# Clean up your Downloads folder

> Downloads Cleanup finds installers of apps you already installed, archives you already extracted and files downloaded twice.

- URL: https://moreroom.app/support/downloads-cleanup
- Topic: Freeing up space
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Publisher: MoreRoom (Yando Pte. Ltd.) — https://moreroom.app

## In short

- Downloads Cleanup, in the sidebar after a scan, lists files in Downloads that already did their job.
- Three kinds: installers of apps that are already installed, archives already extracted next to them, and files downloaded twice.
- Remove them one by one, or all at once with Add All (Pro). Everything goes to the Trash, with Undo.

## How to clean up Downloads

1. **Scan a place that includes Downloads.** Scan My Mac or Home Folder. With Scan Without Full Access, Downloads is skipped: grant Full Disk Access first.
2. **Open Downloads Cleanup.** Click Downloads Cleanup in the sidebar. The size next to it is what MoreRoom found.
3. **Check each file.** Each row says why the file is no longer needed. Click the magnifier to reveal it in Finder.
4. **Remove.** Click the trash button of a file, or Add All (Pro) and then Review & Free Up in the Collector pill.

## What MoreRoom looks for

**Downloads Cleanup** looks only at your **Downloads** folder and lists three kinds of files:

| Group | Example | Why it’s listed |
|---|---|---|
| **Installers of apps you already installed** | `Figma.dmg` | The app is already in Applications. The row says “*App* is already installed”. |
| **Archives already extracted** | `photos.zip` next to the `photos` folder | Its contents are already there. The row says “Already extracted to “*folder*””. |
| **Downloaded twice** | `report (1).pdf` | It’s the same file as another one. The row says “Same as “*file*””. |

If nothing qualifies, the screen says **Downloads look tidy**.

## Remove the files

- **One at a time** (Free and Pro): click the trash button on the right of a row and confirm.
- **All at once** (Pro): click **Add All**, then **Review & Free Up** in the Collector pill at the bottom, check the list, and click **Free Up**.

Everything goes to the Trash first. Press `⌘Z` or use **History** to put files back.

## Nothing listed?

- Downloads Cleanup appears in the sidebar only after a scan that includes your Downloads folder: **Scan My Mac** or **Home Folder**.
- Without Full Disk Access, macOS protects Downloads and MoreRoom skips it. See [Grant Full Disk Access](https://moreroom.app/support/full-disk-access).
- Folders you added to **Settings › Exclusions** are never looked at.

## Related articles

- [Remove items safely: the Trash, the Collector and Undo](https://moreroom.app/support/remove-items-undo.md)
- [Uninstall apps with everything they left behind](https://moreroom.app/support/uninstall-apps.md)
- [Keep in the Cloud: free space without deleting cloud files](https://moreroom.app/support/keep-in-the-cloud.md)
- [Grant Full Disk Access to MoreRoom](https://moreroom.app/support/full-disk-access.md)

## Still need help?

Write to us: a real person reads every message and answers within 2 business days. https://moreroom.app/contact