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My Downloads folder in File Explorer, Windows 11 is not showing latest downloads

Anonymous
2024-06-05T08:39:35+00:00

My Downloads folder in File explorer is not showing my most recent downloads. It only displays "Last month" and older, but nothing more recent. Can someone please help me fix this?

I bought a new laptop a month ago from an official retailer, so it should be all the right versions and latest updates.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Munkhu 2,690 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-06-05T09:18:55+00:00

    Thank you very much for reaching out! As an Independent Advisor and fellow Microsoft user, I'm more than happy to assist you.

    There are several potential solutions you can try to resolve this issue:

    1. Check Folder Grouping and Sorting Settings

    Windows 11 may automatically group and sort files in the Downloads folder by date. To change this setting:

    1. Open the Downloads folder.
    2. Right-click on an empty area within the folder.
    3. Select "Group by" and choose "(None)" to disable grouping by date.
    4. Similarly, you can adjust the "Sort by" option to "Date modified" to ensure the latest files appear at the top.

    2. Restore Default Folder Location

    If the Downloads folder path is incorrect or has been moved, restoring it to the default location might help:

    1. Right-click on the Downloads folder and select "Properties".
    2. Go to the "Location" tab.
    3. Click on "Restore Default" and then "OK".

    3. Run System File Checker (SFC) and DISM

    Corrupted system files can cause issues with folder visibility. Running SFC and DISM can help repair these files:

    1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
    2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Wait for the scan to complete.
    3. After the SFC scan, type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter.

    4. Clear File Explorer History

    Clearing the File Explorer history can resolve issues with folder responsiveness:

    1. Open Control Panel and set the view to "Large icons".
    2. Click on "File Explorer Options".
    3. Under the "General" tab, click "Clear" next to "Clear File Explorer history".

    5. Check Browser Download Settings

    Ensure that your browser is saving downloads to the correct location:

    1. Open your browser settings (e.g., Chrome, Edge).
    2. Navigate to the Downloads section.
    3. Verify that the download location is set to the Downloads folder. You can also enable the option to ask where to save each file before downloading.

    6. Optimize Folder for General Items

    Optimizing the Downloads folder for general items can improve its performance:

    1. Right-click on the Downloads folder and select "Properties".
    2. Go to the "Customize" tab.
    3. Under "Optimize this folder for", select "General items".
    4. Check the box "Also apply this template to all subfolders" and click "Apply".

    7. Check for Hidden Files

    Ensure that files are not hidden:

    1. Open the Downloads folder.
    2. Click on the "View" tab in File Explorer.
    3. Check the "Hidden items" box to ensure all files are visible.

    8. Move or Restore Downloads Folder

    If the Downloads folder has been moved or is missing, you can restore it:

    1. Open File Explorer and type shell:Downloads in the address bar to open the Downloads folder.
    2. If the folder is missing, create a new folder named "Downloads" in the desired location.
    3. Right-click on the new Downloads folder, select "Properties", go to the "Location" tab, and set it as the default location.

    If the problem persists, consider checking for any recent system updates or performing a system restore to a point before the issue began

    Please feel free to reach out if you require any additional assistance. I'm here to help!

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Les Ferch 10,326 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-06-06T14:36:59+00:00

    Set the view to Details (if not already in that view), set "Group by" to "(None)" and then click on the "Date Modified" column header. Click on that header again to switch between ascending or descending sort order. Are your latest downloaded files there? If not, then maybe they got downloaded to a different folder altogether.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2024-06-05T09:41:41+00:00

    Hi Ninnananna,

    Maybe you can check the folder grouping and hidden items.

    Open the Downloads folder in File Explorer and right-click on an empty space. Then, go to Group by and make sure it’s set to None. Next, go to Sort by and choose Date modified. Ensure that it’s sorted in descending order, which will make the newest items at the top.

    To view hidden items, you can click on the View tab, choose Hidden items in the sub-menu of Show to ensure that hidden files are visible.

    Best Regard

    Castro

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