Microsoft removes Downloads folder from Disk Cleanup tool

Microsoft is going to remove the Downloads folder from the Disk Cleanup tool. According to the company, this happens after feedback from users. Bringing the folder into the tool often deleted downloaded files from the computer for users.

Microsoft included the Downloads folder in the tool by default. The company has been doing this since the October 2018 update of Windows 10. By adding the folder, files that were in the Downloads folder were included when users cleaned up their hard drives. The Disk Cleanup tool normally removes things from the Recycle Bin, temporary files or old Windows Update files. The option was optional, but many users checked the box automatically or accidentally and often lost files as a result.

Microsoft has now announced that it will remove the feature from Windows. The first time that happens is in the Insider Preview build 19018 (20H1) that came out earlier this week. That’s in an update of the features of that build. Microsoft says it is removing the feature “after user feedback.” It is not yet clear whether the change will be included in the next major Windows update, or in the next patch Tuesday.