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Copy downloaded URLs

implicitnone
implicitnone
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Sometimes I want to copy several or all URLs after downloading with Firefox. Usually, I select in the Download window, then copy/paste in a text editor. In recent version of Firefox (since 52 I believe, now I have the 53.0.3), on Windows, it's not possible to copy more than one link at a time. If I select more, it doesn't copy anything.

There is a (not very good) workaround: go to the History, copy the links (here I can copy several links at a time), then paste. But the file URLs are mixed with page URLs, and I need to filter what I want to keep afterwards.

Is the new behaviour of the download window a feature, or a bug? Is there a simple way to get back the previous behaviour (copy as many as I want)?

Sometimes I want to copy several or all URLs after downloading with Firefox. Usually, I select in the Download window, then copy/paste in a text editor. In recent version of Firefox (since 52 I believe, now I have the 53.0.3), on Windows, it's not possible to copy more than one link at a time. If I select more, it doesn't copy anything. There is a (not very good) workaround: go to the History, copy the links (here I can copy several links at a time), then paste. But the file URLs are mixed with page URLs, and I need to filter what I want to keep afterwards. Is the new behaviour of the download window a feature, or a bug? Is there a simple way to get back the previous behaviour (copy as many as I want)?

All Replies (3)

FredMcD
FredMcD
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First, copy the links into a 'Word' type program. This way they can be flagged by word as links.

I think links can only be copied one at a time. But I use this so I have no problem;

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/copy-as-plain-text/ Copy As Plain Text Removes formatting from copied text.

John99
John99
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Maybe it helps if you give an example of a couple of public files you download.

What is it you are trying to copy the URL of the internet resource you obtained the download from, or the link to the file that is on your computer after the download ?

implicitnone
implicitnone Question owner
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@John99

Let's say I download some PDF files on a web page (the problem happens with _any_ file). I want to copy the URLs. There is nothing special about the URLs (no redirection, no nothing). Before a recent version of Firefox, I went to Tools->Downloads, selected links in the windows, copied to Notepad++, and that's all.

With recent versions, it does not copy anything if I select more than one link : nothing with Ctrl-C, and the "copy" menu is grayed in the popup that shows when I right click in the download window.

Any example will do, just download some stuff on the W3C for instance, or the sources of Firefox. Any site, any kind of file.

I only tested this on Windows 7. Firefox may have a different behaviour on another OS.

Also, as I explained in my first post, I can copy any number of links from the History. But then, file URLs are mixed with web pages URLs.

@FredMcD It's not about recognizing URLs as links, I just want to put them in a text file anyway. It's about copying them. I didn't try an addon, but it's a feature that was previously available without an addon.