Skip to main content

How to AirDrop from your iPhone to a Mac

One of the benefits of owning multiple Apple-branded devices is the shared experience. Photos you take on an iPhone show up on a linked Mac or iPad. You can even send text messages without picking up your phone.

Sharing files between these devices is just as easy, and you don’t need the cloud or an external drive. This guide shows you how to AirDrop from your iPhone to a Mac.

Recommended Videos

If you’re new to the Apple ecosystem, AirDrop is the company’s proprietary ad-hoc platform for wirelessly transmitting data between supporting devices. You can send any file type at any size.

Here are the requirements:

  • Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is enabled on both devices.
  • Both devices must be within 30 feet of each other.
  • The iPhone must be running iOS 7 or newer.
  • The iPhone has Personal Hotspot switched off.
  • The Mac (2012 or newer) must be running MacOS 10.10.5 Yosemite or newer (the 2012 Mac Pro excluded).

Enable AirDrop in MacOS

First, you need to make sure AirDrop is ready for business on the Mac. Since it’s on the receiving end, it must be discoverable.

MacOS Select AirDrop Mode
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 1: Open Finder and select AirDrop listed on the left.

Step 2: Click on the Allow me to be discovered by option located at the bottom in small text.

Step 3: Select One of two options on the drop-down menu: Contacts Only or Everyone.

Note: For the Contacts Only option, both devices must be signed in to iCloud. Also, the Mac must have the email address or phone number that’s associated with the sender’s iCloud account stored in the Contacts app.

Generally, if you’re sending files between your iPhone and your Mac, you won’t see a prompt to accept the incoming file(s). However, if friends and family are trying to AirDrop files, you’ll likely see a prompt to approve the transmission. The same goes for when you select Everyone in the AirDrop settings.

Now let’s make sure the Firewall isn’t blocking incoming connections.

MacOS Select Firewall Options
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Open System Preferences.

Step 5: Select Security & Privacy.

Step 6: Click the Firewall tab.

If the Firewall is off, you can stop here. If it’s on, move to the next step.

Step 7: Click the Lock in the bottom left corner and enter your password to unlock the settings.

Step 8: Click the Firewall Options button.

MacOS Firewall Uncheck Block Incoming
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 9: Deselect Block All Incoming Connections.

Step 10: Click OK to finish.

Enable AirDrop in iOS 14

If you want to send files from a Mac to your iPhone, the latter device must be discoverable.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap General.

Step 2: Tap AirDrop.

Step 3: Tap one of two options: Contacts Only or Everyone.

Note: For the Contacts Only option, both devices must be signed in to iCloud. Also, the iPhone must have the email address or phone number that’s associated with the sender’s iCloud account stored in the Contacts app.

Generally, if you’re sending files between your iPhone and your Mac, you won’t see a prompt to accept the incoming file(s). However, if friends and family are trying to AirDrop files, you’ll likely see a prompt to approve the transmission. The same goes if you select Everyone in the AirDrop settings.

AirDrop from an iPhone to a Mac

With everything good to go, here’s how to send a file from your iPhone to a Mac.

Step 1: Find the item that you want to send to a Mac.

Step 2: Tap the Share button. It resembles a box with an up arrow.

Step 3: Tap the AirDrop icon on the following screen. It’s a blue radar-like icon set against a white backdrop. Alternatively, you can just tap on the discovered Mac’s icon displayed on the first row, if available.

Step 4: On the following screen, tap on the Receiving device.

Step 5: Tap Done located in the top right corner to exit AirDrop.

By default, anything you AirDrop to a Mac goes to the Downloads folder.

AirDrop from a Mac to an iPhone Method 1

You can AirDrop files to any nearby iPhone. However, if you selected the Contacts Only option when setting up AirDrop, the recipient iPhone must be logged in to iCloud and its associated email address or phone number is stored in the Mac’s Contacts app. The Everyone option lets any Mac send a file to your iPhone. In both cases, the receiver typically must approve the transmission.

MacOS Select AirDrop
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 1: Find the item that you want to send to an iPhone.

Step 2: Click on the Share icon. It resembles a square with an up arrow.

Step 3: Select AirDrop on the drop-down menu.

MacOS Select Receiving iPhone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Select the receiving device in the pop-up window.

AirDrop from a Mac to an iPhone Method 2

Step 1: Open Finder and select AirDrop listed on the left.

Step 2: The discovered iPhone should appear within the window. Drag and drop any file on the iPhone’s icon.

Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
Own an Android? It looks like you may buy an iPhone next
The iPhone 16 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Plus held in the hand together

In a recent survey of iPhone owners, 48% of those now wielding Apple’s smartphone had previously owned an Android phone. The data comes from an extensive report using information gathered from 4,000 individuals by analysts at Counterpoint Research, and shows despite the challenges those who switch from Android to iOS (or vice versa) often face, it didn’t put almost half of current iPhone owners off.

The research then states it’s Samsung and Google suffering the most when someone decides it’s time to buy an iPhone, to the point the paper warns Samsung may see a marked fall in S-series ownership over the next two years if the trend continues. It’s added that Samsung, along with brands like OnePlus and China’s market leader Vivo, are using AI and flagship specifications to differentiate devices, in an effort to entice and retain buyers.

Read more
The iPhone 17 Air might have a larger screen than we thought
A rendered concept of what the iPhone 17 Air might look like.

The iPhone 17 Air has been the subject of no small number of different rumors and leaks, and now the latest one suggests its screen might be up to 6.7 inches in size rather than the expected 6.6 inches. The information comes from tipster Jon Prosser on the Recycle Bin podcast.

This is far from the first rumor we've heard about the screen size. Last year, Ross Young initially suggested a 6.55-inch display — that would be 6.6 rounded up — but estimates have ping-ponged since then. Few Apple devices have had as many conflicting rumors as the iPhone 17, so take this with more than a grain of salt.

Read more
The iPhone 16e hints at 5G limits for the iPhone 17 Air
Apple C1 modem

Apple announced the iPhone 16e earlier this week. As expected, the company's latest budget smartphone features its first custom-designed modem chip, known as the C1. However, this chip does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G technology, indicating that another upcoming iPhone model may also lack this capability.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, expected to launch this fall alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, is also likely to include the C1 chip. This suggests that it too will probably not support mmWave 5G.

Read more