How to Turn on AirDrop on MacBook Pro

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One helpful feature on MacBook Pros that some people still don’t know about is AirDrop, a great tool to share and transfer files between Apple-based devices.

To turn on AirDrop on your MacBook Pro, go to Finder, click the “Go” menu, and select “AirDrop.” Next, enable it in the Finder window.  

I’m Jon, a MacBook Pro enthusiast, expert, and owner of a 2019 MacBook pro. I use AirDrop all the time to transfer files between iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

So, I put together this guide to help you turn on and use AirDrop on your MacBook Pro. Let’s get started. 

How to Turn on AirDrop on MacBook Pro

To use AirDrop to send and receive files from other devices, you first need to turn it on.

Here are the steps to walk you through the easy process of turning on AirDrop on a MacBook Pro.

1. Open up your Finder and from the top menu, click on the Go tab.
2. In the “Go” drop-down menu, click on AirDrop. You can also use a keyboard shortcut within your Finder to access this AirDrop menu by pressing Shift, Command, and R.
3. The AirDrop window will open; from here, you can ensure you have everything set up to send and receive files.
4. When this window opens, it prompts you to turn on your Bluetooth and WiFi connections. If no prompt comes up, everything should be ready to use AirDrop.
5. At the bottom of the window, click ” Allow me to be discovered ” and select Everyone.
6. Now AirDrop is turned on, and you can choose where you want to send or receive files to or from any nearby devices.

How to Use AirDrop to Send Files from Your MacBook Pro

After you have turned AirDrop on, you can start using it to send and receive files on your MacBook Pro.

This is another easy process, and by following the steps below, you’ll be able to send files with ease. 

An important thing to note is that the other device you send files to or receive from needs to be within range to make the connection happen. Usually, if the devices are in the same room, this is close enough.

Method 1 – Drag and Drop

1. Open the AirDrop window on your MacBook Pro.
2. Wait for available devices to appear within the window and choose which one you want to share with.
3. Go to the file location you wish to send.
4. Drag the file to the correct recipient.
5. Click send.

Method 2 – Share Feature

1. Go to the file location that you wish to share.
2. Highlight the file you want to send.
3. Control or right-click on the file and then click on Share.
4. Click AirDrop from the Share menu.
5. Find the device you want to send the file to and click Done.

How AirDrop Works

Now that we’ve shown how to turn AirDrop on and use it let’s explain how it works. 

AirDrop uses wireless power of Bluetooth LE connections to quickly transfer and send photos, videos, contacts, map locations, voice memos, and pretty much any other type of data you can fathom.

Bluetooth LE is a wireless file transfer system that allows you to broadcast and discover connections between other Bluetooth-enabled devices. This is a common feature on many different electronic devices these days, but AirDrop itself is specific to Apple devices such as your MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad, etc.

Using the AirDrop feature utilizes the powerful capabilities of Bluetooth and your Apple device simultaneously.

The AirDrop feature on your MacBook Pro will utilize both Bluetooth and WiFi to create an easy-to-use and high-speed file transfer connection known as WiFi-Direct.

AirDrop on your MacBook will search for other AirDrop-enabled devices within range and, once discovered, allow you to make large transfers happen in no time.

Final Thoughts

AirDrop is a convenient and easy-to-use feature on your MacBook Pro that makes it fast to transfer large files in a matter of seconds. And you can easily turn AirDrop on within Finder on your MacBook Pro. 

You can share files between devices in seconds if you are within range of another Apple device that is AirDrop enabled. If you want to transfer or receive files from your MacBook Pro, follow the steps above and see for yourself how easy AirDrop is to use.

Do you use AirDrop often? What type of files do you usually send or receive?

Jonathon is a mechanical engineer with over ten years of experience. He is an Apple fan who currently holds a Macbook Pro (512 GB, 16GB RAM), iPad Pro 12.9", iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple Watch 3, and 4x Acer 23" monitors.