AirDrop is one of the easiest ways to share files between your devices, as it doesn’t require any cables, adapters, or flash drives. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to share files from your Mac to your iPhone using AirDrop.
Method 1: AirDrop To Your iPhone From Finder
The fastest way to share files from your Mac to your iPhone is to use AirDrop in your Finder (the folder application on Mac). To open Finder, just press command + spacebar and type “Finder”, then press return.
On the left panel of your Finder window, you should see an option labeled “AirDrop”. Go ahead and click this if you see it to open AirDrop. If you don’t see this option, press command + shift + R while in Finder to open AirDrop.
After a few moments, if you have an iPhone nearby with AirDrop turned on you’ll see it appear in this window, along with any other AirDrop-compatible devices near your Mac.
Just keep in mind that AirDrop only works when your devices are near one another and turned on; if you don’t see your devices in the AirDrop window, this is the most likely explanation (though we cover a few more issues in the FAQs below!).
To AirDrop a file, just drag that file over to the device you wish to share it with. If the device is signed into your iCloud account, the file will automatically be transferred to your device. Otherwise, you will need to accept it on the device you’re AirDropping to.
And that’s it for Method 1!
Method 2: AirDrop To Your iPhone From Anywhere
The above method is great for dragging and dropping files between devices, but you may find it’s not super convenient, especially when sharing links or photos from your Photos app. So here’s an AirDrop shortcut that you can use anywhere on your Mac without having to open AirDrop in Finder.
Let’s say you want to share a photo of a sunflower. You can simply right-click it (or control + click), navigate to Share from the right-click menu, and then choose AirDrop.
That’ll bring up a mini-AirDrop window that lists all nearby AirDrop devices. Just click the one you want to share the photo with.
Alternatively, you can click the Share button on apps that have it available, like so:
Just keep in mind that this button will usually only be on Apple apps, like Photos and Safari. AirDropping from the right-click menu, however, is much more universal, making it an easy-to-remember way to AirDrop files and links to your iPhone.
FAQs
What is AirDrop?
AirDrop is a file-sharing feature Apple added to its devices in 2012. It uses Bluetooth to share files with other Apple devices, which lets you share photos, links, and documents without the need for cables.
I can’t see my iPhone on AirDrop?
There could be a few reasons why you don’t see your iPhone on AirDrop. The first is that AirDrop isn’t turned on on your Mac or iPhone, which you can check by following both of the FAQs below. Another possibility is that one of your devices isn’t turned on and active. AirDrop doesn’t work while your devices are locked or asleep, so make sure everything is turned on and open.
Lastly, it could be that your devices aren’t close enough to one another. AirDrop works over Bluetooth, which means the two devices need to be within a few feet of each other for AirDrop to work.
How do I turn on AirDrop on my Mac?
Open Finder, click AirDrop in the side panel and click Allow me to be discovered by: at the bottom of the window. Choose Contacts Only or Everyone to enable AirDrop.
How do I turn on AirDrop on my iPhone?
Swipe open the Control Center on your iPhone, long-press the box in the top left of the Control Center (which contains Bluetooth, WiFi, Airplane Mode, and more), tap AirDrop in the lower-left corner once the box expands, and choose Contacts Only or Everyone to enable AirDrop.
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