AirDrop is Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users discover nearby Macs and iOS devices and securely transfer files between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
When using AirDrop between Macs and iOS devices, you can send and receive photos, videos, documents, contacts, passwords and anything else that can be transferred from a Share Sheet. Keep reading to learn how to use it.
- AirDrop Device Compatibility
- How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on iPhone and iPad
- How to Adjust AirDrop Settings via Control Center
- How to AirDrop Files on iPhone and iPad
- How to Share Passwords Over AirDrop in iOS
- Using AirDrop on iPhones With a U1 Chip
- How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on Mac
- How to AirDrop Files on Mac
AirDrop Device Compatibility
iPhone and iPad: To use AirDrop on iOS, you'll need an iPhone 5 or later, iPad 4 or later, iPad mini, or fifth-generation iPod touch.
Mac: All Mac models released in 2012 and later and running OS X Yosemite or later support AirDrop. You can confirm that your Mac is compatible with AirDrop by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock and selecting Go in the menu bar. If AirDrop is not listed as an option, then your Mac is not compatible with the feature.
How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on iPhone and iPad
There are two active settings for AirDrop: You can set it to accept shares from anyone, or only from people whose email address or mobile number appears in your contacts. Alternatively, you can disable the feature completely. These settings can also be used to ensure that you don't become the victim of an unsolicited AirDrop share.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Scroll down and tap General.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Tap Contacts Only or Receiving Off.
How to Adjust AirDrop Settings via Control Center
You can also set your AirDrop options in Control Center. Here's how:
- Open Control Center on your device in the following way: On an iPad with a Home button, double-tap the Home button; on iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; and on a 2018 iPad Pro or iPhone X or later, swipe down from the upper right corner of the screen.
- Press firmly or touch and hold the network settings card in the upper-left corner.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Tap Contacts Only or Receiving Off.
How to AirDrop Files on iPhone and iPad
You can share files within iOS wherever you come across the Share Sheet icon (a little square with an arrow pointing out of it). Here's how it works.
- Choose a file that you'd like to send over AirDrop. In our example, we're sharing a photo from the Photos app.
- Tap the Share Sheet icon in the corner of the screen.
- From the top row of the Share Sheet, tap the person or device nearby that you want to share the file with. Note that if the person you're sharing content with is in your Contacts, you'll see an image with their name. If they aren’t in your Contacts, you'll see just their name without an image. You may need to tap the AirDrop icon itself to see all of the AirDrop options.
How to Share Passwords Over AirDrop
There are lots of reasons you might want to share a password, and Apple has made it much easier in iOS 12 or later. Now, you can share passwords with other people directly from the iOS Password Manager via AirDrop.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Website & App Passwords.
- Select a login.
- Tap the Password field and select AirDrop... from the popup menu.
- From the AirDrop menu, tap the person nearby that you'd like to share the password with.
Users on both devices are required to authenticate via Touch ID or Face ID (or a regular old password, depending on which Mac you have) before the password can be sent or saved.
Using AirDrop on iPhones With a U1 Chip
If you own an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, your device includes Apple's new "U1" ultra wideband chip, which means it's spatially aware. In other words, you can point your iPhone 11 towards someone else's and AirDrop will prioritize that device in the list of possible AirDrop recipients.
The feature requires iOS 13.1 or later to work. You can check that you're iPhone software is up-to-date by launching Settings and going to General -> Software Update.
How to AirDrop Files on Mac
- Launch Finder on your Mac.
- Find the file(s) that you want to share and drag them over AirDrop in the Finder window sidebar. Let them hover there until the AirDrop window appears.
- Drop the file(s) onto the profile picture of the person you want to share them with.
If it's easier, you can also AirDrop files by right-clicking (or Ctrl-clicking) them and selecting Share -> AirDrop from the contextual menu, or by clicking the Share icon in the Finder window's toolbar and selecting AirDrop from there.
How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on Mac
- Open a Finder window on your Mac.
- Select AirDrop from the Finder sidebar (if AirDrop isn't listed, use the keyboard combination Command-Shift-R to open it.
- Click the setting prefaced with Allow me to be discovered by: and select Contacts Only, Everyone or No one from the drop-down menu.
If you're a regular user of AirDrop in macOS and regularly open it in Finder, consider adding an AirDrop shortcut to your Dock for one-click access to it from any screen.
Tag: AirDrop
Popular Stories
iOS 18 Available Tomorrow With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone
Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 will finally be widely released to the public this Monday, September 16. The update should be available to install tomorrow starting at around 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time) in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and...
Read Full Article • 102 comments
10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17
Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Read Full Article • 285 comments
Apple Shares Full List of Over 250 New Features and Changes Coming With iOS 18
Wednesday September 11, 2024 7:16 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Following its iPhone 16 event on Monday, Apple shared a PDF on its website with a list of all new features and changes coming with iOS 18. The list includes many features that were already announced, including Apple Intelligence, new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, several enhancements to the Messages app, a Passwords app, and more....
Read Full Article • 66 comments
M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event
Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
Read Full Article • 110 comments
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max Shipping Estimates Extending Into October
Friday September 13, 2024 5:48 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple began accepting pre-orders for all four new iPhone 16 models today, and shipping estimates for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max on Apple's online store in the U.S. are already beginning to slip into October for many configurations. As of 6:45 a.m. Pacific Time, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max were facing a 2-4 week shipping delay for some configurations on Apple's online store, with...
Read Full Article • 214 comments
Apple Intelligence Features Expected to Roll Out in This Order Between iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.4
Friday September 13, 2024 1:01 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18 will be released to the public on Monday, but the first Apple Intelligence features will not be available until iOS 18.1 is released in October. Apple Intelligence features will continue to roll out in iOS 18.2 and beyond, with the expected roadmap outlined below per Apple's website and rumors. Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro model or any iPhone 16 model, and it will...
Read Full Article • 223 comments
iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says
Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
Read Full Article • 362 comments