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'Save Image As' keeps changing directories

  • 65 replies
  • 195 have this problem
  • 474 views
  • Last reply by Cyberninja

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'Save Image As' keeps changing the location it's saving the file. As I'm going through various pages and saving certain images, I notice that sometimes it saves where I'm expecting it to, (the location I most recently selected while saving an image), but very often, in the same session (meaning I haven't closed and restarted FF), it decides to change the location to a directory I've used earlier, instead of where it just saved the previous file.

I thought it might be a scenario something like, I open tabs 1 - 5, save images to location A. Then I save a file to location B, open up pages 6 - 10, save a file to location A again. At this point I expect that my files will default to location A, but maybe pages 6 - 10 now have location B associated with them and they will default there instead. I just tested that and that's not it.

It's also not extension (ie .jpg, .gif) that forces the change of location. I can't figure out what triggers it.

Does anyone know if there is another about:config setting that we can change, (which the next FF upgrade in 5 minutes will undoubtedly override) to restore proper behavior?

This behavior started with the upgrade to FF 7.

'Save Image As' keeps changing the location it's saving the file. As I'm going through various pages and saving certain images, I notice that sometimes it saves where I'm expecting it to, (the location I most recently selected while saving an image), but very often, in the same session (meaning I haven't closed and restarted FF), it decides to change the location to a directory I've used earlier, instead of where it just saved the previous file. I thought it might be a scenario something like, I open tabs 1 - 5, save images to location A. Then I save a file to location B, open up pages 6 - 10, save a file to location A again. At this point I expect that my files will default to location A, but maybe pages 6 - 10 now have location B associated with them and they will default there instead. I just tested that and that's not it. It's also not extension (ie .jpg, .gif) that forces the change of location. I can't figure out what triggers it. Does anyone know if there is another about:config setting that we can change, (which the next FF upgrade in 5 minutes will undoubtedly override) to restore proper behavior? This behavior started with the upgrade to FF 7.

Modified by macahi

Chosen solution

@sgtsixpack

To open the about:config page, type about:config in the location (address) bar and press the "Enter" key, just like you type the url of a website to open a website.

If you see a warning then you can confirm that you want to access the about:config page.
You can create a new Boolean pref via the right-click context menu with the name browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite and set the value to false.

  • Use the Search (Filter) bar at the top of the about:config page to locate preferences more easily.
  • Preferences that have been modified show as bold (user set).
  • Preferences can be reset to the default via the right-click context menu if they are user set
  • Preferences can be changed via the right-click context menu: Modify (String or Integer) or Toggle (Boolean) or by double-clicking the line with the pref
Read this answer in context 👍 17

All Replies (20)

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Firefox 11 will fix this issue by adding a pref browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite


  • Bug 702748 – Use a pref for disabling per-site remembering of download directory

(please do not comment in bug reports)

Modified by cor-el

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Yeah this is driving me nuts been downloading lots off small addons for minecraft and the target folder is quit nearly random - stating to really PISS me off. Been using ff for yeaaaars, but im seriously looking at dumping it. The saving is making it nearly unusable for downloads, well a loooot of work to not mix stuff up. Progress pfffft

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Did this ever get reported as a bug, or was it only discussed in the user forum? I'm not sure how to find out.

Maybe nobody from FF is sifting through the user forum for things to fix.

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Firefox 11 is out, so you can update to that version via Help > About Firefox to get support for the above mentioned browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite pref.
That pref doesn't exist by default (it is hidden), so you need to create a new Boolean pref with the name browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite and set the value to false.

See:

  • resource:///modules/DownloadLastDir.jsm
* If passed a URI, the last used directory is also stored with that URI in the
  • content preferences database. This can be disabled by setting the pref
  • browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite to false.

Modified by cor-el

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cant say its changed much for me . In about.config browser.download.lastdir.savePerSite is showing false and i still HAVE TO be carefull when saving because the target folder WILL STILL change to unexpected locations. Ive added some locations to the windows SAVETO bar to help me out... MAN i miss the older firefox, fed up with update , update, update and for what really ?. Even SYNC is dissapointing still trying to slow the sync time, as soon as i drop a bookmark it syncs, and i cant use the bookmarks for ~7-10 seconds - still working on that one when i can be bothered Progress i guess ,keep fighting the software :)

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Try to clear the "Site Preferences" via Clear Recent History

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will give that a shot , can't recollect when i did that .

thanks for response all the same, will see how that pans out fingers crossed. you wouldn't have some advice on tweaking sync with regard to adding a bookmark and stopping the immediate sync by any chance :)

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(for the record)
Posted today by Cloudchaser in another thread, /questions/923329


I was advised to try posting to the bug report area. That found a solution. I was told

I'm 99% sure the problem is that you created the preference

browser.download.lastdir.savePerSite,

as opposed to

browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite

(lowercase "d" instead of capital "D" in lastDir)

So I recreated the preference with the capital D and that disable per-site remembering of the download directory

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I thought this issue was supposed to be fixed in Firefox 11? I upgraded and this problem still exists. I tried the 'browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite' thing Alice posted and that didn't work, either. I cleared my history. Still having the problem. So, what's the deal with this?

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You may have the clear the "Site Preferences" via Clear Recent History to remove already stored download data.

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its kinda sad that the browser i have been using for years chose simply to ignore me and the rest of us. Been facing this issue for ages and no one is gonna do anything about it? Probably time to do a switch?

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"Firefox 11 is out, so you can update to that version via Help > About Firefox to get support for the above mentioned browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite pref. That pref doesn't exist by default (it is hidden), so you need to create a new Boolean pref with the name browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite and set the value to false.

See:

   resource:///modules/DownloadLastDir.jsm 
   * If passed a URI, the last used directory is also stored with that URI in the
       content preferences database. This can be disabled by setting the pref
       browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite to false.

" This solution looks great but I have no way to implement it. What am I supposed to do edit the registry? This frustrating problem is just made even more frustrating from the gobledygook "solution".

If your a dev:

1. Fix the problem in the first case

failing that

2. Give a step by step solution, cause I'm not going to go searching for help on a solution which assumes the user to have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of your browser.

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High Cyberninja,

Are you using Firefox 11 ? (You should be using Firefox 11 or later)

The latter part of this thread relate to changes made to Firefox that are useable Firefox 11 onwards and allow you to create an new preference and then change firefox behaviour if you wish.

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Yes I am using ff11, but I'm downloading Chrome.

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yes john im using the latest firefox and even tried the aurora All have same issues and i am a web developer and programmer by profession btw so i have to deal with images all the time and its kinda sad this problem continues after all this time ...

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Chosen Solution

@sgtsixpack

To open the about:config page, type about:config in the location (address) bar and press the "Enter" key, just like you type the url of a website to open a website.

If you see a warning then you can confirm that you want to access the about:config page.
You can create a new Boolean pref via the right-click context menu with the name browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite and set the value to false.

  • Use the Search (Filter) bar at the top of the about:config page to locate preferences more easily.
  • Preferences that have been modified show as bold (user set).
  • Preferences can be reset to the default via the right-click context menu if they are user set
  • Preferences can be changed via the right-click context menu: Modify (String or Integer) or Toggle (Boolean) or by double-clicking the line with the pref
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Worked thanks, but you only posted an comprehendable solution after my prompt; so i think its unfair you take all the credit.

However we are united in that we all want a stable, bug free; browser which doesn't need workarounds in the first case (I hope).

Modified by sgtsixpack

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I can confirm that this seems to fix this longstanding issue. I've been using Firefox 11 with this fix for the past couple days and haven't had any recurrences of the 'Save Image' folder roulette problem.

@cor-el: Thank you. I realize with as many solutions as you have that it may be difficult to remember that not everyone is an expert at (or is comfortable with) tinkering with Firefox settings. A step-by-step as soon as v11 came out would have been very helpful. I'm glad this finally got resolved. Thanks again.

@mozilla: This is something that should have automatically been fixed with the v11 upgrade. That Firefox users have to manually add something to Firefox about:config after upgrading to resolve this issue after so long a time is, in my opinion, inexcusable. If you're at the point where you think you know how people should use your products better than they do then it's time to get a job at Microsoft.

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I marked the last answer from 3 days ago by cor-el as the solution (type about:config in the location (address) bar and press the "Enter" key, ... create a new Boolean pref via the right-click context menu with the name browser.download.lastDir.savePerSite and set the value to false).

Note also, the previous post by cor-el: You may have the clear the "Site Preferences" via Clear Recent History to remove already stored download data.

Modified by AliceWyman

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@AliceWyman I'll be happy to mark it as resolved myself once I've verified it, and not until then.

Thanks.

Modified by macahi

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