It’s time to embrace AirDrop on iPhone and Mac. Here’s how

If you’re still emailing files from your iPhone to people nearby or still using a thumb drive to transfer some photos from your Mac, stop. Try AirDrop instead. Whether you have a iPhone 14a ipadmini or a new macbook pro m2, AirDrop is the most convenient way to transfer files and content from one Apple device to another. AirDrop lets you quickly share photos, documents, videos, audio recordings, contact cards, web links, and notes (among other things) between Apple devices.

AirDrop is limited to iOS and MacOS. (Sorry Android and PC users.) When AirDrop came out in 2012, it was one of the features that separated the iPhone from Android phones. If you have an Android phone, Google has its own version of AirDrop called Nearby Share which does something similar.

You don’t even need the latest iPhone 14 Pro or a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip to use AirDrop. It works with any iOS device running iOS 7 or later and any Mac running OS X Yosemite or later. The only “requirement” is that both devices are within 30 feet of each other and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. As far as I can tell, there is no limit to the size of the AirDrop file. Just know that the larger the file, the longer it will take to transfer.

If you want to follow step by step how I set up and use AirDrop, please watch the video below.

How to activate AirDrop

From an iPhone, make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on. Then open the Control center panel, then press and hold the wireless connection icon until it expands into a rectangle. Lastly, touch Airdrop and choose between reception off, Only contacts either All the world to control who can send files to your phone.

On a Mac, check that you have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled. Open a Finder window. Then from the sidebar, click on Airdrop. A window will open with a graph similar to a radar. Anyone nearby with AirDrop enabled will appear in this window. At the bottom of the window, you can select who can send you things: No one, Contacts either All the world.

How to AirDrop on an iPhone

To use AirDrop on an iPhone, the person you’re sending files to must have an Apple device with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. If either of you has a personal hotspot enabled, turn it off; otherwise AirDrop will not work. The same is true if you are using a VPN. I’m not sure exactly why this is happening, but my guess is that it has something to do with the way a VPN encrypts your internet connection.

Every time you see a Share on your phone (the rectangle icon with an arrow pointing up), you can select Airdrop. When you do, you’ll be shown a list of any nearby Apple devices that also have AirDrop enabled. Touch the name of the device you want to send to. For example, let’s say you’re in the Photos app and you see an image that you want to AirDrop. Tap on the Share to open the Share menu. At the bottom of the menu, tap the button Airdrop icon. Next, a window will appear with anyone nearby who has AirDrop enabled. Find the person you want to send the photo to and tap their contact icon.

An alert window will then appear with a preview of the content you are sharing on the recipient’s phone. They have the option of Accept either To refuse. once they play Accept, the photo you selected will be transferred. Pictures and videos are saved to the Photos app on the recipient’s phone. The documents will ask the recipient to choose an application to save them. Web links will automatically open in your default web browser, which for most people will be Safari.

If the person you’re airdropping to is set to Contacts Only, they’ll need to have a contact card in the Contacts app that has your email address or phone number in it for this to work. If you’re not in your Contacts, ask them to change their AirDrop preference to All the world to receive your file.

How to AirDrop on a Mac

To get started, make sure your Mac’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on, then open a Finder window. Then from the sidebar, click on Airdrop. To share a file, simply drag and drop it onto the contact icon of the person you want in the AirDrop window. Also, just like on iOS, you can access AirDrop whenever you see the Share button.

If you’re having trouble sending a file via AirDrop from a Mac, click the I don’t see who you’re looking for at the bottom of the AirDrop Finder window. Then click on the Find an older Mac button that appears.

How to AirDrop from iPhone to Mac (or vice versa)

If you want to AirDrop content from an iPhone to a Mac, start with the content. For example, if you want to AirDrop a web link, open the page on your iPhone. Then open the Share menu and touch the Airdrop icon. Next, select the Mac icon and the name of the device you want to send the web link to. The recipient’s Mac will display a prompt asking them to Accept or Reject. once they play Acceptthe web link will be transferred and opened in your default web browser.

If you want to AirDrop from your iPhone to your Mac, and they’re both signed in to the same Apple ID, you won’t see an option to Accept or Decline. The transfer will just happen.

How to change your AirDrop name

Your AirDrop name is the same as the general name of your device. To check or change it on an iPhone, open Settings. Play General, then play On. The first item in the list shows the current name of your iPhone. Just tap to change it.

Now that you’ve mastered the art of AirDrop, take a Check out other useful iPhone tips and tricks below.