diff --git a/internal/client/client.go b/internal/client/client.go
index 8ebbee8..b581f58 100644
--- a/internal/client/client.go
+++ b/internal/client/client.go
@@ -852,6 +852,51 @@ func (c *Client) CompleteUploadExternal(files []CompleteUploadExternalFile, chan
 	return err
 }
 
+// --- File Info & Download Methods ---
+
+// GetFileInfo returns metadata for a file by ID
+func (c *Client) GetFileInfo(fileID string) (*File, error) {
+	params := url.Values{}
+	params.Set("file", fileID)
+
+	body, err := c.get("files.info", params)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	var result struct {
+		File File `json:"file"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &result); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &result.File, nil
+}
+
+// DownloadFile downloads a file from a Slack private URL to the given writer
+func (c *Client) DownloadFile(downloadURL string, w io.Writer) error {
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", downloadURL, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+c.token)
+
+	resp, err := c.httpClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return fmt.Errorf("download failed with status %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(w, resp.Body)
+	return err
+}
+
 // --- Search Methods (require user token) ---
 
 // SearchMessages searches for messages matching a query
diff --git a/internal/cmd/files/download.go b/internal/cmd/files/download.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b5e940
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmd/files/download.go
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+package files
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/client"
+	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/output"
+)
+
+// fileIDPattern matches Slack file IDs (e.g. F0AHF3NUSQK)
+var fileIDPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`^F[A-Z0-9]+$`)
+
+// urlFileIDPattern extracts file IDs from Slack URLs
+// Matches patterns like /files/U.../F0AHF3NUSQK/... or /files-pri/T...-F0AHF3NUSQK/...
+var urlFileIDPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`[/-](F[A-Z0-9]+)[/]`)
+
+type downloadOptions struct {
+	outputPath string
+}
+
+func newDownloadCmd() *cobra.Command {
+	opts := &downloadOptions{}
+
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "download <file-id-or-url>",
+		Short: "Download a Slack file",
+		Long: `Download a file from Slack by file ID or URL.
+
+Accepts a file ID (e.g. F0AHF3NUSQK) or a Slack file URL
+(url_private, url_private_download, or permalink).
+
+By default saves to the current directory using the file's original name.`,
+		Args: cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			return runDownload(args[0], opts, nil)
+		},
+	}
+
+	cmd.Flags().StringVarP(&opts.outputPath, "output", "O", "", "Output file path (default: ./<filename>)")
+
+	return cmd
+}
+
+func runDownload(input string, opts *downloadOptions, c *client.Client) error {
+	fileID := resolveFileID(input)
+	if fileID == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("could not resolve file ID from %q — provide a file ID (e.g. F0AHF3NUSQK) or Slack file URL", input)
+	}
+
+	if c == nil {
+		var err error
+		c, err = client.New()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	info, err := c.GetFileInfo(fileID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	downloadURL := info.URLPrivateDownload
+	if downloadURL == "" {
+		downloadURL = info.URLPrivate
+	}
+	if downloadURL == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("no download URL available for file %s", fileID)
+	}
+
+	destPath := opts.outputPath
+	if destPath == "" {
+		destPath = info.Name
+	}
+
+	if output.IsJSON() {
+		return output.PrintJSON(map[string]interface{}{
+			"file_id": info.ID,
+			"name":    info.Name,
+			"size":    info.Size,
+			"path":    destPath,
+		})
+	}
+
+	f, err := os.Create(destPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("creating output file: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	if err := c.DownloadFile(downloadURL, f); err != nil {
+		// Clean up partial file on error
+		_ = os.Remove(destPath)
+		return fmt.Errorf("downloading file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	absPath, _ := filepath.Abs(destPath)
+	output.Printf("Downloaded %s (%d bytes) to %s\n", info.Name, info.Size, absPath)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// resolveFileID extracts a Slack file ID from a raw ID or URL
+func resolveFileID(input string) string {
+	if fileIDPattern.MatchString(input) {
+		return input
+	}
+
+	matches := urlFileIDPattern.FindStringSubmatch(input)
+	if len(matches) >= 2 {
+		return matches[1]
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmd/files/download_test.go b/internal/cmd/files/download_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11f8da1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmd/files/download_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+package files
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/client"
+	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/output"
+)
+
+func TestResolveFileID(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		input    string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{"bare file ID", "F0AHF3NUSQK", "F0AHF3NUSQK"},
+		{"short file ID", "F123", "F123"},
+		{"url_private", "https://files.slack.com/files-pri/TNVBX1L3S-F0AHF3NUSQK/image.png", "F0AHF3NUSQK"},
+		{"url_private_download", "https://files.slack.com/files-pri/TNVBX1L3S-F0AHF3NUSQK/download/image.png", "F0AHF3NUSQK"},
+		{"permalink", "https://signalft.slack.com/files/U099RPJJFRS/F0AHF3NUSQK/image.png", "F0AHF3NUSQK"},
+		{"invalid input", "not-a-file-id", ""},
+		{"empty", "", ""},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := resolveFileID(tt.input)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, result)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_Success(t *testing.T) {
+	fileContent := "hello world file content"
+
+	downloadServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		assert.Contains(t, r.Header.Get("Authorization"), "Bearer ")
+		w.Write([]byte(fileContent))
+	}))
+	defer downloadServer.Close()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch r.URL.Path {
+		case "/files.info":
+			assert.Equal(t, "F123ABC", r.URL.Query().Get("file"))
+			_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+				"ok": true,
+				"file": map[string]interface{}{
+					"id":                   "F123ABC",
+					"name":                 "test-file.txt",
+					"size":                 len(fileContent),
+					"url_private_download": downloadServer.URL + "/download/test-file.txt",
+				},
+			})
+		default:
+			t.Errorf("unexpected request to %s", r.URL.Path)
+		}
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	c := client.NewWithConfig(server.URL, "test-token", nil)
+	destPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "downloaded.txt")
+	opts := &downloadOptions{outputPath: destPath}
+
+	err := runDownload("F123ABC", opts, c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(destPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, fileContent, string(data))
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_FromURL(t *testing.T) {
+	downloadServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Write([]byte("image data"))
+	}))
+	defer downloadServer.Close()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch r.URL.Path {
+		case "/files.info":
+			assert.Equal(t, "F0AHF3NUSQK", r.URL.Query().Get("file"))
+			_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+				"ok": true,
+				"file": map[string]interface{}{
+					"id":                   "F0AHF3NUSQK",
+					"name":                 "screenshot.png",
+					"size":                 10,
+					"url_private_download": downloadServer.URL + "/download/screenshot.png",
+				},
+			})
+		}
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	c := client.NewWithConfig(server.URL, "test-token", nil)
+	destPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "screenshot.png")
+	opts := &downloadOptions{outputPath: destPath}
+
+	err := runDownload("https://files.slack.com/files-pri/TNVBX1L3S-F0AHF3NUSQK/image.png", opts, c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(destPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "image data", string(data))
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_DefaultFilename(t *testing.T) {
+	downloadServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Write([]byte("content"))
+	}))
+	defer downloadServer.Close()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+			"ok": true,
+			"file": map[string]interface{}{
+				"id":                   "F123",
+				"name":                 "report.pdf",
+				"size":                 7,
+				"url_private_download": downloadServer.URL + "/download",
+			},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	// Change to temp dir so default filename goes there
+	origDir, _ := os.Getwd()
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	os.Chdir(tmpDir)
+	defer os.Chdir(origDir)
+
+	c := client.NewWithConfig(server.URL, "test-token", nil)
+	opts := &downloadOptions{} // no output path — should use filename from API
+
+	err := runDownload("F123", opts, c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "report.pdf"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "content", string(data))
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_InvalidFileID(t *testing.T) {
+	opts := &downloadOptions{}
+	err := runDownload("not-a-file", opts, nil)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "could not resolve file ID")
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_JSONOutput(t *testing.T) {
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+			"ok": true,
+			"file": map[string]interface{}{
+				"id":                   "F123",
+				"name":                 "doc.txt",
+				"size":                 42,
+				"url_private_download": "https://files.slack.com/download",
+			},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	c := client.NewWithConfig(server.URL, "test-token", nil)
+	opts := &downloadOptions{outputPath: "/tmp/doc.txt"}
+
+	output.OutputFormat = output.FormatJSON
+	defer func() { output.OutputFormat = output.FormatText }()
+
+	var buf strings.Builder
+	output.Writer = &buf
+	defer func() { output.Writer = os.Stdout }()
+
+	err := runDownload("F123", opts, c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var result map[string]interface{}
+	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(buf.String()), &result)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "F123", result["file_id"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "doc.txt", result["name"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/doc.txt", result["path"])
+}
+
+func TestRunDownload_FallsBackToURLPrivate(t *testing.T) {
+	downloadServer := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.Write([]byte("content"))
+	}))
+	defer downloadServer.Close()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
+			"ok": true,
+			"file": map[string]interface{}{
+				"id":          "F123",
+				"name":        "file.txt",
+				"size":        7,
+				"url_private": downloadServer.URL + "/file.txt",
+				// no url_private_download
+			},
+		})
+	}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	c := client.NewWithConfig(server.URL, "test-token", nil)
+	destPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "file.txt")
+	opts := &downloadOptions{outputPath: destPath}
+
+	err := runDownload("F123", opts, c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(destPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "content", string(data))
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmd/files/files.go b/internal/cmd/files/files.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..741f139
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmd/files/files.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package files
+
+import "github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+// NewCmd returns the files command group
+func NewCmd() *cobra.Command {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "files",
+		Short: "Manage Slack files",
+	}
+
+	cmd.AddCommand(newDownloadCmd())
+
+	return cmd
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmd/root/root.go b/internal/cmd/root/root.go
index 3230468..6c360e5 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/root/root.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/root/root.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/client"
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/channels"
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/config"
+	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/files"
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/initcmd"
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/messages"
 	"github.com/open-cli-collective/slack-chat-api/internal/cmd/search"
@@ -84,5 +85,6 @@ func init() {
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(workspace.NewCmd())
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(whoami.NewCmd())
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(config.NewCmd())
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(files.NewCmd())
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(initcmd.NewCmd())
 }