Find files on your iPhone or iPad in the Files app

Learn how to find and edit your files with the Files app.

How to find your files in the Files app

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Files app. Don't see the blue Files app icon on your Home Screen? Just swipe down, then search for the Files app.

    An image of Search on an iPhone. The Files app icon is listed under Top Hit at the top of the screen.
  2. In the Files app, search or browse for the file that you want.

    An image of the Files app on iPhone showing a search for "WIP" and a "WIP files" folder icon onscreen below.

Use the Files app to manage your files

On your iPhone or iPad, you can store and edit your files in the Files app.

Types of files stored in the Files app

  • Under Locations, in On My [Device], you can find files stored locally on the device that you're using.

  • Under Locations, in iCloud Drive, you can find files and folders that sync to iCloud Drive, including Pages, Numbers, Keynote documents, and more.

  • You can also find files in other cloud services and apps that you connect, like Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, and more.

The Files app doesn't contain your photo library. But you can save photos to the Files app in iCloud Drive or another cloud service.

Password-protected zip folders or directories are not supported in the Files app.

How to edit files in the Files app

To edit a file, just tap to open it. Depending on the file type, you can:

  • Use Markup to draw, add text, add a signature, and more

  • Edit the file in Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and other apps

You can also delete files from the Files app. Changes to files stored in iCloud Drive or other cloud services automatically update on all of your devices.

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