Where are my downloads on a Mac?
Downloads go to the Downloads folder in your home folder. How to open it, bring it back to the sidebar or Dock, and find files an app saved elsewhere.
Downloads go to the Downloads folder in your home folder: ~/Downloads, which is /Users/your-name/Downloads. In Finder, click Downloads in the sidebar or press ⌥⌘L. It is also the stack next to the Trash in the Dock. If a file is not there, the app that downloaded it saves somewhere else: check its settings below.
Four ways to open Downloads
- Finder sidebar: click Downloads.
- Keyboard: in Finder, press ⌥⌘L (Go > Downloads).
- Spotlight: press ⌘Space, type
downloads, press Return. - Terminal:
open ~/Downloads.
To find one file you just downloaded, open Downloads in list view (⌘2), show the Date Added column with ⌘J, and sort by it: the newest file is at the top.
Free toolWhat's in your Downloads folder?See its files by type, size and age in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.Downloads is missing from the sidebar or the Dock
The folder is still there; only the shortcut to it is gone.
- Sidebar: Finder > Settings (⌘,) > Sidebar, tick Downloads.
- Dock: press ⇧⌘H to open your home folder, and drag Downloads to the right side of the Dock, next to the Trash. Control-click the new icon to choose Folder or Stack, and to sort it by Date Added.
If the Downloads folder itself is gone from your home folder, create a folder named exactly Downloads there. macOS usually gives it back its special icon after you log out and back in.
The file is not in Downloads
Each app decides where its downloads go. Check the one you used:
| App | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Safari | Settings > General > File download location. It can be iCloud Drive’s Downloads folder, or “Ask for each download”. |
| Chrome | Settings > Downloads > Location, and whether “Ask where to save each file” is on. |
| Firefox | Settings > General > Files and Applications > Save files to. |
| Mail > Settings > General > Downloads folder. | |
| AirDrop | always Downloads. |
| Messages | attachments stay in Messages until you drag them out; Control-click one and choose Show in Finder. |
In Safari, click the download arrow in the toolbar, then the magnifying glass next to a file to jump to it in Finder. In Chrome, open the downloads list with ⌥⌘L and choose Show in Finder.
Find a download anywhere
If you remember part of the name, press ⌘F in a Finder window, choose This Mac, and type it. Add the rule Where from (in Other…) to search by the website the file came from: Where from contains amazon.com.
Keep Downloads easy to search
A download gets lost when the folder holds years of them. Three habits keep it short:
- Sort by Date Added so the newest file is always on top.
- Move what you keep the same day: a signed PDF to Documents, a photo to Pictures. See how to organize files on a Mac.
- Empty it monthly. The steps, and the automatic options, are in how to delete downloads on a Mac.
The one-click version
DeclutrDeclutr sorts Downloads, the Desktop or any folder into category folders by file type: Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Archives, Apps, Code & Scripts, 3D Models and more. One Undo button puts every file back where it was. The sort is free; Pro, a one-time $8.99 purchase in the US, watches Downloads and sorts each new file as it lands.
What it does not do: it doesn’t change where your browser saves files, and it doesn’t delete anything. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Questions people ask
Where do I find my Downloads folder on a Mac?
In Finder, click Downloads in the sidebar, or press Option-Command-L. The folder is in your home folder, at ~/Downloads, which is /Users/your-name/Downloads.
Why did Downloads disappear from my Finder sidebar?
It was removed from the sidebar, not deleted. Open Finder > Settings > Sidebar and tick Downloads, or drag the Downloads folder from your home folder back into the sidebar.
How do I get the Downloads folder back in the Dock?
Open your home folder in Finder (Shift-Command-H) and drag the Downloads folder to the right side of the Dock, next to the Trash. Control-click it to choose between a stack and a folder view.
Where do Mail attachments go on a Mac?
Attachments you save go to the Downloads folder by default (Mail > Settings > General > Downloads folder). Attachments you only open in Mail are cached in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail Downloads.