Safari icon

If a downloaded file is missing

Depending on your version of Mac OS X, Safari saves downloaded files either on your desktop, or in a Downloads folder in the Dock. If you can’t find something you’ve downloaded, try the following.

To find a file you’ve downloaded:

  1. Choose Window > Downloads.

  2. In the Downloads window, click the magnifying glass next to a filename to see where the file is located on your computer.

    • If you download a disk image file, Safari shows the name of the disk image volume in the Downloads window. If you have ejected the volume, Safari shows the disk image file in the Finder.

      A disk image file has “.dmg” at the end of its name, and, though it is not a physical disk, its icon looks like a hard disk. To see the contents of a disk image file, double-click it.

    • If you download an Internet Disk Image, Safari decompresses the file and copies its contents to your downloads location, and then moves the disk image to the Trash. If you click the magnifying glass, you will see the contents of the downloads location. If you want to save the disk image file, drag it out of the Trash.

You can also search for items using Spotlight. For more information, see:


Related Topics

Downloading files

If you’re having trouble downloading

Specifying how files are downloaded