LightAtom

AirDrop Not Working on Mac? How to Fix It

AirDrop needs Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the right discoverability setting and nothing blocking incoming connections. Check each in turn.

Your Mac or iPhone doesn't show up in AirDrop, or transfers start and fail.

  • The other device doesn't appear in the AirDrop list.
  • Transfers say “Waiting” and then fail.
  • AirDrop works one way but not the other.

Quick fix

On both devices: turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, turn off Personal Hotspot, and set AirDrop to Everyone (or Contacts Only if you're in each other's contacts). On the Mac, open Finder › AirDrop and check “Allow me to be discovered by”. Keep the devices within about 9 metres (30 feet).

Why it happens

Discoverability set to No One, or Contacts Only without matching contacts.Most likely
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth off, or Personal Hotspot on.Most likely
The Mac firewall blocks all incoming connections.Sometimes
Devices too far apart, or one is asleep.Sometimes
A VPN or network extension interfering.Rarely

Fixes

  1. Set discoverability

    1. Mac: Finder › AirDrop (⇧⌘R) › “Allow me to be discovered by”: Everyone or Contacts Only.
    2. iPhone: Control Center › press the network controls › AirDrop.

  2. Turn radios on, hotspot off

    1. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices (they don't need to be on the same network).
    2. Turn off Personal Hotspot on the iPhone.

  3. Check the Mac firewall

    1. System Settings › Network › Firewall › Options: Block all incoming connections must be off, or AirDrop can't receive.

  4. Restart the radios

    1. Toggle Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off and on, or restart both devices.

Still not working?

AirDrop on Macs runs through the sharingd and rapportd processes. If it still fails after a restart, try signing out of iCloud and back in, and update both devices.

See it in the app

LightAtom's connections view shows AirDrop and Continuity traffic from sharingd and rapportd, so you can see whether the devices find each other.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't my iPhone see my Mac in AirDrop?

Most often discoverability: set the Mac to Everyone in Finder › AirDrop. Also check Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on, the Mac is awake, and the firewall doesn't block all incoming connections.

Does AirDrop need the same Wi-Fi network?

No. AirDrop uses Bluetooth to discover devices and a direct Wi-Fi link to transfer, so it works without any network. Wi-Fi just has to be on.

Does Personal Hotspot stop AirDrop?

Yes. Turn off Personal Hotspot on the iPhone while using AirDrop.

Related

LightAtom team

The people who build LightAtom, a network monitor for macOS.