Does Firefox need to open the download panel after EVERY download?

[BlazeHedgehog]

Google Chrome does this obnoxious behavior where, after every download, it opens this big ugly status bar at the bottom of the browser showing your file. It was nice that, in Firefox, the download panel was something I didn't necessarily have to open if I didn't need to.

Well, as of Firefox 98.0, that's not true anymore. The download panel now opens after every single download. If I'm downloading a large quantity of files, it will pop open after each and every file. It's honestly WORSE than using Chrome.

Could we get an option to stop this from happening? Maybe it's a bug, even? It really sucks.

[rtestard]

Hello,

Many users had issues with retrieving downloaded files. This change helps them locate downloaded files more easily. If you are the type of user who wants to access downloaded files from the file system and who does not want the panel to open for downloads you can do the following:

- Open the main hamburger menu > select "More tools" > Select "Customize toolbar"

- In the customize toolbar UI you can drag the download icon away from the toolbar

[Hallogreen]

I am not sure if I speak for other users by saying this, but I did like the convenience of having the Download icon in my toolbar so I can quickly and easily access my downloaded files without having to open the Downloads window - the problem is that it opens that popup/drawer every time a single file downloads and it takes the focus away from the browser window, too.

Like countless users already said - just give us the option to make it work like it did before Version 98.
That's all. And I feel like most users would agree that this is generally how feature updates should be - give us the option to keep it how it was. Changes like this are not always objectively an improvement for the user experience.

[Popoya]

The problem is that I don't want to remove the download icon from the toolbar, it's useful: I just don't want the download panel to open on its own EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I download something. It's annoying. It's distracting. Just let me do my stuff in peace ffs

[BlazeHedgehog]

I don't like this solution. I don't want to hide my download icon, I put it where I did for a reason. You're telling me to add more steps to something that used to be faster and more comfortable in order to serve the needs of a person I am not.

I can understand if some users had trouble locating their files, but is it really a solution if you're making it worse for other people in the process? Seems like a bit of a kludge.

[jscher2000]

---

@BlazeHedgehog wrote:

I don't like this solution. I don't want to hide my download icon, I put it where I did for a reason.

---

Hopefully the Downloads list opening will be made optional. For now, you can use a more specific hidden setting to turn it off:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox. Please keep in mind that changes made through this back door aren't fully supported and aren't guaranteed to continue working in the future.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.download.alwaysOpenPanel and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to switch the value from true (open it) to false (do not open it)

[Rainyskyboy]

i don't understand ..why not giving us the option to remove new download behavior ?? it's fine if you make it a default  but with option to remove it and keep older download behavior ..so plz  make it optional ..i want to keep the download icon cuz it useful to me

[Christian75]

A response has already been given here and on various topics regarding the download list pop-up, pending a possible change to this feature.
By about:config, we can set "browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel" to false.
This avoids the pop-up but keeps the download button.

[DrBecks]

Great, that works! Thanks so much!

[Jackalope264]

This is one more annoying change. If users set where downloads go they should be able to find them. Can you at least have the window close automatically if you can't get rid of this "feature"?

[Popoya]

Not a bug, it's even listed in the update summary as if they're really proud of it. Frankly, I think it's annoying and distracting as hell that every time I download something the download panel just pops up and I wish there at least was a way to disable it, or that they add this feature FAST.

[Hallogreen]

Heh...yeah, it's quite ironic that it says that it makes it so that "you can experience minimal interruptions"

[Hallogreen]

Just sharing this here, over in this thread user bl has pointed out that what you need to do is and I quote:

"In about:config (Welcome to the Wild West) search for browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel and set the flag to false."

[RealtyDoc]

Just changed the ..improvement(?) setting, and it fixed the problem. Thanks for the heads up!

[cmdrnmartin]

I like that disabling an 'improvement' makes the browser better. Says everything you need to know about the dev team's 'be more like chrome!' mentality over the past few years.

[Christian75]

This does not seem to me to be a good solution, because the download icon is practical. This icon makes it easy to access the download, provided that the information for new users is well done.
And the automatic display function does not solve the problem of new users if they want to access the directory afterwards.
The problem is not the icon but the pop-up that rarely comes when you need the list.
I mentioned this problem among others in my own post (before I saw this one) among other similar problems.

[FRUSTRATED]

Yes, this is absolutely irritating.  Please fix this Firefox

[Nadi]

Please prompt such extreme changes with an option to return to the original behaviour. The solution for now is here:

https://techdows.com/2022/01/firefox-97-download-flow-changes.html?unapproved=194365&moderation-hash...

[MJM15]

Yes, I also HATE this new behavior. I like having the download button in my toolbar, but there is no reason to force users to have the download window open immediately upon each download. Who asked for this feature? At a minimum, make it optional!

[aturning90]

This new behavior is terrible and disruptive, especially without an option to revert the behavior.

As others have written, prior to 98.0, just download then click the download icon in FF and go to the file.  Easy and nothing to worry about.

Now, just this big pop up with list of other downloads and have to click on the window to close it. 

Please give us the option to disable this feature other than 'remove the download icon'.

[Christian75]

Yes, for some time, the idea seems to be that new users are too dumb or lazy to learn even the simplest maneuvers (like clicking a button).
It's the same for the observations that I made in another post for other automatic drop-down lists for which the classic method is to use the down arrow to make them appear (address bar, list of the panel "Save as").
If we start more and more from such principles, I fear what the interface of Firefox may become in the future...

The article pointed out by Nadi on techdows.com is interesting, but does not explicitly address the point discussed here. It offers more global backtracking which I think you have to be careful with.
Besides, there is probably no simple solution for the only pop-up if this behavior is described in handlers.json.
I hope the designers of Firefox will rectify the problematic points, at least through option settings

There are several expressions that describe this situation. : "False good idea" ; "The best is the enemy of good" ; more radical: "Hell is paved with good intentions".
I don't know if they are as proverbial in English as in French.

[Christian75]

Finally I tried Hallogreen's solution:
browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel false
(A negative response I had made before was for another suggestion, the responses got crossed)
It seems to work and the download button is still there. Solved for me.

[aardin77]

Same for me, so good to get rid of this.

[Ubloput]

I don't want this new feature. (Also ridicoulus i can't roll back to a previous version without losing my settings)

I want to see again the feature when i want to download something FF ask me (download and) OPEN IT.
Open feature is missing now.

I hate 98.0 because of this. FF is getting worse and worse

[aardin77]

God this is horrible feature!  I wish I could roll back to <98.0!

Yeah, download a file and here's this giant list of your other downloads that will not get out of your way!

[Rm4g3dD0v]

You can downgrade.

1. Make a mozilla account if you dont already have one and save all of your settings.
2. Uninstall FF and
3. Download and install an earlier version from here (v. 97.0.2):
   https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/97.0.2/
4. Disable auto updates on FF.
5. Open FF and log in to your FF account and let it download your bookmarks, settings and plugins/themes you had installed.
6. Immediatelly disable auto updates on FF AGAIN.

If you want your history, passwords and userchrome scripts, before you uninstall you can follow these steps:

1. Clear your mozilla temporary internet files. Preferrably your cookies too.
2. Close any FF windows you have.
3. Go to C:\Users\*************\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
   where ************* is your windows account name.
4. Note down all folder names even if it is only one.
5. The folder we re looking for in this step, should be like "########.default" or "########.default-release" where ######## is an alphanumeric sequence of characters.
   Find the largest folder (if more than one). Should also be the last modified too. If not, repeat step #6 for all folders each one in a seperate location. Do #12 and #13 for all backed up folders starting from the largest one, until you get the right profile.
6. Enter the folder and move all files somewhere else (another empty folder) in your hard drive.
   This process may take quite some time, especially if you have many small files.
7. Uninstall FF and install the older version as described above
8. Open FF and disable auto updates on FF.
9. Login to your FF account and let it download your settings and addons. Then close all FF windows.
10. Go to C:\Users\*************\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
    where ************* is your windows account name
11. Find the NEWEST folder (use list in step #4 to determine which is the newest folder) and open it.
12. COPY (not move) and OVERWRITE the files you had moved in step #5 into this folder.
    If you backed up more than one folders in step #6, do steps #12 and #13 for all backed up folders starting with the largest one until you find the right profile, while deleting all files in the TARGET folder between tries, otherwise you may get merged profiles which prolly is not what you wanted.
13. Open FF and immediatelly disable auto updates on FF AGAIN.

The result should be as close as you can get to your older version.

[Christian75]

I don't understand that the discussion is still at the same point when I reminded above the temporary solution of Hallogreen, while waiting for a possible modification of this functionality: set download.improvements_to_download_panel to false (by about:config).
This avoids the pop-up but keeps the download button.

A regression of the version can be dangerous and if it is only to remove the pop-up from the download list, it becomes useless.

[John_3_16]

We don't understand being forced to accept updates that are only intended to "duplicate" Chrome. We are suppose to be Mozilla Firefox users; NOT Google Chromebots. If Mozilla wants to suckle at the Google Chrome fountain then separate security from GUI updates. Let us choose without forcing us to pick a version without current protections to keep the browser we like.

I have used a non-current model in the past for 6 months due to Mozilla screw ups that had nothing to do with security. Not too long ago they changed everything to Chrome formats, menus, tabs & color scheme. Took me several days to correct those screw ups. Some config changes, some added code & a downloaded color scheme that closely matched the one I like. So far these are holding up over time. I did also at that time download & install Ungoogled Chromium. I currently use it 50% of the time now. The video play is much better since Google has blocked login to my gmail from FF & Youtube videos have been red-lined on FF. Just saying. This will continue showing up as long as Mozilla continues to hate on its users.

[JonJ]

Employee wrote: "Many users had issues with retrieving downloaded files."

Then it would seem the solution is to educate those users, rather than to treat all users as dumb.

In this respect FF wasn't broken. It did not need 'fixing'.