Download Folder Changer

Download Folder Changer is a Windows utility that lets you set or reset the default Downloads folder for your user account. It writes directly to the Windows registry and includes safety features like write-access validation, backups, and automatic File Explorer restart.

Features

• Set any folder as the default Windows Downloads location
• Reset to system default (%USERPROFILE%\Downloads) at any time
• Reads current path on startup — always shows what is set right now
• Disk space display — shows free / total GB for the selected drive
• Write-access validation — confirms the folder is writable before applying
• Network path warning — alerts you when selecting a UNC path (\\)
• Confirm dialogs before every Apply, Reset, or Restore action
• Backup & restore — saves the previous path before any change; restore it via right-click on the path field
• Recent paths — up to 10 previously used paths saved to AppData, accessible via right-click
• Open in Explorer — right-click the path field to browse the folder immediately
• Auto-restart File Explorer — offers to kill and relaunch explorer.exe so changes take effect without signing out
• Status log — timestamped entries; errors shown in red; right-click to copy or clear
• Single-instance enforcement — only one copy of the app can run at a time
• Auto-elevation — the app manifest requests administrator privileges automatically

Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases section.
2. Extract the ZIP to a folder of your choice.
3. Run DownloadFolderChanger.exe (UAC will prompt for elevation automatically).

Usage

1. Select Folder — browse to the folder you want as your Downloads location.
2. Apply — writes the path to the Windows registry and offers to restart File Explorer.
3. Reset — removes the custom registry value and reverts to %USERPROFILE%\Downloads.
4. Restore — right-click the path field and choose Restore Last Backup to undo the last change.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• .NET Framework 4.8 (included by default on Windows 10 1903+ and all Windows 11 installs)

Important Notes

• Administrator Privileges: The app manifest requests elevation automatically. If UAC is disabled or blocked by policy, right-click the exe and choose Run as administrator.
• Registry keys modified:
  • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
  • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.