In the case of the Mac Pro, you should have the 2013 or newer model.Īs explained earlier, the older Macs can use the legacy AirDrop, but only if they’re running on macOS Mojave or older, and are airdropping files to another Mac running Mac OS X Lion to Mavericks. To use AirDrop on Mac, you must have the 2012 or newer model (except the 2012 Mac Pro). The iPhones and iPads need to be running on iOS 7 or newer.

Which devices work with AirDrop?ĪirDrop can work with iPhones, iPod touch, iPads, and Macs. It also creates a firewall between devices, so no one can access your phone or computer over the connection. You can also share pretty much everything between devices.įor data security, AirDrop uses TLS encryption over the peer-to-peer network, so your data is secure as well as private. So you can transfer files as large as you want, given there's enough space on the recipient device. You can be anywhere with or without internet, as long as you have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi working on both devices. * The MacBook Pro (17-Inch Late 2008) and the white MacBook (Late 2008) do not support AirDrop.Since it uses a peer-to-peer connection, the two devices don’t need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010).

If your Mac is the same as, or newer than, the models listed below, then it supports AirDrop. Macs that support AirDrop in OS X Lion and later: Voil á ! You’re done!Īn advantage to Apple’s AirDrop is that it is network agnostic meaning that you'll see their Mac regardless of whether they are on your own network or not! As soon as they accept your request, your file will automatically transfer to that person’s Downloads folder. Your Mac will send a file sharing request to that person and that request will appear as a pop-up on their screen. To share a file, you simply drag it onto the other person’s Mac icon.

In other words, in order to share via AirDrop, each Mac will have to have AirDrop running. After invoking AirDrop, momentarily, it will automatically discover all the other Macs that are also running AirDrop near your Mac.

You can also find AirDrop on the left sidebar of any Finder window. To use AirDrop, go to the Finder and either choose Go > AirDrop or press Shift-Command-R. Apple’s AirDrop is one of the great new features of OS X Lion (10.7) and Mountain Lion (10.8), and it provides a really easy way to share files between supported Wi-Fi-enabled Macs without having to connect through the local Wi-Fi network! You simply drag and drop your files to other AirDrop users.

Share files using airdrop