The downloaded file is not appearing in the Downloads folder/Desktop

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Question: My recent downloads aren't appearing in my Downloads folder?

"When I download a file in Firefox, I can see that it's downloading, but when I go to my desktop, I can't find it after it's finished. It's also not in the Download folder. I know the file has downloaded because my computer shows that the space is being used. Where can I find my downloaded files? What is the default download location on Windows? Is there any way to get the file to show up in my Downloads folder?"

Many users have experienced the issue where downloaded files are nowhere to be found on their desktop or in the Downloads folder, with no notification of their whereabouts. So, how do you fix the problem of missing downloads on Windows 10 or Mac? In this article, you'll find some practical methods to address this issue.

Solutions for My Downloaded Content Not Displaying

Why isn't my download showing up on my desktop or in my Downloads folder? If you've lost track of a file you downloaded through your web browser, you can check your browser's settings to see where it's saving files by default.

Solving the Issue of Download Content Not Showing in Windows 10

If you can't find a downloaded file on your Windows 10 desktop, the quickest way to check your recent downloads is by pressing Ctrl+J on your keyboard in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera. This shortcut opens the downloads window, which displays your recently downloaded files, as shown in the image below. Click "Show in folder" to see the exact save location.

To change the default location, go to Settings > Downloads > Location > and tap Change to set a new one. The process is similar in other browsers.

The downloaded file isn't showing up on the desktop?

If the file actually downloaded to the desktop, but the downloaded file icon doesn't appear there, the immediate cause might be that your computer is set to hide icons.

1. Right-click and select "View."

2. Select "Show desktop icons."

3. Click Refresh to check for the downloaded file.

These three steps should quickly fix the issue, but if they don't, you can still find your missing download by going to Windows' “Downloads” folder: Press the Windows key, type Downloads, and press Enter.

Solving the Issue of Missing Downloads in the Download Folder on a Mac

Press ⌘+J to open the downloads panel in your browser and check for any downloaded files. You can also use this method on a Windows computer to change the default save location for a Mac browser.

To change the default save location for Safari:

Click the Settings icon > Preferences. Under the General tab, click Save downloaded files to to specify the target location.

If none of the above solutions work and your downloaded file is still missing, there's still one effective way to recover it with a Data Recovery Wizard tool.

Restored Downloaded File Not Showing on Windows 10/Mac

When you can't locate your downloaded files anywhere, the last resort is to use the Data Recovery Wizard tool. It's a versatile file recovery program that lets you easily restore hidden, deleted, formatted, or virus-infected documents, photos, audio, videos, and more.

Moreover, if the downloaded files are permanently deleted and not showing, this data recovery software also enables you to perform deleted file recovery on Windows 10 in three steps on both Windows and Mac computers.

Step 1. Run the Data Recovery Wizard. Select the drive where you lost your files and start the scan. This software lets you recover lost data from all devices, including HDD, SSD, USB drives, SD cards, flash drives, cameras, and more.

Select the location to scan

Step 2. Preview the complete scan results. You can select the file type you need by clicking the file type filter. The tool supports over 1000 file types such as photos, videos, documents, emails, audio files, and more.

Step 3: Preview the files you want to recover. Click “Recover” and set a location to save the recovered data.

More instructions on how to view downloaded files

Some users might not know how to locate their downloads on an Android phone or tablet, or on an iPad or iPhone. Here's how.

How do I view and open downloaded files on Android?

All downloaded files can be found in the “Files” or “My Files” app on your Android phone or tablet. The downloads are listed in chronological order. The “Files” or “My Files” app can be found in the app drawer. Open it, then tap “Downloads” to view your downloads on the device.

How do I find downloaded files on my iPhone?

Unlike on Android devices, downloaded files don't save or store to one specific location on your iPad or iPhone. Instead, they save to the respective app on your iPhone or iPad.

For example, downloaded images will be stored in the Photos app, synced music will save to the Music app, videos will be stored in the TV/Movies app, and so on. If you're not sure where a file is located, you can use a free iOS file manager to transfer, download, and organize files on your iPhone or iPad.