It’s quite a bit easier than you might suspect, provided that all of the previous steps have been followed. However, you can’t just open up the Files app and start sharing things with your PC. Instead, there are a few steps that you’ll need to take in order to get everything ready on your Windows machine.

• AirDrop is limited to iOS and MacOS (Sorry, Android and PC users).
• They received so many donations that they also filled a 32-foot trailer and are now only accepting financial support.
• Anytime you start to Share something (document, picture, etc.) on your iPhone, you’ll see the option to AirDrop it at the top of the Share menu.
• Whether you’re sharing a quick photo or moving a batch of documents, tools like Snapdrop, iCloud Drive, and Send Anywhere get the job done.
• KDE Connect uses a local network to establish a connection between devices.

When you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVGVfRE6zX8&t=2s media, it will alert the other person immediately, and they’ll be able to accept what you’ve sent. If you want to AirDrop a link or photo from an iPhone to a Mac, for example, go to that webpage and open the Share menu, then tap the AirDrop icon. Next, select the name for the device you want to send the link to. The recipient’s Mac will show a prompt informing them of incoming media, asking them to Accept or Decline. Once they tap Accept, the weblink will transfer and open in their default web browser and the photo will be saved in a file.

iPhone User Guide

However, the challenge arises when you need to bridge the ecosystem gap – specifically, transferring files from an iPhone to a Windows PC. AirDrop is best for sharing a small selection of files between devices. The person you’re AirDropping to will see a notification on their device, informing them that you want to send them some sort of content — a web address, photo, or something else. To start, make sure your Mac’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both on, then open a Finder window. To share a file, simply drag and drop it onto the contact icon for the person you want in the AirDrop window. Also, just like on iOS, you can access AirDrop any time you see the Share button.

At iPhone Life, we use our 36 years of experience as a tech publisher to help millions of people master their Apple devices. Our experts obsessively test each tip, guide, and video we release to ensure you get all the hidden steps you won’t find anywhere else. Your Mac must be running at least OS X Yosemite or later, and your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch must be updated to iOS 8 or later. I do hope, though, that you’re not still running iOS 8! One more thing; both the sending and receiving device must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. If your device is compatible, but there is an issue with AirDrop, check out these troubleshooting tips.

How to AirDrop on Mac

Unfortunately, AirDrop does require Apple devices, so it isn’t compatible with Android or Windows devices. Instead of trying to clumsily share files using Dropbox, Google Drive, or some other cloud storage, it’s an immediate transfer from one device to another that (in most cases) takes only seconds. Depending on where you shared it, you may see a notification appear on your desktop or device’s screen. Choose Accept or, if it’s a photo, you can also choose Open in Photos.

Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices

It does not require any setup or signup, making it a convenient tool for quick and secure file transfers. As is the case with the majority of these solutions, any files transferred between devices will be saved directly to the Downloads folder on your Windows PC. This section aims to simplify this process by introducing you to the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol within the Files app on your iPhone. AirDrop, Apple’s proprietary file-sharing technology, has become a staple for seamless transfer between Apple devices.

Turn off cellular data for AirDrop

To share a file, open the image or file you want to send. If you leave AirDrop range, content you share will continue to send securely and in full quality over the Internet, so long as both you and the recipient are signed into iCloud. To use AirDrop to securely share app and website passwords with someone using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, see Share passwords or passkeys with people you trust on iPhone. If you’re using a VPN, make sure its configuration doesn’t prevent local networking, as that may interfere with some Continuity features. Transfers are encrypted for security, and the recipient can accept or decline each transfer as it arrives. You have several options for wirelessly sending content between Android to Windows, but Nearby Share is probably the easiest and most seamless experience of the bunch.