You can download files on your iPhone and iPad just like on a ‘normal’ computer. You do this via Safari. It is possible to download all kinds of files that you can always find later to use or forward. There are some options regarding viewing downloads on your iPhone. We explain it!
View Downloads in Safari for iPhone
Viewing your downloads in Safari is super easy. After downloading a file, just tap the downloads icon in the upper right corner. The button is located on the left side of the address bar (either at the top or bottom) and looks the same as it does on a Mac. Tapping it will show you the files with a small preview. You can tap the file to open it. Don’t see the button? Tap the aA button and then tap Downloads.
Is your list of recent downloads empty? Don’t panic: everything you downloaded hasn’t been automatically deleted. This list is purely to show your recent downloads in an overview. You can still find everything in the Files app. You can read more about that later in this tip.
There is a way to set your preferences for the Recent Downloads list. You may want to keep the list until you delete something yourself, but you may also want to see it disappear as soon as possible. Especially if you have a smaller iPhone, you may find the button annoying. You can find the settings here:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap the Safari menu.
- Select Downloads and then select Remove items from download list.
- Please indicate your preference.
If you have indicated that you want to have the downloads automatically deleted after one day, you can still delete them yourself if you want. This option is more intended for people who do not want to worry about that list.
View downloads and adjust download location in the Files app
The Files app for iPhone has become a very useful built-in app. It allows you to find your downloads, even when the list in Safari is empty. From here it is easy to open, share or move files to another folder. By default, the downloads folder is synced with iCloud so that you can also access it on other devices. We explain how to get here and how to adjust the download location.
- View Downloads
- Adjust map
View Downloads
There are two ways to get to the folder where your downloads are stored. The first way is to tap the magnifying glass next to the file in the download list in Safari. This only works if the file is still there. If it isn’t, follow the steps below. We assume you haven’t manually changed the download location.
- Open the Files app and tap the Browse tab at the bottom right.
- Tap iCloud Drive at the top of the list. You can also recognize this by the blue cloud.
- In this folder, find Downloads and tap it.
From here you can open, share and move files. You can also delete them of course. To perform any of these tasks, press and hold your finger on the file. You will see a list of options.
Adjust download location
Don’t want all your downloads to end up in iCloud? Then you can customize the folder. You do this via these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap the Safari menu.
- Select Downloads and select On My iPhone.
- Optionally, select a more specific folder by tapping Other… and choosing or creating a folder.
By not saving your downloads to iCloud, you ensure that your iCloud storage space is saved. It does mean that that space is taken from your iPhone storage capacity. So one way or another, you are losing storage somewhere. If you save a file to iCloud, it is deleted from your iPhone. The file is then downloaded as soon as you tap on it.
Did you know that you can set folders in the Files app as favorites? This way you can find them faster in a jungle of files. Check out our separate tip for an explanation.
