If you want your downloads to be more visible and accessible, an add-on called Download Status Bar might be a good solution. The add-on places a preview of all downloads on the browser’s status bar (located at the bottom), with added controls of pausing, resuming, canceling or clearing a current download. After installing the add-on, all downloads will appear on the status bar, and you only need to hover your mouse over each download to see its downloading progress and other information.You will also notice the Downloads button on the far left corner, and this gives more options such as cancelling all downloads or opening the Downloads tab.
Each file download is shown on the status bar, and a green bar indicates the download progress. Hovering the mouse over each file will show you the file name, download source, target (where it will be saved in your hard drive), average download speed, progress, download time, file size and MD5 hash.
Right-clicking on the file download, on the other hand, gives you actionable options. If the download is not complete, you get a Cancel and Pause button. Other options like include a virus scan or showing where the file is being saved on your hard drive.
You can also set a default action after a download is completed. These options are found in the Options page from the Downloads button. Here, you can choose to clear completed downloads when closing Firefox, or open the Downloads tab after a download is completed, among many other choices. If you want audio notifications for completed downloads, you can set it up in this same page, under Notification. You can choose a sound file, or go with the default one that comes with the add-on.
Another handy feature is being able to automatically run a virus scan for completed downloads. Under Virus Scan, you can point to your computer’s AntiVirus program and tick the box beside “Automatically Scan Downloaded Files”. You can specify file types to be exempt from this rule, and you’ll need to list them beside the field “Disable scan for these file types”. Lastly, you can change the appearance of the file downloads by going the the Appearance tab of the Options dialog box. Here, you can set different colors for the download progress bar. You can even assign a color for certain download speeds.
This add-on is great for keeping track of multiple downloads and getting information about them in one click. Although the old method seemed workable, this one is a more efficient way to manage your downloads. It cuts down on clicking time, and takes out the guesswork on download progress and other pertinent information you want to see right away.
