Skip to main content

How to find downloaded files on an iPhone or Android phone

Download folder
Pexels/Lisa Fotio

Believe it or not, finding files you’ve downloaded on your iPhone or Android phone can be tougher than you think. Even the best smartphones can quickly become a handheld electronic briefcase. Along with the apps you need to get you through your day, it’s packed with photos, videos, files, and other media. While it’s all too easy to download a photo or a restaurant menu to your mobile device, when it comes to actually finding where downloads reside on your phone, the opposite is true. It can be difficult to find a particular file amid heaps of other folders.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • iPhone or Android smartphone

Worry not! In this guide, we’ll explain where to find downloaded files on iPhones and Android phones, including Google Pixel and Samsung devices. We’ll show you where to look to find your downloaded media and what to do to access the files.

How to find downloaded files on an iPhone

If you own an iPhone, go to the Files app to find your downloads. Files can be used to store everything from photos to saved GarageBand songs. If you’ve downloaded something in the past, you’re almost certain to find it there. Here’s how:

Step 1: On the home screen, tap Files.

Step 2: It will probably show you a range of folders. Select Browse to get a better look at your files and locations.

Step 3: Within Browse you’ll see several options listed under Locations.

Step 4: Tap iCloud Drive.

Step 5: Tap Downloads on the following screen.

If you're using a browser other than the iPhone's default Safari, it may save elsewhere. If that's the case for you, head back to Browse then select on my iPhone > Browser name. You should find your downloads there. If you're trying to find an image, it's most likely in your Photos app.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, you can tap the search bar and enter the name of your downloaded file. If you can’t remember the exact name, you can type the first few letters, which prompts the app to suggest likely candidates.

How to find downloaded files on Android phones

Finding your downloads on Android phones will follow a general set of steps, with some names or locations changed slightly. Try these steps first, or continue on for specific instructions for Samsung and Google Pixel phones if you're still having trouble.

Step 1: Open your App drawer.

Step 2: Open the file manager on your phone, which will be named something along the lines of Downloads, File manager, or My files.

Step 3: Select the Downloads file folder.

If you can’t see your Downloads, first navigate to Internal storage, and then you will be able to access the appropriate folder. You can also use the search bar to quickly bring up the file you’re looking for or check to see if you accidentally sorted it into another folder.

How to find downloaded files on Samsung phones

For Samsung smartphones, the same principle applies — but slightly different names are used.

Step 1: Open the app drawer and either tap the My Files icon or open the Samsung folder and access it from there (depending on the phone).

Step 2: Under Categories, tap Downloads.

Step 3: The My Files app provides other categories as well that separate files into types: Images, Videos, Audio, Documents and Installation files. Check these categories if you can’t find your file(s) using the Downloads category. You can also use the Search field on the app drawer to locate a specific download.

How to find downloaded files on Google Pixel phones

These steps apply to Google’s Files app that can be used on any Android phone. So, if you don't like the manufacturer's files app, then you can download Google's Files app and use that instead.

Step 1: Open the app drawer and tap the Files app.

Step 2: Select Browse if it isn't already open, and then choose the Downloads section.

Step 3: On the Downloads screen, you can switch between Thumbnail and List views. Next to this button is a three-dot More icon presenting a drop-down menu with Sort by and Select all options.

Step 4: In online forums, a small minority of Google Pixel owners have reported an inability to find downloaded photos or files in the Files app. Usually, this is the result of a permissions problem stemming from using the Google app to download images.

Step 5: To solve it, go to Settings > Apps > Files by Google > Permissions.

Step 6: Next, make sure Photos and videos permission is switched on. If it isn’t, downloaded files will continue to be sent to a separate system directory.

Don’t forget to check for downloads in third-party apps

Downloading files from an app might mean that the files are saved to that app’s home folder instead of to the Downloads folder. Netflix is a frequent example of this.

Step 1: To find Netflix downloads, open the Netflix app.

Step 2: Tap the Downloads button in the bottom-right corner. Tap the highlighted button and then Delete download to remove a Netflix download.

This could also apply to other apps on your iPhone or Android device. If you used a particular app to download a specific file, try checking within that application to access the file. This should be the method you try if you can’t find the file in the standard download folder as well.

Simon Chandler
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Simon Chandler is a journalist based in London, UK. He covers technology and finance, contributing to such titles as Digital…
Five reasons I’m excited for the new Google Pixel 9a
Person holds Pixel 9a in hand while sitting in a car.

Google has consistently ranked among the best smartphones for its affordable devices over the past six years, particularly with its Pixel A series. The Pixel 3a set the trend for major phone manufacturers to provide a compelling experience at half the price of flagship models, intensifying competition in this segment.

In the last three months, we’ve seen Samsung introduce the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, which deliver features from the Galaxy S25 series at a significantly lower price point. Then there’s Apple, which entered the market with the iPhone 16e, priced considerably higher than its rivals. Additionally, Nothing offers the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, arguably the best phones available at $379 and $459, respectively.

Read more
Join this Boost Mobile giveaway for the chance to win an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and free service
boost mobile apple iphone 16 pro max giveaway march 2025 dt

Boost Mobile launched a giveaway for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, with the winner also receiving a one-year plan with access to the service's 5G network. The giveaway runs from March 31 to April 30, so you have to hurry if you don't want to miss this chance to get Apple's latest flagship smartphone for free.

There's only going to be one winner for this Boost Mobile giveaway, but even though the odds aren't in your favor, there's no reason not to join. Send your entry right now so you don't forget, and good luck!
How to enter
Enter here to win an iPhone 16 and One Year Boost Mobile Service

Read more
The iPhone 16e made me face a hard truth about mobile cameras
OuttaFocus: The iPhone 16e made me face a hard truth about mobile cameras.

I’ve spent a few days taking photos with the Apple iPhone 16e, which has a single camera on the back. One, solitary lens on the back of a current smartphone makes it look rather old school, and somewhat under equipped next to the multi-lens competition. But instead of feeling short changed by the iPhone 16e, it made me face a hard truth. I don’t need a wide-angle camera on my phone as much as I think I do.
One camera is better?

Wide-angle cameras have been a staple addition on smartphones since the days of the LG G5. Most have a 120-degree field of view, allowing us to capture photos of vistas to help convey scale in a way cameras with a narrower field of view cannot. It’s normal and accepted to have a “0.6x” mode in the camera app, and to not see it as an option on the iPhone 16e was quite jarring at first.

Read more