Where your files actually go

Phone Skills for Work5 min readText and drawings only

The most common reason people miss a deadline is not laziness. It is that they saved a file and then could not find it again. Ten minutes here saves you that panic every time.

Your Files app is called Files on some phones, My Files or File Manager on others. Wherever it is called, the steps in this lesson are the same.

Open the Files app, then look in: Downloads Anything you downloaded Look here first DCIM or Pictures Photos you took App folders Named after the app itself Deleted something? It sits in the bin for about 30 days. Sort by date to put the newest at the top.
Three places files land on an Android phone, and what goes in each.

When you download something it goes to a folder called Downloads. When you take a photo it goes to DCIM or Pictures. When an app saves something itself, it usually goes to a folder with the app's name.

You find all of these in the app called Files, or on some phones My Files or File Manager. It is already on your phone. You do not need to install anything.

I downloaded something and it has vanished

It is almost certainly in Downloads. Open Files, tap Downloads, and sort by date so the newest is at the top. Files very rarely disappear. They are usually just somewhere you did not look.

What is the difference between deleting and moving?

Moving puts the file somewhere else and it still exists. Deleting sends it to a Recycle Bin or Trash folder, where it usually stays for 30 days before it is gone for good. If you delete something by accident, look in the bin first.

Find a file

You downloaded your CV yesterday. Tap through to find it.

  1. Tap: Downloads

    Start in the Files app

  2. Tap: Sort by date

    Newest first is almost always fastest

  3. Tap: Thabo-Mokoena-CV.pdf

    There it is

Done: That is the whole skill. Files, Downloads, sort by date.

How do I make a new folder on my phone?

Open Files, or My Files or File Manager, whichever is on your phone. Go into Downloads. Look for a small menu, usually three dots at the top right or a plus button at the bottom. Tap New folder and type Job Applications. On some phones the menu is hidden behind a long press on empty space. It looks slightly different on each phone, but every phone can do it.

Before you move on

  • Open your Files app and find Downloads
  • Sort Downloads by date
  • Make a folder called Job Applications

Check what you know

3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.

1. You downloaded a form from a website and cannot find it. Where do you look first?

2. You deleted a file by accident this morning. What is true?

3. What is the difference between moving a file and deleting it?

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