With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send photos, videos, documents, and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can use AirDrop to send files to your own devices, or to share files with others.
Transfers are encrypted for security, and the recipient can accept or decline each transfer as it arrives.
Note: If you leave Bluetooth or Wi-Fi range after an AirDrop transfer is initiated, the transfer continues over the internet.How to manually move items to iCloud storage.
Before you begin
Make sure of the following:
- Both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
- The devices are within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other.
If you want to use AirDrop to send items between your Apple devices, sign in to your Apple Account in order to automatically accept and save the items.
How to turn on AirDrop
- On an iPhone or iPad: Open Control Center, touch and hold the top-left group of controls, then tap the AirDrop icon. Tap Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 Minutes to choose who you want to receive items from.
Note: The Contacts Only and Everyone for 10 Minutes options are available only on devices with minimum system requirements. - On a Mac: Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, then click the AirDrop icon. When it’s blue, it’s on.
To choose who can send items to you, click the forward facing arrow icon next to AirDrop, then click Contacts Only or Everyone.
How to send an item with AirDrop
To send an item to someone with AirDrop, both you and your recipient must have turned on AirDrop and chosen to accept items either from Contacts or Everyone. If a recipient chooses to only accept items from a contact, you must be in their contacts list and they need to have your Apple Account email address or phone number included in your contact card.
Then do any of the following:
- On an iPhone or iPad: Open the item, then tap the upload icon, Share, the AirDrop icon, and the three horizontal dots icon, or another button (depending on the app). Tap the AirDrop icon, then tap the recipient you want to share with. The recipients you see are those who are nearby, have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and are able to accept files from your device.
Tip: If you’re within close range of someone in your contacts, you can initiate an AirDrop transfer by opening the file you want to share, then moving your iPhone close to your contact’s iPhone (on supported models with iOS 17 or later).
On a Mac: Open the item, click the upload icon in the toolbar, then click AirDrop. Select the recipient you want to share with. The recipients you see are those who are nearby, have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and are able to accept files from your device.
Tip: You can also share items with AirDrop in the Finder. To open a Finder window, click the Finder icon in the dock. Click AirDrop in the sidebar, then drag the item you want to share to the recipient you want to send it to.
How to receive items with AirDrop
On your device, tap or click Accept on the AirDrop notification.
Most items are saved in the app that they’re sent from. For example, if you use AirDrop to send a photo from the Photos app, it’s saved in the Photos app on the other device.
Depending on the device, you might find your files in other places. On an iPhone or iPad, some items may be saved in the Files app. On a Mac, some items are automatically saved in the Downloads folder. You may also have the option to choose where to save items.
Note: If you opened AirDrop in the Finder on a Mac, the notification to accept or decline appears here, rather than in Notification Center.
If you send items from one of your Apple devices to another (for example, from your Mac to your iPhone), and you’re signed in to iCloud using the same Apple Account for iCloud on both devices, the item is automatically accepted and saved.
This how-to is based on information from the Apple Support pages and my own personal testing.
