Simple Mass Downloader: Download All Links and Images in Chrome
Simple Mass Downloader is a free batch download extension for Google Chrome that collects links and images from the current page, from all open tabs, from selected text or from the clipboard, lets you filter and rename them, and downloads the selection in one go. It is still maintained on the Chrome Web Store (version 0.906, Manifest V3), while the Firefox add-on has had no new release since November 2018 apart from a re-signed build in April 2024.
This guide covers what the extension does, how to install and set it up, how to download all links on a page, how it compares across Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and its limits.
What Simple Mass Downloader does
Simple Mass Downloader is a download manager that lives in the Chrome toolbar and turns any set of links into a filtered, renamed batch download. The developer, George Prec, describes it as a batch download manager, and it was inspired by the classic DownThemAll extension for Firefox.
According to the Chrome Web Store listing, the extension handles these jobs:
- Collect links and images from web pages, selected text, open tabs, the clipboard, local files or generated URL patterns.
- Filter the list by URL, text, file type, category, image size, width or height.
- Rename files in bulk with name masks.
- Save files to Favorite Folders or to Automatic Folders that follow rules you set.
- Control downloads with pause, resume, retry, cancel, per-server limits and a sequential mode.
- Export selected links to an external download manager.
Typical uses are saving every image of a gallery, grabbing all PDFs or MP3 files linked from a page, or collecting the same file type from a dozen tabs at once.
How to install and set up the extension
Simple Mass Downloader installs from the Chrome Web Store in a few clicks, but one Chrome setting should be changed first. If Chrome asks where to save each file, every item in a batch opens its own Save As dialog, which defeats the purpose of mass downloading.
- Open the Simple Mass Downloader page in the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome.
- Pin the extension icon to the toolbar from the puzzle-piece Extensions menu.
- Open the Chrome menu (three dots), then Settings, then Downloads.
- Turn off "Ask where to save each file before downloading" (Google's download settings help shows the same path).
- Open the extension options and add your favorite download folders and any automatic folder rules, for example an images folder for all JPG and PNG files.
Custom folders are created inside Chrome's default download directory, so set that location in the same Downloads settings page if you want batches to land on another drive.
How to download all links on a page in Chrome
Simple Mass Downloader downloads all links on a page in Chrome by loading the page's links into a list, filtering that list and sending the selection to the download queue.
- Open the page that holds the files and click the Simple Mass Downloader icon.
- Choose to load the links of the current page, or collect links from open tabs.
- Type a file extension such as pdf, jpg or mp3 into the filter field to narrow the list, or filter by text or URL.
- For images, switch to the thumbnail view to see previews and dimensions, then filter by width or height to skip icons and small thumbnails.
- Tick the files you want, apply a rename mask if needed, pick a destination folder and start the download.
Downloads can be paused, resumed or retried, and the per-server limit keeps a batch from hammering a single site.
Simple Mass Downloader on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera
Simple Mass Downloader is actively maintained only for Chrome; the Firefox version still works but is effectively frozen. The table sums up the state of the two official listings.
| Detail | Chrome Web Store | Firefox Add-ons |
|---|---|---|
| Latest version | 0.906 (August 10, 2026) | 0.802resigned1 (April 25, 2024); previous release 0.801 (November 2018) |
| Users and rating | About 100,000 users, 4.4 of 5 | About 10,500 users, 4.5 of 5 |
| Platform | Manifest V3 | WebExtension, Firefox 59 and later |
Microsoft Edge can install the Chrome version once "Allow extensions from other stores" is enabled, as described in Microsoft's Edge extensions help. Other Chromium browsers such as Opera and Vivaldi can usually install Chrome Web Store extensions too. Firefox users who want an actively developed alternative can look at DownThemAll!, which returned as a WebExtension in 2019.
Limitations, permissions and privacy
Simple Mass Downloader cannot download streaming or embedded video, and it may miss links that a page creates with JavaScript only after you scroll or click. Image-heavy sites that link thumbnails to HTML pages instead of the full image files can also produce small images; when ghacks first tested the extension in 2019, this happened on Reddit, Google Images and Imgur, while other sites delivered full resolution files.
The Chrome version requests tab, download, clipboard read, context menu, storage and scripting permissions plus access to all sites, which a link collector needs to read pages and save files. The developer discloses on the store listing that the extension will not collect or use your data. On Firefox, the add-on does not work in private windows, and the developer still labels it early development software that is mainly tested on Windows.
Before running a large batch, check that you have the right to download the files and that the site's terms allow bulk downloading.
FAQ
Is Simple Mass Downloader free?
Yes. The extension is free on both the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons, and the Firefox version is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Can Simple Mass Downloader send links to another download manager?
Yes. Selected links can be exported to external download managers, which is useful for very large files or for downloaders with resume and segmenting features.
Why does Chrome open a Save As dialog for every file?
Chrome's "Ask where to save each file before downloading" setting is turned on. Turn it off under Settings, Downloads, and the batch downloads straight into your chosen folders.
Related: Bulk Image Downloader for full resolution galleries, Neat Download Manager with media grabbing, the best Chrome extensions
Was a great extension until it mysteriously started adding my downloads to a “queue” instead of downloading them, which does absolutely nothing for me.
BEST EXTENSION, THANKS FOR SHARE
Heartfelt thanks for introducing the SMD. It’s eased my cyber life greatly! If not for your introduction, SMD would be obscured for unknown reasons why it has been buried deep inside Chrome extension store, never found when I browsed for something like it.
If it offers an option to download in zip pack, eg the lesser Download All Images which appeared in browsing the Chrome extension store, then it deserves a 6-star rating!
You’ve made may day, and my cyber life!
I tried SMD but I no like. Still. SMD is likely as good as it gets with these modern browsers now. Regardless, I’ll keep using DownThemAll! in Basilisk in a sandbox for as long as I can.. That said, I think Firefox (or whomever) should put all the features of DTA into their browser.
It’s funny because I just found this extension a couple weeks ago before this article was posted.
The extension works great and can even “sniff” out videos from streaming sites. The only downside, is that this extension takes over any downloads from Chrome, even if you didn’t click the extension!
To be fair, this isn’t exclusive to this extension, I’ve noticed the same behavior with other download-based extensions for Chrome, but I do wish there was a way to stop it from doing that…
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/simple-mass-downloader/
for Firefox
https://addons.cdn.mozilla.net/user-media/previews/thumbs/114/114384.png?modified=1543519744
^ but it wasn’t only for Tumblr…
Yay, I always wanted something like DTA currently supported. Even better, for Chromium. I’ll give it a try!
There used to be an ext called something like “picture (or image) downloader professional (or pro)” – can’t find it anymore – it had the best solution: One collected images through context menu sending them to the ext’s “gallery” – full tab feature with many features & functionality.
Similar to the “dash” of ext reviewed on this page – but full tab with lot’sa functionality..
Still waiting for a DownThemAll replacement for Firefox
Not doable with WebExtensions APIs. Basilisk is your friend.
The author said there won’t be any replacement for DTA. There will be DTA Lite but it’s almost 2 years since we last heard of it
This worked on almost all of the sites – and still does – but apparently this version isn’t under active dev anymore (the dev was in progress to create new enhanced ext)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/image-downloader/cnpniohnfphhjihaiiggeabnkjhpaldj
So the future is for “simple mass downloader” – the devs are probably working site compatibility issues.
Simple Mass Downloader also adds context-menu-entry for such as images. Use Imagus
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/imagus/immpkjjlgappgfkkfieppnmlhakdmaab?hl=en
to pop large img version up and then right click it to Simple Mass DL’er.
https://github.com/MalloyDelacroix/DownloaderForReddit
[NOTE] U can use this to make updated/new article.