Local-first
Local-First Download Manager
Downloads Butler works locally in Chrome with no account, no cloud dashboard, no hosted download history, and exportable local settings.
Your download history does not need a cloud vacation.
Stays local in Chrome
Settings export/import for local backups
The problem
Download organization does not need to become another cloud account. A small local utility can do the job without sending your download history on a field trip.
How Downloads Butler handles it
- Downloads Butler uses Chrome extension APIs to handle download filenames and paths.
- Rules, settings, logs, sessions, and recent decisions are stored in Chrome local storage.
- Settings export/import can carry rules, defaults, sorting, renaming, session setup, and language between browser profiles.
- The extension does not require a Downloads Butler account or hosted dashboard.
What you control
- Turn the extension behavior on or off.
- Edit local rules and settings.
- Export or import local settings when you want a backup.
- Review local logs and diagnostics.
- Use Privacy and Support pages to understand permissions before installing.
Practical examples
- Use source-aware folders without uploading source history.
- Rename downloads locally before Chrome writes the final filename.
- Keep organization rules on the browser instead of in a cloud workspace.
Local note
This is the point: the meaningful product state stays local in Chrome storage.
Related
Other tidy drawers to open.
Log
Download Log
See recent download decisions, where files went, and why Downloads Butler handled them that way.
Sorting
Download Sorting
Choose where Chrome downloads should land by group, exact type, website/source, or your preferred order, with source detection kept separate from file type.
Source-aware
Source-Aware Folders
Group downloads by where they came from, even when Chrome gives incomplete metadata or the file type itself is not special.