How to AirDrop Files from iPhone to Mac Computer with Ease

AirDrop is a service that Apple added to iOS and Mac devices to share files since iOS 7 and Mac OS X lion (10/7). By using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, AirDrop enables you to transfer files from iPhone to Mac in a wireless way. This post tells you how to use AirDrop and an AirDrop alternative to transfer files from iPhone to Mac, including all the models of Mac computer such as iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc. Meanwhile, this post also provides you solutions for some common problems you may meet when using AirDrop. Let’s see in 3 parts.

Part 1: How to AirDrop from iPhone to Mac Directly

Normally, it is pretty simple to share files from iPhone to Mac after turning on AirDrop on both of your iPhone and Mac computer. Follow the steps below to see how to turn on AirDrop on Mac/MacBook/iMac/iPhone and then AirDrop iPhone to Mac.

Step 1. Turn on AirDrop on Mac

First of all, you should turn on AirDrop on Mac computer. Well, how to turn on AirDrop on Mac/MacBook/iMac? Turn on Wi-Fi. Open a Finder window and choose “AirDrop” from the sidebar > Check the box of “Allow me to be discovered by:”. > Select either “Everyone” or “Contacts Only”. Please note that always keep the Finder window open as it enables AirDrop.

Step 2. Turn on AirDrop on iPhone

Generally speaking, AirDrop would be automatically turned on if you have turned on your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your iPhone. If not, you can turn on AirDrop on iPhone’s Control Center. Some users reported that AirDrop is missing on iOS 11, actually, it still there. Here are detailed steps to turn on it:

1. Sweep up from the bottom of your iPhone’s screen to open Control Center.
2. Long press the square as we show. Then a window will pop up. Tap on AirDrop to turn it on.
3. Select Only Contacts or Everyone.

Step 3. AirDrop iPhone to Mac

1. Wait a few seconds then the Mac with AirDrop enabled will appear in the list.
2. Tap on that Mac/User ID to immediately start sending data to the Mac.

Part 2: How to Share Files from iPhone to Mac via AirDrop Alternative

The file types that you can share from iPhone to Mac computer via AirDrop are limited. AirDrop only supports sharing photos, videos, and locations. What’s more, it only supports sharing one type of data at once, and both your iPhone and Computer need to have the feature of AirDrop, however, not all iPhones support it.

Therefore, if you want to share data like music, contacts, notes, videos, ringtones and more from iPhone to Mac at the same time, here is a better option – using – AnyTrans, which allows you to transfer or backup iOS contents from iPhone to computer and also fitted with other features like:

1. It supports transferring almost all kinds of data from iPhone to computer, like music, contacts, photos, live photos, videos, notes, ringtones, messages and so on. And, the vice versa, that is to say you can use it to sync or transfer data from computer to iPhone without iTunes.

2. Besides transferring data from iPhone to computer, AnyTrans also supports transferring data between iOS devices, between iOS device and iTunes Library, from iOS device to iCloud, between computer and iCloud, and even from Android to iOS.

3. It transfers data with fast speed. It would only take 5 minutes to transfer 3000 photos with original resolution. It is developed by an Apple certificated developer and also Norton and McAfee secured, which means there is no risk of information leakage.

4. It is easy to operate. Both of basic and advanced users can use it without any problem. It works well on both Mac and PC computer, and supports all iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Now, download AnyTrans and follow steps below to share files from iPhone to Mac.

Step 1. Install AnyTrans on your Mac computer and connect your iPhone with USB cable > Select the option that says Content to PC.

Step 2. There are many types of data you can choose. Check the file categories you want to transfer > Click the Next button to start transferring.

Then you can open the export folder to check these photos.

If you want to do that, here are some articles can help you make it with ease:

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to iPhone Directly >

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to iCloud >

Part 3: Problems You May Meet When Using AirDrop

There are some problems that you may encounter when you AirDrop from iPhone to MacBook, including AirDrop not showing up in Control Center, can’t AirDrop music, Mac can’t find iPhone and so on. If you encounter one of them, please keep reading, you can find the solution.

1. AirDrop not showing up in Control Center.

Some iPhone/iPad users reported that they couldn’t find AirDrop in Control center. Actually, it’s just a common issue that can be easily fixed. Just got to Settings app and find Restrictions item to allow AirDrop service running on your iPhone.

2. AirDrop not showing up in finder.

There are only specific Mac models that could be compatible to use AirDrop. If AirDrop doesn’t show up in finder, maybe it is the Mac you have is not compatible with AirDrop. Below is the list of Mac models which support AirDrop.

MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer), MacBook Air (Late 2010 or Newer), MacBook (Late 2008 or newer, iMac (Early 2009 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer), Mac Pro (Early 2009 with Airport Extreme card or Mid 2010).

As for other Mac computers, as long as the Mac is vaguely modern with a somewhat recent Mac OS or Mac OS X release that has Bluetooth, AirDrop works just fine without hassle.

3. Mac can’t find iPhone.

If Mac can’t find iPhone, please try to restart both devices. If not working, then make sure AirDrop is set to “Everyone” instead of “Contacts Only”.

4. Can’t AirDrop Music.

This is one problem that you cannot solve because Apple doesn’t allow you to share music directly from iPhone to another place via AirDrop. The file types that you can share via AirDrop are limited actually. AirDrop only supports sharing photos, videos, locations, under this circumstances, you can use a professional transfer tool, such as AnyTrans – transfer 20+ file types.

5. Some other problems.

You may drop into some other troubles when using AirDrop. You can read our previous post, AirDrop Not Working, which shows you some basic tips to fix issue of AirDrop not working on your iPhone.

The Bottom Line

That’s all for how to AirDrop from iPhone to Mac and the introduction of an AirDrop alternative – AnyTrans. If you find this post helps, please give this article a like or share it with others. At last, don’t forget to download it to have a try. It won’t let you done.