How to Find Downloads on Mac | 5 Quick Solutions

How to find downloads on Mac? You'll learn five methods here. You can find them in the Downloads folder or the Finder window. When you cannot find downloads in the Downloads folder, try to use Spotlight and check Chrome and Safari. If the downloads are accidentally deleted, you’ll need EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Table of Contents

Mac Downloads: All You Need to Know

How to find downloads on Mac is the most common question Mac users will ask. Mac users will download multiple items from the internet daily, and most will choose to download items from the Safari web browser.

Click any item marked as a download link in the Safari software on your Mac or click an image or other object on the webpage that will automatically download the target item to your local Mac or MacBook Air. Mac downloads can be photos, videos, documents, applications, and other files, and we will help you find these downloads on Mac in this passage! Check the following five methods to learn how to find Downloads on Mac.

How to find downloads on Mac

Method 1. How to Find Downloads on Mac from the Dock

When you have downloaded some items on Mac, the downloads will be saved in the Downloads folder by default. This Downloads folder will appear in the Dock on Mac, and if you download a picture or a document, you can also find your downloaded picture or document from the Dock.

Mac Downloads folder

If you cannot find the Downloads folder from the Dock, you should restore Downloads folder on Mac to the Dock. How to do that?

Step 1. First, check the Trash folder to see if you have deleted the Downloads folder. If you have done that, put the Downloads folder back. Where is Trash on Mac? If you don't know, check the following picture to find the same icon on Mac.

Mac Trash icon

Step 2. If you cannot find the Downloads in the Trash, you can pin this folder to the Dock again.

Step 3. Open the Finder on Mac > Go > Home.

click Go in Finder

Step 4. Then, you should find the Downloads folder and drag it to the Dock.

find the Downloads folder and drag it to the Dock

Note: If you find Mac Dock Disappeared, you can change the settings in System Preferences to show Mac Dock. Remember to share this method with your friends!

 

Method 2. How to Find Downloads on Mac with Finder

After learning the first method, we'll teach you how to find Downloads on Mac with Finder. Sometimes users do not want the Downloads folder to appear in the Dock, and they can use Finder to access the Downloads on Mac.

Step 1. Open the Finder > File > New Finder Window. You can also use the shortcut Command + N to open a new Finder window.

open new Finder window

Step 2. You'll see the Downloads folder from the sidebar.

Downloads folder in Finder

Step 3. If you are failed to see the Downloads from the sidebar, you should add Downloads to the sidebar first.

Step 4. Open the Finder Preferences > Sidebar, and check the Downloads. Then you will see this folder in the sidebar.

Open the Finder Preferences > Sidebar, and check the Downloads

Method 3. How to Find Downloads on Mac with Spotlight

Sometimes, the downloads will not be stored in the Mac Downloads folder. To quickly locate those downloads, you can use Spotlight. This method is super simple and may be the best method to find lost files.

Step 1. Wake up this function with the Mac Spotlight shortcut, Command + Space.

Step 2. Type in the name of the missing file or part of the name to search.

find downloads on Mac with Spotlight

Method 4. How to Find Downloads on Mac Browser

Most users will download items from a web browser, and not all the files will be kept in the Downloads folder. We will teach you how to find downloads on Mac Safari and Chrome in this part.

How to find downloads on Mac Safari: Mac Safari is the default browser of macOS. After opening the Safari window, check the top right corner. Click the icon with a downward arrow, and then you'll see the downloads.

How to find downloads on Mac Safari

How to find downloads on Mac Chrome: The method is similar to the method of Safari. You just need to launch Google Chrome on macOS and lick the three dots in the top right corner. Then, choose "Downloads".

How to find downloads on Mac Chrome

Method 5. Recover Lost Downloads on Mac with Software

After reading the four methods, have you found the downloads on Mac? You should think the downloads are deleted if the answer is negative. The deleted downloads will move to Trash and will disappear after emptying Trash on Mac. Can you recover lost downloads on Mac? Yes, we recommend a powerful downloads recovery program, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Check the following highlights to learn more about this handy tool:

  • ?️Support Mac Trash recovery, and you can restore deleted downloads after emptying the Trash folder on your Mac.
  • ?️Recover deleted photos on Mac, and this software can help you recover documents, emails, videos, and audio as well.
  • ?Retrieve lost files from multiple storage devices, including internal drive, external hard drive, USB flash drive, etc.
  • ?️Support Mac video repair. This software can help you repair corrupted MP4, MOV, and other video files.

Let us check a detailed tutorial to learn how to find downloads on Mac with software:

Step 1. Search for lost files

Select the disk location to search for lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external hard drive) where you lost data and files. Click the "Search for lost files" button.

Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to avoid further data loss. After backing up, the software can recover data from your disk backup, and you can use the HDD or SSD again.

Recover Data Step1

Step 2. Go through the scanning results

This software will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display pictures, documents, audio, videos, and emails on the left pane.

Recover Data Step2

Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover

Click the data to preview, and click the "Recover" button to have them back.

Recover Data Step3

Summary

Have you found a suitable way to find downloads on Mac? With the five methods, you can easily find downloaded files on Mac devices. The first four methods can help you when the downloaded files are still on your Mac, and the last method will help you recover deleted downloads on your Mac. Download this recovery tool and get a free trial!

How to Find Downloads on Mac FAQs

In the last part of this passage, you have a chance to learn more information about how to find downloads on Mac.

1. How to delete downloads on Mac to clear up space?

You have three ways to delete downloads on Mac to clear up space:

  1. 1. Delete the Downloads folder in the Finder.
  2. 2. Delete downloads in Safari on Mac.
  3. 3. Delete downloads in Google Chrome.

2. How to find the Downloads folder on Mac?

Normally, you can find the Downloads folder on Mac from the Dock. If you cannot find it from the Dock, you might have dragged the Downloads folder away from the Dock. You can find the Downloads folder in the Finder and add it to the Dock again. Remember to check the Trash on Mac to see if you have deleted the whole folder.

3. How to find downloads on Chrome and Safari?

It is simple to find downloads on Google Chrome and Safari. You need to launch the browser first and click the three dots in Chrome or the icon with a downward arrow in Safari. Then, you will see the downloads.

4. What is the default download location on macOS?

The default place for items you have downloaded from the internet, received as attachments, or accepted with AirDrop is the Downloads folder in the Dock of your Mac. It can appear in the Dock as a stack of files or as a blue folder with a download icon.

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Updated by Dany

Dany is an editor of EaseUS who lives and works in Chengdu, China. She focuses on writing articles about data recovery on Mac devices and PCs. She is devoted to improving her writing skills and enriching her professional knowledge. Dany also enjoys reading detective novels in her spare time.

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