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How do I change Default Download Directory

V

varxtis

Newbie
I have A Motorola Droid Bionic with Android 4.0.4.
When I browse the net or view my email and download a file/file-attachment (images, music, pdfs, apks, etc) it downloads to the phone internal storage ">sdcard>download>" instead of the actual sd card ">sdcard-ext>download>" which is where I'd really prefer. That way when I plug in my phone to the computer, my download folder, image folder, and music folder are all under the same directory (the actual sd card). When I save images received by txt, they save to the actual sd card, so it just deepens my confusion about why the other files I download go to the phones internal storage.
Also, can anyone explain why the internal phone memory is being identified as "sdcard" and my sd card is being identified as "sdcard-ext".
 
Welcome to Android Forums. The Bionic under ICS is a great little computer. I've been using it since hour one of its release.

One of the strangest things was the naming of the cards in the device. See ... http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-bionic/438060-bionic-reference-terms-links.html#post3398984 ... SD Card Naming for an explanation. The reason why was because there was a lot of software out there that had sdcard hard coded into them and would not work as intended on the Bionic without modification.

Which browser are you using?
I checked out six browsers and none of them have a setting to set the location (Dolphin, Browser, Chrome, Firefox, Opera Mobile, Skyfire). They would all send it to the sdcard.

... Thom
 
I use the default browser titled "Browser".
When it says it saves to the sd card, does that mean to the actual sd card (on my phone its identified as "sdcard-ext") or the internal storage) on my phone its identified as "sdcard")
 
If you use the Files app when it opens you can choose Device storage or SD card.

If you choose Device storage you will find a Downloads folder. This is the internal sdcard.

If you choose SD card you will not find a Downloads folder (unless you added one). This is the removable SD-ext card.

(I have a folder "- Thom Little -" on the SD-Ext card. It always shows up at the beginning because of the "-". This is my reminder to me that I am on the SD-ext card.)

... Thom
 
Okay, Ya I see what you mean, and actually I have a download folder in each. The previous version or my previous phone (Droid X) allowed me to download to the removable SD-ext card. So, my question still stands at this point: is there a way to change the default download location fromdownload folder in the internal sdcard to the download folder in the removable SD-ext card?
 
I don't know any way to do it.

I just created a Download folder on my SD-ext card, deleted the Download folder from my sdcard, powered off, powered on, downloaded a file using Browser. It created a new Download folder on the sdcard and placed the file in it.

My Droid X has one choice in Files and that is sdcard (same as the Bionic sdcard). It contains a Download folder and that is where Browser is storing the files.

So the answer us to use the Download folder on the sdcard.

Reasoning behind this stuff (don't kill the messenger) is that the SD-ext card was designed to be removable. You would have a bunch of them and plug in the one with the movie that you wanted to watch.

... Thom
 
Its just, I know for a fact that one of the previous versions of droid firmware, or one of the previous phones did in fact have the option of choosing where downloads are saved, as well as where camera images are saved. It just seems really odd that it wouldn't have that feature. If the phones internal memory card/storage is only 8GB but you have a 32GB removable SD card speficially for multi-media storage and downloads, it kind of defeats the ppurpose if the phone forces a user to download to the internal memory storage, which would be filled in no time. Having to manually go in a export files downloaded from the internal memory to the removable card just seems... dumb. A simple coding in the system programming that gives users an option at their own risk seems fundamentally sound. (*proceeds dropping to the ground, rolling around, kicking and screaming, yelling "I want it I want it I want it* as if thatll help lol) in otherwords, Im sure it can't be changed, so sorry for whining.
 
varxtis said:
Its just, I know for a fact that one of the previous versions of droid firmware, or one of the previous phones did in fact have the option of choosing where downloads are saved, as well as where camera images are saved. It just seems really odd that it wouldn't have that feature. If the phones internal memory card/storage is only 8GB but you have a 32GB removable SD card speficially for multi-media storage and downloads, it kind of defeats the ppurpose if the phone forces a user to download to the internal memory storage, which would be filled in no time. Having to manually go in a export files downloaded from the internal memory to the removable card just seems... dumb. A simple coding in the system programming that gives users an option at their own risk seems fundamentally sound. (*proceeds dropping to the ground, rolling around, kicking and screaming, yelling "I want it I want it I want it* as if thatll help lol) in otherwords, Im sure it can't be changed, so sorry for whining.
Click to expand...

Well, the camera *does* still have the option to set the storage location - but your choices are
  • Internal storage
  • sdcard

Unfortunately, Moto has internal storage mapped to sdcard, so....




Thom Little said:
You might want to take a look at ... Download Manager for Android ... I think it does much of what you want that browsers are not supporting.

... Thom
Click to expand...

lol I saw that yesterday and was going to share it - thanks!
 
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