A downward arrow, usually above a horizontal bar or an open tray.
Also known as: Down arrow, Arrow pointing down
Sometimes confused with: Save icon
A downward arrow means download. The direction encodes a spatial metaphor — remote is up, local is down — that has no physical basis but is consistent enough across systems to be read reliably.
Marks a control that transfers a file from a remote system to the device in use.
Contexts: Software
Relies on a spatial convention rather than a physical fact: remote systems are drawn as above and the local device as below, which is why the same arrow reversed means upload.
Contexts: Software
A vertical arrow pointing downward, in most drawings ending just above a short horizontal bar or the open mouth of a shallow tray.
The same arrow reversed, for the opposite direction of transfer.