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Can you AirDrop between Mac and Windows? What to use instead

No. AirDrop only works between Apple devices, and Windows’ Nearby sharing only works between Windows PCs. Instead, use a cross-platform send app for a few files, or built-in network file sharing for big folders and regular use.

Why this is harder than it should be

  • Two quick-send systems that don’t talk. AirDrop and Nearby sharing each work only within their own platform.
  • Built-in sharing is a setup job. SMB file sharing works between Mac and Windows, but you turn it on, choose an account, set the network to Private, find an address and sign in.
  • It doesn’t stay connected. After sleep, a restart or a network change, the Mac drops the shared folder and you connect again.
  • Folders of small files crawl over network file sharing, however fast the link.
  • Wireless is slow for big jobs. AirDrop typically runs at about 320 Mb/s between Macs, and Wi-Fi send apps are limited to your network’s speed.
  • Drives don’t cross over easily. A Mac can’t write NTFS drives, and Windows can’t read Mac-formatted ones. Only exFAT works on both.

Send a few files with a cross-platform app

A free app such as LocalSend does what AirDrop does, between Mac, Windows, Linux and phones, over your local network. It suits occasional files. Large folders copy at Wi-Fi speed.

  1. Install the app on both computers, and connect both to the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. Open the app on the Mac. If macOS asks to let it find devices on your local network, click Allow.
  3. Open the app on the Windows PC. If Windows Security asks whether to allow it on networks, allow it on private networks.
  4. On the sending computer, choose the files, then choose the other computer from the list.
  5. On the receiving computer, accept the transfer.

If the other computer doesn’t appear, check that both are on the same network and that Windows treats it as Private (see below). Guest Wi-Fi networks often stop devices seeing each other.

Open a Windows folder from the Mac

Windows and macOS both have SMB file sharing built in, so one computer can open the other’s folders in its file manager. To share a folder from the PC, first make sure Windows allows sharing on your network:

  1. In Settings, choose Network & internet, then Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then your network’s properties.
  2. Under Network profile type, select Private network. Windows sets new networks to Public, which hides the PC and blocks sharing.
  3. Go back to Network & internet, choose Advanced network settings, then Advanced sharing settings.
  4. Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.

Then share the folder and find the PC’s address:

  1. In File Explorer, right-click the folder, choose Properties, then the Sharing tab.
  2. Click Share…, choose your user account, and click Share.
  3. Open Terminal, run ipconfig, and note the IPv4 Address of your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, for example 192.168.1.20.

On the Mac:

  1. In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server.
  2. Type smb:// followed by the PC’s address, for example smb://192.168.1.20, and click Connect.
  3. Choose Registered User and sign in with your Windows account. If you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, use its email address and password, not your PIN.
  4. Choose the shared folder. It opens in Finder and appears in the sidebar under Locations.

The PC may also appear under Network in Finder’s sidebar, but it isn’t always listed. Typing the address works when it isn’t.

Open a Mac folder from Windows

To go the other way, turn on file sharing on the Mac and allow Windows to sign in:

  1. In System Settings, choose General > Sharing, and turn on File Sharing.
  2. Click the info button next to File Sharing. Under Shared Folders, click + to add the folder you want to share.
  3. Click Options…. Under Windows File Sharing, select your account, enter its password, and click Done.
  4. Find the Mac’s address: in System Settings, choose Wi-Fi, click Details… next to your network, then TCP/IP.

On the Windows PC, type \\ followed by the Mac’s address in the File Explorer address bar, for example \\192.168.1.30, and press Enter. Sign in with your Mac account name and password.

What happens after sleep or a restart

The connection doesn’t survive everything. When either computer sleeps, restarts or changes network, the Mac usually drops the shared folder. Connect again from Go > Connect to Server, where recent servers are listed.

On Windows, add the Mac’s folder with Map network drive in File Explorer, and select Reconnect at sign-in to keep it there. The drive may show as disconnected until you open it. If the address changes, for example after the router restarts, you find it and connect again. See why a network share disconnects after sleep.

Common problems with Mac and Windows sharing

  • The PC doesn’t appear, or refuses the connection. The network is set to Public, or Network discovery is off. Recheck both settings above.
  • Sign-in fails. The Mac account isn’t selected under Windows File Sharing, or you used a Windows PIN instead of the account password.
  • Copies are slower than the network. Recent Windows 11 updates require SMB signing by default, which checks every packet and can lower copy speeds.
  • Folders of small files take far longer than their size suggests. File sharing makes several round trips for every file, so thousands of small files crawl even on a fast link.

If File Explorer can’t find the Mac at all, see File Explorer can’t see the other computer.

Connect them with a Thunderbolt or USB4 cable

If both computers have Thunderbolt 3 or newer, or USB4, a cable between them gives a fast private link for the same file sharing. Ordinary USB-C ports can’t do this. Check yours with how to tell if your laptop has Thunderbolt or USB4.

  • A new network on each side. The Mac adds Thunderbolt Bridge and Windows adds a USB4 network adapter, which shows as a new Ethernet connection. Set that connection to Private network as well.
  • Addresses start with 169.254. With no router on the cable, each computer gives itself one. Find the PC’s with ipconfig, and the Mac’s by running ipconfig getifaddr bridge0 in Terminal.
  • Use the cable’s address. If you connect using the computer’s name or its Wi-Fi address, the copy can travel over Wi-Fi instead of the cable.
  • Speeds differ by direction. In our tests on a 40 Gb/s link, the cable carried 24.2 Gb/s from Mac to Windows but 12.0 Gb/s from Windows to Mac, before any file copying.

For more on cable speeds, see why file sharing over Thunderbolt runs below the cable’s speed.

Use cloud storage or an exFAT drive

OneDrive, iCloud for Windows, Google Drive and Dropbox all run on both computers. They’re the easiest option for small files and when the computers aren’t together. Each file uploads and then downloads again, so large folders take as long as your internet connection allows.

An external drive formatted as exFAT works on both with no setup. A Mac can read but not write NTFS, and Windows can’t read Mac-formatted (APFS) drives. Every file is copied twice: onto the drive, then off it.