How To Find And Delete Downloaded Files On Iphone And Ipad

On iPhones and iPads, downloaded files consume a substantial amount of storage space, and most of the time, they are more of the files we no longer need. This raises the following query: How do you find and delete downloaded files on iPhones and iPads? For whatever reason, it is quite simple to find and delete downloaded files from your iPhone or iPad. With the help of this article, you’ll be able to do that without stress. Stay through with us.

How to find where downloaded files on iPhone and iPad are saved

Finding where files are downloaded on iPhone and iPad can sometimes confuse some users. Thus, here is how to be sure of where your downloaded files on your iPhone and iPad are saved:

Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Navigate to Safari and click on it.
On the Safari app page, click on Downloads.
Under the downloads storage locations, see the checked option to know where your downloads are stored in the Files app.
If the On My iPhone option is checked, then your downloads folder will be in that section in the Files app, but if iCloud Drive or another location is checked, that’s where you’ll find your download folder. Downloaded photos can be easily found through the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad, so you don’t need to go through the Files app. Moreso, for each application, there is always a section under their settings to find downloads. Now let’s dive into how you can delete downloaded files on iPhone and iPad.

How to delete downloaded files on iPhone and iPad

If you want to delete files on your iPhone or iPad in order to free up space and declutter the phone’s storage, this is for you. Downloaded files on iPhone and iPad are not always in one location, but if we are talking about Safari downloads, they can always be found and deleted in Files. However, we are going to cover different methods to find and delete downloaded files on iPhones and iPad below:

Method 1: Delete downloaded files through the Files App

The basic way to delete downloaded files on iPhone and iPad is through Files, their built-in file manager app. All your Safari downloads are saved in a folder called Downloads. You can follow these steps to delete files from your downloads on iPhone and iPad:

Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad; you can search for the app by swiping right on your iPhone or iPad home screen to the last page and using the search box.
On the Files app, tap on Browse and click on either On My iPhone/iPad or iCloud Drive, depending on your downloads folder, based on what we’ve discussed in the section above.
Select Downloads and tap on the three-dot icon at the right-hand corner of the page.
On the resulting drop-down, click Select and tap on the files you want to delete in the Downloads folder.
Now, click the Trash icon at the bottom of your screen to delete the selected files. You can also press and hold the file you want to delete and click on Delete. If you want to delete all the files in the download folder, after clicking on Select in step 4 above, hit Select All and tap on the Trash icon.

Method 2: Delete downloaded videos through the Settings

You can delete video files taking up your iPhone or iPad storage space via Settings. Here is how to do it:

Go to Settings on your iPhone or iPad and click on General.
Tap on iPhone/iPad Storage.
Under the Recommendations category, click on Review Downloaded Videos. If the option isn’t under Recommendation at first, click on See all; you should see the Review Downloaded Videos option.
On the Downloaded Videos page, tap Edit at the top-right corner and select the videos you want to delete.
Now, click on Done to delete all the videos you’ve selected. Read: How to Enable Full-Screen Album Art on iPhone Lock Screen in iOS 16

Method 3: Delete downloaded files on apps one-by-one

On your iPhone and iPad, downloaded files are saved and accessible in the respective apps, as downloaded images are saved directly in the Photos app. Hence, to delete the apps’ downloads, you have to go into them. Here is how to delete downloads on some iPhone apps. Photos

Open Photos on your iPhone and tap on Library.
Press and hold the downloaded image you want to delete, then select Delete from Library. WhatsApp Many downloaded files that are no longer in use are saved on WhatsApp, and if you need to free up space for your iPhone, you can delete those unnecessary WhatsApp downloads. Apple Music If you are someone that uses Apple Music as your music app and wants to delete downloaded music on the app, here is how to do it:
Open Apple Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on Library and select Downloaded on the next page.
Navigate to the music you want to delete, then tap and hold it.
Select Remove and hit Remove Download to delete the music from the device you are using. You can tap on Delete from Library to delete the music across all your devices. Tip: For most other apps on iPhone or iPad, you can always delete their downloads on the Downloads page.

Where do I find downloads on my iPhone and iPad?

iPhone and iPod have a file manager app called Files, where all the files on your iPhone and in cloud services like iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive can be found. In the File app, you will find a section for downloads. Simply open Files on your iPhone, go to Browse, and select Downloads to access the folder.

Does clearing iPhone downloads free up space?

If you are someone that downloads stuff from the internet a lot, your downloads may have taken up a large amount of space on your iPhone’s storage. Hence, deleting the unused download will help free up space on your device.

Are Downloads saved to iCloud?

iPhone and iPad downloads are saved either on your phone, iCloud Drive, or any other location you’ve specified in the download settings. Only when the downloads are automatically saved in an iCloud drive can you access them in the storage. Meanwhile, you could set your iPhone or iPad to store downloaded files to iCloud even if they are not downloaded directly into the iCloud Drive storage.

Final Words

Deleting downloaded files on your iPhone and iPad will help give room for you to add new things to your device without any issues. Besides, it’ll make your device perform optimally. The methods we’ve discussed above are for different types of downloaded files and will help you out in deleting them easily.