AirDrop is designed to easily share photos, music, and other data files across compatible Mac OS and iOS devices.
I am trying to use Airdrop to send a file from my phone to my iMac, but when I am in the Airdrop folder in my iMac there are no options to make the machine discoverable. Both devices are on the same wifi network, the phone (iPhone 6) is discoverable and has successfully used Airdrop to. Those of us who regularly use AirDrop on the iPhone or iPad and leave the function frequently turned on for share requests may want to take a moment to adjust a simple privacy setting for the feature, allowing your iOS device to be only discoverable by Contacts.
However, users sometimes report that it does not work on their Mac while trying to share files with other iDevices.
If you are also facing the same problem with your Mac, here is how you can quickly make it work.
Ensure Your Devices are Compatible
Make sure your Mac is OS X Yosemite or later version. Also, make sure that the other device you are using for AirDrop must be an AirDrop supported device. In case you wish to transfer between your iOS devices, it should be an iPhone 5 or later, iPad 4 or later and iPod 5th generation or newer.
Turn OFF Do Not Disturb
DND mode suppresses the AirDrop alert and due to this, the device become undiscoverable. So, turn off Do Not Disturb mode to make Mac device discoverable via AirDrop.
You can follow the steps below to disable Do Not Disturb Mode on your Mac.
- Click on the Notifications icon located at the top right corner and then toggle OFF the option for Do Not Disturb Mode.
In case you wish to use AirDrop between your Mac and iOS devices, make sure that Do Not Disturb Mode is disabled on the receiving iOS device as well.
See Also: What is AirDrop and How To Share Files Using it
Check AirDrop Share Setting
AirDrop provides two share options: Everyone and Contacts Only. In case you are trying to send or receive data from those who are not in your Contact List. You need to enable the option with Everyone. However, if you choose Contacts Only, you can get files shared only from those who are in your contacts.
Therefore, set the receive option to Everyone. To do so you can follow the steps below:
- Go to Finder Icon on your Mac.
- Now, click on AirDrop option and then click on, ‘Allow me to be discovered by’ under AirDrop icon and select Everyone.
Turn ON WiFi and Bluetooth:
To share and transfer files with AirDrop, both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth needs to be turned on. Hence, make sure that both Bluetooth and WiFi are turned ON.
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- Go to Finder Icon on your Mac.
- Now, click on the AirDrop option and then click on Turn ON WiFi and Bluetooth.
In case Bluetooth is enabled on your Mac, you should Turn ON WiFi button as well. Similarly, in case WiFi is already enabled on your Mac, you should Turn on Bluetooth button as well.
Check Firewall Settings
Make sure you have turned off “Block all incoming communications” in Firewall on your Mac. If you have not done yet, you can follow the steps below:
- Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- From the System Preferences window, click on Security & Privacy.
- Here, click on the Firewall tab and then click on Firewall.
- Now, Uncheck the box next to Block all incoming connections and click on OK.
Check Distance Between Devices
AirDrop’s actual range of operation is 30ft, as it works on Bluetooth technology. Hence, make sure that the device that you are trying to AirDrop Files, Photos, etc. is within 30 feet of the other device.
In certain cases, the Bluetooth reception might be weaker than normal or blocked by obstacles such as electromagnetic fields, walls and physical objects, and other electronic devices.
In such cases, you may have to move the devices even closer to each other to improve Bluetooth reception.
That’s it. Use the above-mentioned solutions and congratulate yourself as you can now successfully share files using AirDrop on your Mac.
If you use Final Cut Pro X for your edit, transferring files from an iPhone into Final Cut is easy:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using a Lightning cable.
- Make sure the iPhone and computer trust each other (which simply means that you can share files between them)
- Open Final Cut Pro X
- Open the Media Import window (shortcut: Cmd + I)
- Select the iPhone in the top left corner
- Select the files you want to transfer at the bottom
To determine what’s displayed, select the appropriate choice from the popup menu in the center-right side of the Media Import window.
Make sure you are copying the files into the Library. FCP X won’t allow you to leave files on the iPhone that you need for an edit.
NOTE: FCP X won’t erase these files on your iPhone. Instead it copies them from your iPhone to your FCP X library.
Easy.
But! What if you don’t edit using Final Cut? Or, if you just want to copy files to your computer to use in Photoshop?
Its easy – you don’t even need to connect your iPhone with a cable. As long as your iPhone and computer are within a few feet of each other use AirDrop. Here’s how.
USING AIRDROP
In Photos, find the videos or photos you want to transfer.
Touch the small circle in the bottom right of the image/video, so that it turns blue. You can select as many images and/or videos as you want.
While there are several ways you can do this on you Mac, this one always works. In the Finder, choose Go > AirDrop.
If WiFi is not turned on, turn it on.
Once WiFi is turned on, make sure you are discoverable. If this is a one-time thing, discoverable by Everyone is an easy choice. When the transfer is done, you can turn this feature off.
On the iPhone, once an AirDrop connection is established, the AirDrop icon changes color and indicates the person it is connected to.
Touch the AirDrop button on your phone.
After a few seconds, the selected files start transferring. The blue ring indicates the transfer status.
The transferred files are stored in your Downloads folder.
SUMMARY
I’ve found AirDrop to be easy to use and reasonably fast. It is a great way to get images stored on your phone moved to where you can do something with them.
Try it for yourself.
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