Q: Help I have 'lost' my downloads icon from the dock. Can I retrieve it? If so please describe how, using simple terms

Your Downloads folder should be in your Home folder. Just drag it to the Dock.

If you've managed to delete it, try creating a new folder called 'Downloads'. You will probably need to nominate it in Safari or any other browser preferences as your download destination. (Safari Preferences>General, 'Save downloaded items to:' menu)

Here I have an Emac OS X 10.11.3.  Despite research online (and owning Macs since mid 80's) I cannot find how to restore my "Downloads" folder with the icon.  Your response, Roger Wilmut1, and the many others I have read do not work for me.  Using "Find" I did locate a folder hidden with other things that I dragged to my dock.  It contains the items from my deleted/lost Downloads folder, but.....it appears on my dock as a plain folder with no icon.

So.  I like the icon.  The icon and the location of the downloads folder make it quick and easy to locate what I need.

Yes, I know I must update.

No, I do not want to use external backup.  Way bad experience doing that; will not touch it.

Any ideas?  

Thanks for your patience and guidance.

Lisa

Your Downloads folder, complete with icon, should be in your Home Folder - i.e. (hard disk)/Users/(your username)/ . Is it not there?

Yes, I found a folder named "Downloads" that contained the few files that were within the true Downloads folder that vanished.  It simply lacks the icon or any indication that it IS the downloads folder.  It has been tested; when I download  something, it does go to that plain, ordinary, so special icon folder that is located where the original downloads folder was located.

Like many, I dislike flux.  If the downloads folder will be plain....then, I will adjust.

Thank you, Roger. 

Well, let's try and save your sanity. See if the following works.

1. Click on this link: http://rfwilmut.net/share/Downloads_icon.zip . This is an empty folder with the Downloads icon from Mavericks. Double click to unzip it.

2. Click the folder once to highlight it and hit command-i.

3. In the Info panel which opens, click the icon at top left once, then hit command-c

4. Open your Home Folder and click your Downloads folder once. Hit command-i

5. Click the icon at top left once, the hit command-v.

In theory this should paste the icon onto the folder. As it's a folder provided by the System I can't guarantee this will work. If it doesn't you could try moving the contents of your Downloads folder into the one I've provided (after renaming it) then moving the existing Downloads folder out of your Home Folder and moving this new one in.

Yes, downloaded and see the folder with an icon (unlike the original/lost one which was a circle with an arrow pointing down).  Followed the steps and the items in the Documents folder at Home do move into the folder you shared.  However, the icon on the folder you shared vanished.

My love affair with Apple is more than 30 years old.  I have the items from the lost Downloads folder in an ordinary folder in my Dock.  Hmphf.  I can learn to live with it, Roger.

(ps...in my Home folder, the Downloads appears with the old circle/arrow icon.   When dragged to my Dock, it appears as a plain, ordinary folder holding the downloaded items.  When testing and downloading items today, the items do go to that plain folder in my Dock.  Flux.  It is ok.  An Apple thing is knowing that things change. 

Sincerely appreciate your consideration and guidance, Roger.  Go in peace.