Ubuntu
firefox package

How to (re)set the default YouTube download folder in Firefox

Asked by Gordon Oulsnam

Environment: Ubuntu 10,04 fully updated, using Firefox to download YouTube videos.

For a long time YouTube videos which were downloaded via Firefox appeared, albeit temporarily, in /tmp. However, they no longer do so, and I have been unable to locate where they go now. I have set and exported TMPDIR to /tmp/ in .bashrc to no avail. I have looked in the cache directories associated with .mozilla in my home directory (while the videos were downloading and playing), again to no avail. I have tried looking for them across the file system using the 'find' utility in a similar fashion.

Questions: 1. How can I (re)set /tmp as the download folder for YouTube videos in Firefox?
                        ( I know how to set the default folder for all other files.)

                   2. How can I determine where Firefox is putting the videos now?

Granted I can get the videos to a location of my choice using youtube-dll, but getting them automatically in /tmp was often more convenient.

Any help would be much appreciated!

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Gordon Oulsnam
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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#1

Why not just skip the runaround and use youtube-dl ?

Much easier, there are also add-ons for your browser which will do the same. Why not make your life easier.....

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Michelle Walker (milore55) said : 		#2

When you updated you recieved a new Flash version whioch changed the location of the tmp files. I had the same problem. Here's where they are:
It's not directly found under filesystem.
The directory ".mozilla/firefox/userprofile/cache" is located in your home directory.

Open your Home directory, toggle hidden files and folders using Ctrl+H;
Scroll down until you find a directory named ".mozilla";
Double-click on it and you will see "firefox";
Double-click on it and you will see random "xxxxxxxx.default" directory; this is your userprofile directory.
Double-click on it and you will finally see "cache" directory.

Your tmp files are there.

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marcus aurelius (adbiz) said : 		#3

download the firefox add-on called video downloadhelper. you can download vids from 100s of different websites and you can save them anywhere you want.

Revision history for this message
Gordon Oulsnam (aeschylusjp) said : 		#4

Firstly, thank you to everyone for your replies.

actionparsnip, yes, I do now use youtube-dll, as I commented in my question, and it works fine, but, I actually preferred to capture the video in /tmp - just a matter of personal preference really.

Michelle: I navigated down to cache directory exactly as you described and left the panel open while I initiated a YouTube video download, hoping to see the file appear there in the manner that it used to do in /tmp. In fact no such file did appear. For the record there were four files in directory: _CACHE_MAP_, and _CACHE_001_, ... 003_, all dated 03 Jan 2011 both in respect of access and modification. but nothing else. I was interested to note your comment that the loss of the /tmp directory was due to a Flash update. I had wondered if it was change initiated by YouTube, but your comment explains where the change occurred.

Marcus: Yes, thank you for that suggestion, I'll give it a try.

Finally, thank you all again for taking the time and trouble to reply, and I'm happy to let the
matter now rest at that.

Regards to you all.