Configure common Downloads folder or just sync?

[timconsidine]

Foggy head so interested in 'words of wisdom'.

I have a self-organisation problem ref my Downloads folder(s).
After 40 years, I've decided I should do something about it.

Stupidly (not showing off), I have 2 main desktops (6 in total) and 2 main laptops (4 in total).
Despite increasing use of self-hosted apps and Seafile, weak point is having the Downloads folder on on each machine in its conventional place.
[And 2 of the total are currently stuck in Kharkiv, Ukraine, so out of reach - tough for now, but if I'd bitten this issue earlier, it wouldn't matter. ]
I can almost guarantee that at least once per day I am on the 'wrong' machine for the file I need on a project.

For me Downloads is important because it is often the folder which contains items used in recent work or projects.

[I've tried the simplest approach : get organised. That's not me.]

Seems to me that either :

• I change the location of Downloads on each machine (and maybe multiple apps on each), OR
• I sync contents of each Downloads to an always accessible location.

Leaning towards second approach :

• no reconfiguring
• easy to reverse if needed
• BUT need to check that sync process works reliably

Just wondering if any words of wisdom, or simply how do others handle this issue.
Yeah, I know, stop buying toys !

TVM.

[BrutalBirdie]

@timconsidine my 'downloads' folder is on auto-clean aka. a /tmp/ mount.
The downloads folder does not survive a reboot.

If I don't move stuff out of there it must be not important.

[robi]

A looong time agooo there was a nasty virus that did nasty stuff in the default install dirs for a set of apps.

Since then, I've always changed where things are installed to non-default places, including the downloads and document folders.

So on every box, there's an incoming folder for all things, "In" and when that's sorted by date, you always have a good idea where things are chronologically.

Now if you create a share/mount/sync place where each machine's incoming folder is mapped, they're always all in one place if they're online.

If you're on Windows, there's a nice instant search tool called Everything, which can be useful for finding stuff instantly.

[ruihildt]

@BrutalBirdie That's brutal, and I like it!

[necrevistonnezr]

@robi said in Configure common Downloads folder or just sync?:

If you're on Windows, there's a nice instant search tool called Everything, which can be useful for finding stuff instantly.

Spotlight / Alfred (also with full text index) or Find any File on macOS

If you're on Windows and don't have Admin rights (work PC...) as required for Everything: Locate32 (also available in 64bit ) is your friend, works standalone, albeit with an index that (automatically) updates from time to time