How to enable AirDrop on your Mac. Select Go from the menu bar. Look for AirDrop. Wait for an AirDrop window to open. AirDrop will automatically be activated if your Mac’s Wi-fi or Bluetooth is already turned on but if they’re turned off, then you’ll be prompted to enable them to use the service.
- Like for example you can use Airdrop to stream YouTube to an Apple TV. This way i would be able to listen to music playing off YouTube on my iPhone but i could be in the kitchen and control the volume or change tracks even though the laptop PC with the speakers and woofer are in the living room.
- If you AirDrop something to yourself, like a photo from your iPhone to your Mac, you won't see an option to Accept or Decline — it'll automatically get sent to your device. Just make sure that both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID.
- AirDrop is missing: Using an Older Mac? If you have a Mac from 2012 or later and are trying to send a file to a Mac made before 2012, you need to search for that older Mac. In the AirDrop Window, select Don’t see who you’re looking for? And click the Search for an Older Mac in the pop-up and hopefully, that older Mac appears.
AirDrop lets you wirelessly beam almost anything from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to any other recent Apple device. It uses Bluetooth 4.x for power-efficient broadcast and discovery, and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi for speedy transfer. The entire process isn't just simple, it's incredibly secure... when it works. If you're having trouble, though, it can be maddening. Luckily, there are a few things you can try to get it working!
Which devices are compatible with AirDrop?
Older model devices aren't compatible with AirDrop. Even if one device (like your iPhone) is compatible, the other devices (like your Mac) must be, too. Here's a list of all devices compatible with AirDrop.
AirDrop between Mac and iPhone or iPad:
- Mac from 2012 or later (excluding the mid-2012 Mac Pro) using OS X Yosemite or later
- iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iOS 7 or later
AirDrop between Macs (both computers must be at least):
- MacBook Pro introduced in late 2008 or later, excluding the MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
- MacBook Air introduced in late 2010 or later
- MacBook introduced in late 2008 or later, excluding the white MacBook (Late 2008)
- iMac introduced in early 2009 or later
- Mac mini introduced in mid 2010 or later
- Mac Pro introduced in early 2009 (model with AirPort Extreme card) or mid 2010
- iMac Pro (all models)
Adjust AirDrop
AirDrop has three levels: Off, Contacts Only, and Everyone. Contacts Only is the most complex of the three, since it has to verify who knows who. If you're in a pinch, you can switch to Everyone and try again. You can also turn it off and on again.
- Launch Settings from your Home screen
- Tap on General.
- Tap on AirDrop.
If you're trying to use AirDrop from an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to your Mac, but your Mac isn't showing up, here's something else to try:
- Launch Finder on your Mac.
- Click on AirDrop in the sidebar.
You can also toggle between Everyone, Contacts, and No One right from there, as described in the step above.
That puts your Mac in an AirDrop-ready state as well and can help in detection. If it doesn't, keep reading!
Toggle radios
If toggling AirDrop itself doesn't get things going, you can escalate to the radios.
On iPhone or iPad:
- Launch Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap Wi-Fi and then toggle it off and back on.
- Tap Bluetooth and then toggle it off and back on.
Note: Control Center no longer turns Wi-Fi or Bluetooth completely off. It simply stops the current connection but leaves things like AirPods, Apple Pencil, and Apple Watch available.
On Mac:
- Launch System Preferences from the Dock or via Spotlight.
- Click on Network, then on Turn Wi-Fi Off, then turn Wi-Fi back on.
- click on Bluetooth, then on Turn Bluetooth Off, then turn Bluetooth back on.
![Airdrop For Mac Airdrop For Mac](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133933110/602955918.png)
Note: If you have the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons on the right of your Menubar, you can click on those to toggle them faster.
Alternatively, you can turn Airplane Mode on and then back off to toggle all the radios all at once.
Once you're done, try connecting again. If it works, great. If not, keep reading.
Hard reset
The next thing to try is a hard reset. Make all the 'reboot Windows' jokes you want but it's a cliche for a reason!
For iPad (except iPad Pro 2018) and older iPhones with mechanical Home buttons (iPhone 6s and earlier):
Airdrop On Mac Pro
- Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side (iPhone 6s or iPhone 6) or top (all other iPhones, iPods, and iPads) of your device.
- While continuing to hold the On/Off button, press and hold the Home button on the front of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
- Hold both buttons as the screen turns off, and keep holding them until the screen turns back on and displays the Apple logo.
For iPhone 7:
Airdrop For Mac Laptop
- Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side
- While continuing to hold the On/Off button, press and hold the volume down button on the left side of your iPhone.
- Hold both buttons as the screen turns off, and keep holding them until the screen turns back on and displays the Apple logo.
For iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and iPad Pro (2018):
- Quickly click and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly click and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the sleep/wake button.
- Keep holding down the Side button, even after the Shut Down screen shows up. (iOS 11.2 and later.)
On the Mac:
- Click on the icon at the far left of the Menubar.
- Click on Restart.
Once you've rebooted, try connecting it in again. If it works, you're good. If not, go on to the next step.
Update!
Apple's Bluetooth stack—the set of software that controls your device's radio—isn't without its occasional quirks. Sometimes, new versions of iOS introduce compatibility problems; other times, they fix them. If you're having Bluetooth connectivity problems, you're better off updating than not. If it's already broken, the update is your chance for a fix.
- Launch Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap on General.
- Tap on Software Update.
- If there's an update available, tap to install it.
Once you're done updating, try to use AirDrop again. If it works, awesome. If not, there's even more to try!
Airdrop For Macbook Air 2011
Reset networks
Resetting can be a huge pain, but if something has gone wrong with the way your iPhone or iPad connects to other devices, it might just be necessary.
- Launch the Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap on General.
- Tap on Reset at the bottom.
- Tap on Reset Network Settings.
- Enter your Passcode, if prompted.
- Tap Reset Network Settings to confirm.
Once this is complete, you'll have to reconnect to every Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device you own or use; once you're done, check AirDrop again. If it works, it was all worth it. If not, let's keep going.
Contact Apple
Sometimes a problem really is a problem. Like any electronics, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios and the various connections to them can have problems. If you have AppleCare+, don't walk, run to your local Apple Store to get it looked at.
Updated February 2019: Updated for iPhone XS and iPad Pro (2018).
Apple ArcadeSTELA for Apple Arcade is a shallow, sadistic, totally fun game
Airdrop For Mac Download Free
Can you outrun killer dark shadows? Take leaps of faith into the unknown? Traverse a world where nothing is what it seems? STELA will test your mettle.