Msdownld.tmp: What is this folder and how can I remove it?

Are you wondering why you see msdownld.tmp in one of your drive or multiple drives? Don’t worry, this hidden folder is not harmful to your PC.

The msdownld.tmp folder is a temporary folder used by the Internet Explorer 6 installer. The setup process does not remove it after Internet Explorer has been installed due to Microsoft glitches.

However, the content of the msdownld.tmp is empty meaning that it is harmless.

We have compiled 5 methods which can be used to remove msdownld.tmp from your Windows 10 PC.

How to delete the msdownld.tmp folder

1. Update Internet Explorer
2. Delete msdownld.tmp folder
3. Use CCleaner
4. Run SFC Scan
5. Run Disk Cleanup

As you can see from this list, we’re going to focus on two main methods: manually deleting the respective folder and using a third-party software or some of Windows 10 built-in tools to remove it.

1. Update Internet Explorer

The msdownld.tmp problem occurs because of the installation of Internet Explorer 6; however, this is an older IE version.

Consider updating your Internet Explorer web browser using Microsoft update which you can download here.

Also, you may completely uninstall Internet Explorer 6 using IObit Uninstaller here and then install a fresh copy of Internet Explorer web browser.

2. Delete the msdownld.tmp folder

The msdownld.tmp folder cannot be easily viewed on your Windows PC because it belongs to the category of hidden files.

However, in order to delete the folder, you need to enable hidden files to be viewable and delete msdownld.tmp folder afterwards. Here’s how to do this:

1. Go to Start > Computer
2. For Windows 10, click “View” and then check “Hidden items”. For Windows 7, click “Organize” at the upper-left region and select “Folders and Search Options”.
3. Click on the “View” tab, select “Show hidden files, folders and drives” and then uncheck “Hide file extensions for known file types”.
4. Hence, click Apply and then select “OK”.
5. Now, type “msdownld.tmp” without quotes in the search bar (located on the top right corner)
6. Right-click on the “tmp” folder and select “Delete”. Follow the prompts to delete the msdownld.tmp folders.

Read Also : How to fix Internet Explorer 11 res://aaResources.dll/104 error

3. Use CCleaner

CCleaner is a Windows utility program which can remove fix system files, remove temporary files and folders. You may need to download CCleaner on your Windows PC so as to remove the msdownld.tmp folder. F

ollow these steps to install and use CCleaner:

1. Download CCleaner free version   or  Download CCleaner Pro version
2. Install and follow the prompts to complete the installation.
3. After installation, launch CCleaner, and then click on “Analyze” option.
4. After CCleaner has finished scanning, click on “Run Cleaner”. Follow the prompts to enable CCleaner delete the temporary files.

You can also use other third-party registry cleaners. For more information on the best registry cleaners to install, check out this list.

4. Running System File Check Scan

Another way by which you can remove the msdownld.tmp temporary folder is by running system file check. SFC can be used to scan, check and remove temporary files.

To run a SFC scan on your Windows PC, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Start menu and type “cmd” without quote. Right click on the Command Prompt icon and click on ‘Run as Administrator’. Click “yes” to accept the UAC prompt.
2. Also, in the cmd prompt, type “sfc” without quotes and hit the “Enter” key.
3. Now, type “/scannow” without quotes and hit the “Enter” key.
4. Finally, restart your Windows PC and try launching the application again.

5. Run Disk Cleanup

In addition, you can also run disk cleanup on your Windows PC to fix the temporary folder problem. Disk Cleanup is a Windows utility program which reduces the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space.

It also removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and remove unwanted of system files. Here’s how to run Disk Cleanup:

1. Go to Start > Type Disk Cleanup and hit “Enter”.
2. Wait for Disk cleanup to scan your drive(s).
3. After the scanning, check the “Temporary files” box, and then click on “OK” to delete.
4. Select “delete files” to proceed.

In conclusion, these are the fixes which can be used to delete the msdownld.tmp folder on your Windows PC. However, you can run Windows Update on your PC as an ultimate fix for the problem.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been since updated for freshness, and accuracy.