent Thank you for this. I was concerned that so many features from legacy Edge were 'missing' that it would be confusing, especially for older users. This was borne out by several of my older clients who required help after the upgrade. I am still disappointed that this was particular feature was not thought of as important enough to transfer into Chromium Edge initially because it is such an important improvement to what was available on Chrome. However the thought and consultation that has gone into this was well worth the wait. I think the end result is perfect.
i-am-kent It's great to see options being provided that fit with other workflows and I've really enjoyed watching Edge go from strength to strength.
Unfortunately, this change is one that negatively impacts my own workflow which I have been used to using for decades now across different browsers. And from comments it seems many others feel the same way too. The new method requires more mouse movement and extra clicks which slows things down making me feel less effective in Edge.
Allow me to explain my expected Save As behaviour as was previously in Edge (and is currently in most other browsers) if I have set it to ask me each time I download. For reference, I always download to subdirectories within my default Downloads folder - sometimes a newly created one and sometimes to one already existing.
Previous Workflow (and current in other browsers)
- I would (for example) open a page on GOG.com under my account and download multiple files associated with the same game required to install it on my PC.
- Click the link of the first file -> a Save As window will popup -> I create a new directory under my default Downloads directory named the same as the game -> hit Enter with my left hand for the download to begin.
- Move the mouse only a small distance down to the next link in the list -> click the link of the second file -> a Save As window will popup already pointing to the newly created game directory -> immediately hit Enter (as my left hand is still on the key from the previously download).
- Repeat until all files are downloaded.
The new workflow
- Open a page at (for example) GOG.com of a game I own with multiple files I need to download before installing.
- Click the link of the first file -> move my mouse to the bottom of the screen.
- Click Save As -> wait for a Save As window to popup -> create a new directory named the same as the game -> hit Enter
- Move my mouse back up the screen -> click the link of the second file -> move my mouse to the bottom of the screen.
- Click Save As -> a Save As window will popup -> hit Enter
- Repeat with much more mouse movement and clicks when previously it was a very quick process
It would be amazing to have the ability to choose between the old way of the Save As popup appearing as the first step or the new Save As with the options on the bar at the bottom of the screen.
I feel giving the option would allow the majority of users to really soar in their respective workflows.
(Edit: Granted, I moved to Edge from Chrome after it switched to Chromium so maybe I'm just used to decades worth of Chromium behaviour?)
This option to save to a temporary folder does not work with enabled group policy: AutoOpenAllowedForURLs or AutoOpenFileTypes, the files are still saved to the Download folder.
I would also like to add that those of us against the new flow are not requesting its removal, but a choice to go back to the old flow. I would hope it is not too unreasonable to ask just to add another setting to restore this.
zpassarelli I'd like to throw in my hat into having the option for File Explorer to be what pops up when I click an email attachment to save rather than having the prompt drop down to the bottom of my browser. In my line of work I am downloading attachments, renaming them, and saving them to specific folders on our server at least 30x a day if not more. I've spent several hours trying to figure out why this changed and finally came across this thread which perfectly describes my dilemma. I really like Edge but my previous browser still treats attachments like Edge v85 and older used to. This new way is a total workflow killer. I'm on dual 1440p monitors and I feel bad for anyone using even higher resolution monitors. People are going to wear out their mouse feet going up and down!
azbig10, I respect your desire to speed your work by saving a click and support your request to have MS add that as an option. At the same time, I did want to point out that the way it worked for the first few versions of the new Edge was the anomaly: for many, many years IE and then the entire life of Legacy Edge, the browser provided the option to Open/Run or Save As. It was just during the initial launch of new Edge that this capability was temporarily missing. I realize that doesn't help your workflow at all, just pointing out that the way you preferred was only like that for a few months. For years before, it worked like it does now.
Hopefully, MS will add an option for those of you who need to download and save many files to diverse folders.
At the same time, I certainly hope they preserve the critically important Open/Run option they have finally given back to us. Where the current model adds 1 click to your full file save process (probably a total of several clicks each time, so maybe a 5% - 10% increase to the total number of clicks you need to make), missing the Open/Run option added about a half dozen clicks plus a whole extra work-flow step of going to find and delete files to our workflow, for an impact of about 300% - 400% for those of us who benefitted from this change.
- I have been really liking Edge since before it went stable, and I wondered when this sudden, unexpected, and unwanted behavior had started. Just like other users have expressed, I'd like to go back to that when I have Edge set to prompt where I'd like to save a file every time, for me not to have to go through extra clicks on each and every file download button at the bottom to bring up the file/folder dialog for where to save as. Also just as other users mentioned, Save As not remembering the most recent location that I saved to is unwanted behavior. There was nothing wrong with the way it was before. Maybe some people prefer the new/classic Edge way for downloads, but there are evidently a bunch of us who don't. I may have to do all my downloading in the meantime via another one of the web browsers I have installed. Please add the old option back.
roirraWedorehT, just turn off the prompt in Settings (set it back to default), and voilà, no extra clicks. The "extra" clicks are only needed if you have already changed the default in Settings to prompt you for what to do when clicking to download a file. In that case, Chromium Edge, prior to this much needed feature finally being added, was MISSING the basic capability that has been available since the early days of IE and in Legacy Edge, basically for longer than many people have been using the Internet: the ability to Open or Run a file without having to go through all the steps associated with saving it first and then having to manually go back and delete it later.
On the other hand, I think there is universal agreement with you that it should remember the last saved location. I haven't heard anyone defend that it forgets that between saves. That just seems like a bug and I expect it will be fixed shortly.
GraniteStateColin Thanks for your reply. Like the other users who complained about this new "feature", I still want to choose where I save a download on a file by file basis, so I want the dialog that use to pop up prompting me for where to save, for every single file. I just confirmed that if I disable the "Ask me what to do with each download" setting that it automatically saves the file in my default Download location, which is not what I want.
I don't mind that the new feature is available to others who want it - I just don't need it and I prefer the way it was, so there should be a way to enable an immediate save as dialog instead of a prompt at the bottom of the screen that for each and every download I have to click "Save As", so more mouse movement and an extra click each time.
This is annoying enough that I'm going to go back to using Chrome and I'll check back in on Edge every great once in a while to see if there's a way to enable the old way.
