How to Find Downloaded Files on an iPhone

Safari saves downloads to a Downloads folder inside the Files app, not to the Home Screen. Here is where to look, and how to move the folder somewhere else.

Open the Files app and go to Downloads

Open Files. If it is not on the Home Screen, swipe down on the Home Screen and search for it. Tap Browse at the bottom, then iCloud Drive or On My iPhone, and open the Downloads folder. Safari uses iCloud Drive when iCloud Drive is turned on, and On My iPhone when it is not.

Check the downloads list in Safari

While a download runs, and for a while afterward, a down arrow inside a circle appears in the Safari address bar. Tap it to see recent downloads. Tap a file to open it, or tap the magnifying glass next to it to jump to the file in Files. The list clears itself after a day by default, so the icon may be gone if the download was earlier.

Change where downloads go

Open Settings, Apps, Safari, Downloads (on iOS 17 and earlier, Settings, Safari, Downloads). Choose iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or Other to pick any folder. The setting affects new downloads only; files already downloaded stay where they are. The same screen has Remove Download List Items, which controls how long the Safari list keeps entries.

Look in Photos for saved images

Images saved from a web page with Save to Photos (or Add to Photos from the share sheet) go to the Photos app, not to Files. Open Photos and the image appears at the end of the library with today's date. An image goes to Files only if you chose Download Linked File or Save to Files.

Save Mail attachments to Files

Tapping an attachment in Mail previews it without saving it anywhere you can browse. To keep a copy, tap and hold the attachment, tap Save to Files, pick a folder, and tap Save. It then appears in Files under that folder, not under Downloads.

If you know the file name. Open Files, tap Browse, and type the name in the search field at the top. Search covers iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, and any connected cloud services.

If you just downloaded it. Tap Recents at the bottom of Files. Files are sorted with the newest first, so a download from the last few minutes sits at the top.