Downloading files to your favorite Samsung phone or tablet is straightforward. However, sifting through all your folders to find a cat video or meme can be a chore. Most of the time, you’ll find them in your phone’s Downloads folder. In some cases, files may get hidden in another folder. This guide shows you how to find downloaded files on your Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet.
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Where Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets store downloads by default
The download location for files from a browser like Google Chrome or the Google app is set to the Downloads folder in your internal storage by default. However, depending on how you download files and your Samsung device’s settings, your files may end up in another storage location.
Files downloaded within apps get stored inside a sub-folder they create in the Android folder. This directory is not user-accessible, and you must grant the file manager permission to access and modify the files and folders inside it. Similarly, you cannot access movies and TV shows downloaded from Netflix or Prime Video for offline viewing outside those apps.
In some instances, apps can create a folder in the root directory of the phone’s internal storage to store downloaded data. Apps like WhatsApp can automatically download files to your phone. Check your WhatsApp settings to find out where.
You can prioritize an SD card for downloads instead of your phone’s internal storage. However, your phone doesn’t activate it by default. So, if you recently added an SD card to your mobile phone or tablet, your downloads probably aren’t there.
APKs end up on your home screen, but only after running the installation process.
In most cases, you can access downloaded files on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone phone using a file manager, either the built-in app or a third-party one. Most file manager apps offer a search bar, so you won’t waste time.
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How to access your downloaded files
Samsung’s My Files app comes preinstalled on all Galaxy phones and tablets. Using that is the most straightforward approach. The file manager categorizes files based on type, making them quick to access.
- Open My Files.
- Recently downloaded files are in the Recent files section at the top of the screen.
- Select the category for the downloaded file that you are looking for. For example, tap Images to look for a photo. The images stored here are from different apps, including photos taken with the camera and screenshots.
- Sort the results based on Name, Date, Type, or Size.
- Go to the Downloads category to find downloads from Chrome.
- You can find APKs downloaded from third-party sources in the Installation files category. Tap an APK file to start the installation process.
- If you know the file name, tap the Search icon in the upper-right corner of the My Files app.
- Enter the file name. You can also file the results based on the time and file type.
You can manually review the files stored on your Galaxy phone’s internal storage by tapping Internal storage under the Storage section. If your phone supports external storage, it appears there. Tap its name to access the files stored on it.
You can access the directories on your phone’s internal storage. However, you can’t manage or modify the content in all of them.
When accessing your phone’s internal storage, your My Files app only shows the Essentials folders. These folders include the Download, Music, Pictures, and DCIM categories (where the phone saves the camera shots). To view all folders on your phone’s internal storage, tap the drop-down menu below Internal storage and select the All option.
How to find your cloud-based files in Google Drive or OneDrive
You can use Samsung’s My Files app to access files uploaded on Google Drive or OneDrive.
- Open the My Files app.
- Select Google Drive or OneDrive, depending on your cloud storage solution.
- Log in to your Google or Microsoft account. For Google Drive, My Files shows the Google accounts via which you logged in to your account.
- The list of files and folders synced to Google Drive or OneDrive appears after a few seconds.
- You can access the files and then delete, copy, or move them. You can also use the My Files app to copy content from your phone’s internal storage to Google Drive or OneDrive.
Your phone must be connected to the internet when you access your files stored in Google Drive or OneDrive using the My Files app.
Try out other file manager apps
You can name your files after downloading them to your Samsung Galaxy devices. Another way to keep things organized is to move them to a designated folder. Try alternate file manager apps if the Samsung app isn’t your jam. You can also access files on your computer by transferring them from your Android phone to your Windows PC or Mac.
