Android to Mac file transfer without Android File Transfer

Android to Mac file transfer used to mean Google's Android File Transfer app, but Google no longer links to a working download: the old download page now redirects to Quick Share for Windows, the app hasn't been updated since 2018, and there's no Quick Share for Mac. The free options that work in 2026 are AirDrop straight from newer Android phones, OpenMTP over a USB cable, same-Wi-Fi apps like NearDrop and LocalSend, and a browser on both devices, which needs no install and works across networks. Which one fits depends on your phone, the size of the job, and whether you can install anything.

Send files from Android to Mac (and back) without a cable

This is the wireless option with nothing to install on either side, and it doesn't matter whether the phone and your MacBook or iMac share a network. Use Chrome or another modern browser on the phone, and Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox on the Mac.

1. On the Android phone, open beamaroo.com, tap the drop area, choose your files and tap Get a code.
2. On the Mac, open beamaroo.com, click the Receive tab, type the code (it looks like beam-7-otter-quartz) and click Receive.
3. Check the number of files and the total size, then click Accept. Nothing transfers until you do.
4. The files stream from the phone to the Mac over an encrypted connection. When the Mac has checked every file, the phone shows Delivered ✔ — verified on their device.
5. If they don't download by themselves, click Save (or Save all). Files land in your Downloads folder, or wherever your browser saves downloads.

Keep the phone's screen on, with Beamaroo in front, until it says delivered: a locked phone can pause the tab, and an interrupted transfer has to start again. Each code works once, for 30 minutes, and a wrong guess burns it (how the pairing code works).

What happened to Android File Transfer for Mac?

Google no longer links to a working download. We checked on 31 October 2026: the old download page, android.com/filetransfer, redirects to Quick Share for Windows (android.com). The installer still sits on Google's download server, but it's version 1.0.12 from 2018 and built for Intel Macs only. Apple silicon Macs run it through Rosetta, and Apple says that from macOS 28, Rosetta will only run certain older games (Apple).

Google's Android help on moving files to a computer now gives cable steps for Windows and Chromebook only (Google), while its Pixel Tablet page still tells Mac owners to install Android File Transfer and links to that same redirected page (Google).

Quick Share doesn't fill the gap. Google's Quick Share desktop app needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later, and there's no Mac version. So on a Mac it's AirDrop from newer phones, a couple of built-in macOS tools, third-party apps, or a browser. The Quick Share for Mac guide covers the Quick Share side in more depth.

Can Android AirDrop to a Mac now?

From the right phones, yes. Since November 2025 Google's Quick Share has been able to send to AirDrop, and Google's Pixel help names macOS devices alongside iPhones and iPads. Sending works on Pixel 8a or later and on certain Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, vivo, Xiaomi, HONOR, Transsion and Motorola devices (Google). Google's iPhone page lists the exact models, such as the Galaxy S24, S25 and S26 series and recent Z foldables (android.com).

Sending from the phone

1. On the Mac, click Control Centre in the menu bar, click the arrow next to AirDrop and choose Everyone (Apple).
2. On a Samsung, turn on Share with Apple devices in Quick Share settings.
3. On the phone, tap Share, then Quick Share, and pick the Mac. Accept on the Mac, and the file usually lands in Downloads.

What can trip it up

Apple says AirDrop needs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and the devices within 10 metres, and Google's list is the limit: other Android phones won't see the Mac. Samsung's help lists MacBooks from 2020 or later as supported (Samsung). Going the other way, a Mac can AirDrop to a phone in Quick Share's receive mode, but Google only gives receiving steps for a Pixel 9 or later, not the 9a. If you have a supported phone and you're at your desk, this is the easiest option here.

USB cable options: OpenMTP, Image Capture and paid apps

A cable is still the best way to move a whole camera roll or a stack of big videos. Plug the phone in, get past the lock screen, tap the Charging this device via USB notification and choose File Transfer under Use USB for (Google's wording; other brands may label it differently). The Mac then needs an app that speaks MTP, the protocol Android uses for this.

• OpenMTP: free and open source (MIT licence), for macOS 10.14 or later, with an Apple silicon build. The Mac and the phone appear side by side and you drag files either way, including files over 4 GB. It's USB only (its FAQ says it doesn't do wireless), and if a Samsung shows up blank, the site suggests removing Samsung Smart Switch, which can block MTP (OpenMTP).
• Image Capture: built into macOS, it imports photos and videos from a camera or other device on a cable (Apple). Set the phone's USB mode to PTP and it shows up as a camera sharing only photos and videos (Sony explains the mode), so it's worth a try for a camera-roll dump. It won't see other files.
• MacDroid: a commercial app with USB and Wi-Fi modes, for macOS 11.5 or later (MacDroid). There's a free version with limited features and a paid Pro version, by yearly subscription or lifetime licence (MacDroid).

Wireless apps: NearDrop, LocalSend and Bluetooth

NearDrop, an unofficial Quick Share for Mac

NearDrop is a free, open-source Mac app that receives Quick Share from Android phones and can send back from the Mac's Share menu. It's Wi-Fi LAN only (in its developer's words, “your Android device and your Mac need to be on the same network”), your Mac stays visible to everyone on that network while it runs, and it isn't notarised by Apple, so the first time you open it you have to allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security (GitHub).

LocalSend

LocalSend is free and open source, runs on Android, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS, and works over your local network without internet. Its site says to install it on all your devices (LocalSend). For regular transfers on your own Wi-Fi it's excellent; as of October 2026 it just can't reach a phone on another network. See LocalSend vs Beamaroo.

Bluetooth, for small files

Macs can still receive over Bluetooth. Turn on Bluetooth Sharing in System Settings → General → Sharing (Apple's guide uses an Android phone as its example), and received files go to Downloads by default (Apple). To send back, open Bluetooth File Exchange from Applications → Utilities (Apple). Fine for a document or a few photos.

Mac to Android: sending files the other way

For Mac to Android file transfer without installing anything, swap roles in Beamaroo: choose the files on the Mac and click Get a code, scan the QR code on the Mac's screen with the phone's camera (the code fills itself in) or type the code, then tap Receive and Accept. The phone holds incoming files in its browser until they're saved, so keep each send to a few hundred MB; the app warns above 300 MB on a phone. Chrome saves to your default download location: look under Downloads in Chrome's menu or in your Files app (Google).

The other routes: AirDrop from the Mac to a supported phone in Quick Share's receive mode, NearDrop from the Mac's Share menu on the same Wi-Fi, OpenMTP by dragging files onto the phone over USB, or LocalSend on both. The same browser steps also work between Android and iPhone.

Big files: browser memory limits and when a cable wins

Beamaroo's limits come from the browser. The receiving side holds files in memory until they're saved, so a Mac is comfortable up to about 1–2 GB per transfer (the app warns above 1.5 GB) and a phone up to a few hundred MB. Multi-gigabyte transfers can fail. Streaming straight to disk is planned, not built.

It's also a live transfer: both devices online at once, screens on, and no resume if it drops. Folders need zipping first, or select the files inside; many files at once are fine, with Save all on the receiving side.

So for a whole camera roll, a folder of 4K footage or a phone you're about to wipe, use OpenMTP or another cable route. For a handful of files across the room or across town, a beam saves installing anything. More in how to send large files.

Android to Mac file transfer options compared

Where Beamaroo fits: no install on either end, any Android phone, any network, a delivery receipt, and nothing uploaded or stored. Where it doesn't: whole libraries, multi-gigabyte files, or a file someone needs to pick up later.