Turning on AirDrop on your Macbook Air is easy! All you need is another iOS device nearby and your Bluetooth settings turned on. You can use AirDrop to share files of any type: music, movies, photos as well as text documents such as PDFs and word documents like Word and Pages.
I’m a tech expert with 10+ years of experience using MacBooks and Apple products. From iPads to Apple Watches and everything in between, I know all the ins and outs of how to use Apple’s coolest tools.
In this article, I’m going to show you how to turn on AirDrop on your Macbook Air and how to troubleshoot AirDrop on your MacBook if you don’t see the feature. Then I’ll share some expert tips on how to use Airdrop to make your life easier.
Contents
Steps to Turn on AirDrop on MacBook Air
AirDrop lets you quickly and easily share files between Macs, iPads, and iPhones. If you have a MacBook Air, it’s important to understand how this feature works so that you can use it effectively when sharing files with others.
Here is how to open AirDrop from MacBook Air:
- Select AirDrop in the sidebar of a Finder window. Or choose Go > AirDrop from the menu bar.
- The AirDrop window shows nearby AirDrop users. Drag one or more documents, photos or other files to the recipient shown in the window.
- Or you can open the file you want to send, then click the Share button in the app window. For files in the Finder, you can also Control-click the file, then choose Share from the shortcut menu.
- Choose AirDrop from the sharing options listed.
- Choose a recipient from the AirDrop screen.
Airdrop is Apple’s implementation of WiFi direct file transfer between devices. Your Mac and all compatible iOS devices are able to use Airdrop to send files through the air, which makes it much faster than emailing or connecting via a USB cable.
AirDrop uses a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send and receive files. This means your Mac must have Wi-Fi connected to the same network as your phone in order for it to work.
If AirDrop Isn’t Working Properly on MacBook Air
AirDrop is designed to share files quickly with other Macs or iOS devices, but it can be tricky to get your MacBook Air and your iOS device to see each other properly.
If you can’t turn on AirDrop at all, restart your MacBook Air and re-try the steps above.
If your iOS device and MacBook can’t see or detect each other, make sure you’ve set the “Allow me to be discovered by:” to be Contacts Only or Everyone. Do not select No One.
If you can’t find the icon for Airdrop at all on your iPhone or iPad, you may be able to download an update from Apple that will allow you to use Airdrop again.
Here’s how:
- Launch the App Store.
- Click on Updates in the top menu bar
- Find iOS Software Update and click on it
- Click Download & Install
- Wait for the download to finish and then follow the prompts to install it
- After the installation is finished, go to Settings > General > Software Update and click “Download and Install” again
- This should restart your device and allow you to use Airdrop again
Final Words
To sum things up, AirDrop is a convenient way to send files between your iOS device or MacBook Air but there are some troubleshooting tips you might want to know before using it.
We hope this explains how AirDrop works on the MacBook Air as well as some tips on getting the best results from the wireless file-sharing service. If you have any questions about this article, feel free to post them in the comments section below.
