NotchMindYou start a big download, switch to something else, and then wonder whether it’s done. Here’s every place your Mac shows download progress, so you can check without going back to the browser.
In the browser
- Safari: the downloads button in the toolbar fills up as files download. Click it to see each one.
- Chrome: the downloads icon at the top right shows progress; click it for the list.
- Firefox: the downloads arrow in the toolbar fills as it goes.
Useful, but only when the browser is in front.
In Finder
Open your Downloads folder while a file downloads. A Safari download shows a small progress bar on its icon. Other browsers show a temporary file whose name ends in .crdownload (Chrome) or .part (Firefox) until it finishes.
In the Dock
If you keep the Downloads folder in your Dock, its icon shows a progress bar while Safari downloads, and bounces when the download finishes.
In the notch
NotchMind, which I make, shows downloads in the MacBook notch. When a file downloads into your Downloads folder, from Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc or another browser, the notch fills as it goes, as a percentage or a ring. You see it whatever app you’re in, and when it’s done you can drag the file straight into the notch’s Tray to deal with later. See download progress in the notch.
Two limits: it watches your Downloads folder, so files saved elsewhere don’t show, and apps that download somewhere hidden and move the file at the end can’t be followed.
Quick answer
Glance at the Downloads stack in the Dock, or the download’s icon in Finder. Or, on a MacBook with a notch, let the notch show it.