How can I change Windows' default download path?

1. Open Explorer.
2. Create the folder you want to have as your new Downloads folder (i.e.: c:\downloads).
3. Under "This PC", right-click "Downloads".
4. Click Properties.
5. Select the Location tab.
6. Click Move.
7. Select the folder you made in step 2.

8. Once it's done copying things hit OK to close the properties window.

It's not Windows itself that downloads files, but rather, it's applications like browsers or other network clients. If you're talking specifically about downloading files from the world wide web, your browser has a setting for the default download location. You can even set it to ask you each time where you want to put a file that you're about to download.

The easiest solution is to make C:\Downloads a link to C:\Users\Myname\Downloads: then either path can be used to access the down-loads.

In order to create any file in the root directory you need to start a Command Prompt with administrator privileges (it's an option when you right-click the Windows Start button on the task-bar). Then issue the command:

mklink /d C:\Downloads C:\Users\Myname\Downloads

There is no need to change anything else, nor to move existing files, which are retained in the user directory hierarchy along with new files subsequently added, so they will be included whenever the user directory is backed up.

You can use a similar technique to create C:\Documents, C:\Music, C:\Pictures, etc.