How to View and Clear Download History in Google Chrome – How-To Geek

While using Google Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS, its easy to see a list of your previously downloaded files and to clear your download history if necessary. Heres how to do it.

First, open Google Chrome. In any window, click the main menu button (three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner. In the menu that appears, click Downloads.

When the Downloads tab opens, youll see your download history presented as a list of files. If you have any active downloads, they will also be shown here. Depending on the status of each file, what you see beside its entry will change. If a file has been deleted since you downloaded it, youll see Deleted beside the file name. If the download was interrupted, you can often resume the download by clicking the Resume button.

RELATED: How to Resume an Interrupted Download in Google Chrome

Also, you can conveniently open the files location with a handy link. To do so in Finder on a Mac, click Show in Finder. To open the files location on Linux, Chrome OS, or Windows, click Show in Folder.

Whenever youre done checking the Downloads list, just close the Downloads tab. Chrome will keep a record of your downloads unless you manually clear the list.

If you want to erase your download history in Chrome, first open the Downloads tab by clicking the three dots menu button, then select Downloads.

To remove an individual download from the Downloads list, click the X button in the upper-right corner of the entry. (This will not erase the file that Chrome saved to your computer.)

Repeat this with any other files you want to remove from the Downloads list.

To completely wipe your Chrome download history, first click the three dots button located on the blue Downloads toolbar.

In the small menu that pops up, select Clear All.

Chrome will completely erase your downloads list. Any files you have downloaded will not be affected.

Keep in mind that Incognito Mode (Chromes private browsing mode) will not erase your downloads list. So if you want to keep your download history clear for privacy reasons, youll need to erase it manually using the steps above on a regular basis. Happy downloading!

RELATED: How to Open Chrome's Incognito Mode with a Keyboard Shortcut

Read more here:

How to View and Clear Download History in Google Chrome - How-To Geek