Where to find downloaded files using your web browsers ?

It sometimes happens to download files from the web and not knowing in which folder these downloads were stored on his computer.

But where have the files I just downloaded gone? I am often asked.
The answer is simple: they are exactly where you asked your web browser to save them!

You will find below the tricks to find your downloads in the various Internet browsers and possibly change the default folder where your downloads are stored.

Find my downloaded files on Google Chrome

When a file is downloaded with Google Chrome, the downloads bar opens at the bottom of your browser window and displays the progress of the download.
Just click on the Show all , link at the far right of the download bar to display the folder where downloads are saved in Google Chrome.

To change the default folder where downloaded files are saved, just click on the Google Chrome menu (the 3 horizontal lines at the top right of the browser) then click on Settings then Show advanced settings then in the Downloads section, click on Change and then select the folder where you want to save the files downloaded from Google Chrome.

Find my downloaded files on Mozilla FireFox

In the Mozilla Firefox browser, you can access its downloaded files by clicking on the downloads button (represented by an arrow pointing downwards) located at the top right of the Firefox search field.

By pressing this button, a list of downloaded files appears and it is possible to open the folder containing them by clicking on the icon representing a folder to the right of the file.

To change the location of the folder for files downloaded in Mozilla Firefox, go to the Firefox menu (represented by three horizontal lines at the top right of the browser) then click on Options .
In the Files and Applications section, simply select the desired folder by clicking on the Browse button.

Find my downloaded files on Internet Explorer 11

Files downloaded in Internet Explorer 11 are normally stored in the Downloads folder.

It is also possible to view the downloaded files by clicking on the tools button and then on View downloads.

Right click on the downloaded file and choose Open container folder, this will open the folder in which the downloaded file is stored.

Find my downloaded files on Safari (MacOS)

To find your downloaded files on Safari browser, click Go from the menu bar and select Downloads. The downloads folder should also be visible in your Home folder.

To change the default location, click on the wheel (Safari general settings menu) then on Preferences.

In the tab opened by default (General tab), use the option File download location to change to the new location folder.

Find my downloaded files on Opera

To display the default folder for downloads in Opera, click the Opera menu in the upper left then Settings > Preferences.

In the Advanced tab choose Downloads section in the left sidebar.

To change the default location for downloads, click on Choose button and make your selection.

Find my downloaded files on Microsoft Edge

For Microsoft Edge, you must first click on the Hub (represented by three horizontal lines). Then on the Downloads icon (represented by an arrow pointing down and a horizontal line) and finally click on Open folder.

Microsoft Edge has the distinction of always downloading the files in the Downloads folder. It is entirely possible to move the location of this folder on your hard drive, but not to change the default location.

Find my downloaded files on Android

It is rather simple to find a downloaded file in Android, most of the time the downloaded files are stored in the Download folder.

There is most often a Downloads icon on the desktop of an Android terminal (appearance and location vary depending on Android versions and brands of smartphone or tablet).

You can also use the file explorer offered by Android to access your downloads folder, there is most of the time a shortcut that allows you to go quickly to this folder.

Find my downloaded files on IOS

The situation is different under devices running iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod) since iOS does not currently have file explorer (iOS 10.3.3).
There is therefore no Downloads folder as in Android, a downloaded file is directly opened by the application that manages the downloaded file.

Thus, a downloaded pdf file will be opened directly by default by iBooks (it is however possible to open this file with a third-party application).

Likewise, downloaded photos will be found by default in the Photos app of iOS.

However, since the arrival of iOS 11 in September 2017, the operating system for iPhone and iPad now has (finally!) A file management utility, simply named Files.

It is far from perfect because it does not offer access to all of the data on the device under iOS but it allows access to the file on your iPad or iPhone but also to its files stored in the cloud via Google Drive, iCloud, DropbBox etc…

If you are looking for your downloaded files, take a look at this app, it will be the best way to access it!