Where do downloads go on iPhone? How to find, move and delete them

1. 1In Safari, tap the Downloads button (a circle with a down arrow) that appears next to the address bar while and after you download. Tap a file in the list to open it, or tap the magnifying-glass icon next to it to jump to it in Files.
2. 2Or open the Files app, tap Browse, and open Downloads under iCloud Drive or On My iPhone.
3. 3If you cannot find it, use the search field at the top of Files and type part of the file name.

Downloads from other apps do not always land there. Mail and Messages attachments stay in those apps until you choose Save to Files from the Share sheet, and photos or videos saved from a page go to Photos.

1. 1Open Settings and choose Safari (on recent iOS versions it sits under Apps).
2. 2Tap Downloads.
3. 3Pick iCloud Drive, On My iPhone or Other, then choose a folder in Other if you want a specific one.

The choice matters for privacy and storage. Files kept in iCloud Drive sync to your other devices signed in with the same Apple ID and count towards your iCloud storage. On My iPhone keeps them on that phone only.

1. 1Open Files → Browse → Downloads.
2. 2Touch and hold the file, then tap Delete. To clear several, tap the three-dot menu, choose Select, tick the files and tap the bin.
3. 3Go back to Browse and open Recently Deleted. Select the file and delete it again. Files keeps deleted items there for a limited time before removing them (30 days on current iOS versions), so a file you deleted is not gone until you empty this folder.
4. 4If the Downloads folder was in iCloud Drive, the file is removed from your other devices as well.

A download can also be sitting in another place: a copy you saved to Photos, an attachment in Mail, or a copy you shared to another app. Delete those separately.

The Downloads folder is easy to open: anyone with your unlocked phone can browse it, and it may sync to iCloud. For documents such as bank statements, contracts or scans, a better home is somewhere locked. See how to password protect a PDF on iPhone and how to password protect a folder on iPhone for what the built-in options do and do not cover.

Lockboxy is an iPhone app that keeps files in an encrypted vault with its own passcode, and its Private Browser can send a download straight there. It is a convenience for keeping a file out of your Downloads folder, not a way to download anything anonymously.

1. 1Open Lockboxy, unlock the vault and open the Private Browser tab.
2. 2Open a page that links to a file, such as a PDF, and tap the link.
3. 3The app downloads the file and saves it into the vault's Files area, encrypted. It does not go into your iPhone's Downloads folder.
4. 4Open the Files area in the vault to find it.

Limits to know: it works on a best-effort basis, and a file that sits behind a login on the website can fail to download (the app shows an error rather than saving a login page as a file). If that happens, download it in Safari, then move it into the vault from the Share sheet and delete the original, including the copy in Recently Deleted.

• Safari downloads and the Files app are free and built in.
• Files in Lockboxy: the free plan holds up to 10 files and Premium removes that limit. Prices are on the Premium page and the app shows the exact price before you buy.
• If you forget the vault passcode and did not set a Recovery Key (Premium), nobody can open the vault, including us.
• Apple renames menus between iOS versions. If a step does not match your screen, use Search in Settings.