How to Open Downloads
Check your Downloads folder., Check other locations., Search for the file., Open your downloaded files.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check your Downloads folder.
Windows includes a Downloads folder that acts as the default download location for most programs for every user.
There are a couple of ways you may be able to find your downloads folder:
Click the Start menu and then click your user name.
You should see a Downloads folder in the window that opens.
Open Windows Explorer ⊞ Win+E.
Your Downloads folder may be listed in the left frame under "Favorites" or "Computer/This PC".
Press ⊞ Win+R and type shell:downloads.
Press ↵ Enter to open the Downloads folder. -
Step 2: Check other locations.
If you download with a lot of programs, chances are that your downloads have become a bit spread out.
Other popular places for your downloads to appear are your Desktop and your Documents/My Documents folder.
If you have a secondary drive that acts as a file storage, check to see if you've created a download folder on it as well. , If you know the name of the file you downloaded, you can search for it to quickly open it.
Press ⊞ Win and start typing the name of the file.
You should see it appear in the search results. , You shouldn't have much difficulty opening most files that you download online, but you may run across a few file types that can give you problems.
See the guides below for details on opening these troublesome files.
Playing MKV video files Burning ISO image files Extracting RAR files Using BIN files Downloading a Torrent file -
Step 3: Search for the file.
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Step 4: Open your downloaded files.
Detailed Guide
Windows includes a Downloads folder that acts as the default download location for most programs for every user.
There are a couple of ways you may be able to find your downloads folder:
Click the Start menu and then click your user name.
You should see a Downloads folder in the window that opens.
Open Windows Explorer ⊞ Win+E.
Your Downloads folder may be listed in the left frame under "Favorites" or "Computer/This PC".
Press ⊞ Win+R and type shell:downloads.
Press ↵ Enter to open the Downloads folder.
If you download with a lot of programs, chances are that your downloads have become a bit spread out.
Other popular places for your downloads to appear are your Desktop and your Documents/My Documents folder.
If you have a secondary drive that acts as a file storage, check to see if you've created a download folder on it as well. , If you know the name of the file you downloaded, you can search for it to quickly open it.
Press ⊞ Win and start typing the name of the file.
You should see it appear in the search results. , You shouldn't have much difficulty opening most files that you download online, but you may run across a few file types that can give you problems.
See the guides below for details on opening these troublesome files.
Playing MKV video files Burning ISO image files Extracting RAR files Using BIN files Downloading a Torrent file
About the Author
Theresa Torres
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
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