Please help, 'downloads folder' question.

Hello everyone, I've always been a windows user and recently switched over to mac and to be honest I think it's the best move I've ever done. It's so much better in so many ways, my only regret is not switching five years ago. I have one problem however, with my downloads folder. It seems somehow my downloads got switched behind the actual folder icon. As little as it seems, its been getting on my nerves as I can no longer see my last downloaded object. If anyone can help me out here, it would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks alot!

right click the folder (on the dock) and select sort by date added...

Phew! Great translation skills there, fade. Your answer might address the "can't see last downloaded object" phrase, I suppose. I read the relevant part of that post at least five times, and can't figure out what the OP wants to fix.

bhellings, is the icon in the Dock the problem? What does "my downloads got switched behind the actual folder icon" mean? Are there actually two icons there? If so, what is the other one? It's not an icon I've ever seen in my Dock. Were you modifying those?

Can you clearly explain the "can't see last downloaded object" phrase? See it where?

Sorry if I'm being dense...

Remove the "folder" from the DOCK (drag it off and it will disappear). That will either expose your original Downloads folder or there will be no icon at all. If there's no icon at all, just open the Finder, highlight your user name, and then drag "Downloads" to the right side of the DOCK. A new Downloads folder will appear.

Regards.

Well, ok, but...

chscag said:

highlight your user name, and then drag "Downloads" to the right side of the DOCK.

Click to expand...

Taken literally, you won't see the Downloads Folder if you just highlight the UserName Folder. You have to open it. Most would understand that, but a total newbie to computers might not. This is for them. And this: dive in, you'll be a pro in no time!

Actually, fade's answer was correct.

The OP has her download folder set as a stack, not a folder, so that the last item downloaded will be at the top of the stack.

For some reason the stack isn't updating in the manner they want it to. Right-clicking (or control-clicking) the icon in the dock will give them the option to set the priority of the stack to "date added," which should then bring the most recent item back to the "top" of the stack "pile."

If a folder was the most recently added object to the Downloads folder, it will show up on top. So, if you downloaded an archive and decompressed it to a folder, you'll notice that your stack now looks like a folder since the folder was the newest addition to that folder.

My question is this - does it always show the folder icon regardless of what you download?

chas_m said:

Actually, fade's answer was correct.

The OP has her download folder set as a stack, not a folder, so that the last item downloaded will be at the top of the stack.

Click to expand...

But that is not what fade's answer was:

fade said:

right click the folder (on the dock) and select sort by date added...

Click to expand...

Sort by choices do not have any affect on my Stack icon.

vansmith said:

If a folder was the most recently added object to the Downloads folder, it will show up on top. So, if you downloaded an archive and decompressed it to a folder, you'll notice that your stack now looks like a folder since the folder was the newest addition to that folder.

Click to expand...

Agreed, IF Sort by is set to Date Added and Display as is set to Stack.

Perhaps, to get the icon the OP wants to see (or is used to seeing), the solution is simply to set Display as to Folder. But, I'm not sure that the OP has been reading this.

I just tried it and if the OP has it set as "date modified', "date created", or "date added" the latest download should come up at the front of the stack.
Anything else it ill be sorted by "name" or "kind" which unless they are lucky will be hidden somewhere in the stack ...