Quick Share for Mac: what actually works from Android in 2026

By Hamza · October 16, 2026

As of October 2026, Google doesn’t offer a Quick Share app for Mac. Its Quick Share page lists Android phones and Windows PCs,^[1] and its help page for moving files between a computer and an Android device has steps for Windows and Chromebook but none for Mac.^[2] What exists instead is a different route: on some recent Android phones, Quick Share can send to a Mac over AirDrop. Here is what works from Android to a Mac in 2026, depending on your phone.

If you searched for Nearby Share on Mac, it’s the same question: Google merged Nearby Share into Quick Share in 2024.^[3] I checked the sources below on October 15, 2026; lists and software change, so check the linked pages before you rely on them.

Quick Share for Mac options at a glance

Your situation	Use	Keep in mind
A supported recent phone and a Mac next to you	Quick Share to AirDrop	Built in; set the Mac to Everyone
Any Android phone on the same Wi-Fi, and you accept an unofficial app	NearDrop	Unofficial; same Wi-Fi only; not notarized
Any Android phone on the same Wi-Fi	LocalSend	Needs the app on both devices
A whole photo library or big videos	A USB cable with OpenMTP	Wired, no network needed
Large files when the phone and Mac are on different networks	Blip	Files only; work use needs a paid plan
Links, text and small files across networks, with history	fwd	Invite-only beta; files up to 25 MB

AirDrop from Android to Mac: Quick Share on supported phones

Google announced on November 20, 2025 that Quick Share could work with AirDrop, starting with the Pixel 10 family.^[4] Reports describe it working with iPhone, iPad and Mac, and Google has been adding phones through 2026.^[5] A June 3, 2026 roundup lists the Pixel 8a, Pixel 9 and 10 series (including the 9a and 10a), the Galaxy S24, S25 and S26 families and recent Galaxy foldables, the OnePlus 15, the Xiaomi 17T Pro, the OPPO Find X9 series and Find N6, the vivo X300 series and the Honor Magic V6. Samsung models must be on One UI 8.5.^[6] Support rolls out model by model, so the practical test is whether your Mac shows up in your phone’s Quick Share menu.

On the Mac, open Control Center, click the control next to AirDrop and choose who can send you items; Apple’s guide lists Contacts Only and Everyone.^[7] Choose Everyone. Contacts Only doesn’t work across platforms yet,^[6] and Google’s guidance for the Apple device is “Everyone for 10 minutes”.^[8] Then share from the phone, choose Quick Share and pick the Mac. Apple’s guide also describes an AirDrop code step on macOS 26.2 and later when the sender isn’t in your contacts;^[7] I couldn’t find a source on how that applies to Android senders, so if your Mac asks for a code, follow the prompt.

This needs both devices nearby, because AirDrop is for nearby Apple devices.^[7] It also doesn’t help with older or budget phones that aren’t on the list. The same method is covered in the Android to Mac guide and in AirDrop for Android and Windows.

Nearby Share for Mac: NearDrop, an unofficial app

NearDrop is a free, open-source menu bar app that describes itself as a partial implementation of Google’s Nearby Share and Quick Share for macOS. It saves received files to your Downloads folder, and you send from the Mac through the Finder’s Share menu.^[9] Its README lists the limits: the Android phone and the Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi network, and the Mac is visible to everyone on that network while the app runs. Sending from the Mac to the phone takes an extra step, because macOS apps can’t make the phone appear on their own: on Samsung phones you scan a QR code that NearDrop shows, and on other Android phones you can use the Quick Share button in the Google Files app.^[9] The developer also says the app is not notarized, so macOS asks you to confirm opening it; the latest release I saw was 2.2.2, from September 19, 2026.^[9]

It’s the closest thing to Quick Share on a Mac for phones that don’t support AirDrop. It’s unofficial, so decide for yourself whether you trust it.

Other options

LocalSend is free and open source, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It needs no account, uses your local Wi-Fi instead of the internet, and encrypts transfers with HTTPS.^[10] OpenMTP is a free, open-source macOS app that connects to Android over a USB cable using MTP; it needs macOS 10.14 or later.^[11] Blip sends files and folders of any size over the internet and its site describes the transfers as end-to-end encrypted. It’s free for non-commercial use.^[12]

Where fwd fits

I’m building fwd (pronounced “forward”) for the other half of moving things to a Mac: links, text and small files you want to find again, from a phone that may be on cellular data. It isn’t a Quick Share or AirDrop replacement for big files. On the Mac it’s a menu bar app, and on Android you send from the share sheet. Here is what it does today.

Where it runs: a Chrome extension (Chrome 121 or later; it also works in other Chromium browsers such as Comet, Dia, Arc, Edge and Brave), an Android app for Android 8 or later, and a macOS menu bar app for macOS 14 or later (Apple silicon and Intel, signed and notarized) that receives while the browser is closed, as long as it is running and the Mac is awake and online. The Android app is in closed testing on Google Play: you join a Google Group, opt in as a tester, then install from Play. Downloads.
What it sends: links, text and files in any direction between your own devices, to one device or to all of them. It works over the internet, so the devices don’t need to share a Wi-Fi network or be online at the same time; the server holds only ciphertext until delivery.
Privacy: content is encrypted on your device and the server can’t read it. The service still sees operational data such as your email address. How the encryption works.
Sign-in and new devices: your email plus a one-time code, with no Google account needed to sign in (the Android install currently goes through Google Play). You add a device by scanning a QR code or matching emojis on a device that’s already signed in.
Availability and price: a private beta, so new accounts need an invite code; invitations go to the waitlist in batches starting October 16, 2026. It’s free during the beta and the free plan continues afterwards: 25 MB per file, 1 GB of storage and 5 devices. The first 100 accounts to finish setup become founding members, with 100 MB files, 5 GB and 10 devices, free for as long as fwd runs.
Not included yet: an iPhone app, a native Windows or Linux app, a Firefox extension, notification mirroring, sending SMS from your computer, automatic clipboard sync, a public API and importing Pushbullet history. Clipboard text can be sent manually. On Windows and Linux, the Chrome extension is the option, with the browser running.

If you only need to move one photo to a Mac next to you, use Quick Share to AirDrop or NearDrop. If it’s links and files across networks, join the waitlist.

Which one should you use?

Supported phone, Mac nearby, one file: Quick Share to AirDrop.
Other Android phone, same Wi-Fi, open to an unofficial app: NearDrop, or LocalSend with the app on both devices.
Whole libraries or big videos: a USB cable with OpenMTP.
Large files from anywhere: Blip.
Links, text and small files across networks, with a history: fwd.

Related guides

Sources

Checked on October 16, 2026.

Quick Share app: Android to Windows PC file transfer. Google.
Transfer files between your computer & Android device. Android Help.
Google and Samsung are merging Nearby Share and Quick Share into a singular cross-Android solution. TechCrunch, January 9, 2024.
Android Quick Share can now work with iOS’s AirDrop. Google, November 20, 2025.
AirDrop-Quick Share Interoperability Expanding to More Android Phones. MacRumors, February 11, 2026.
These Android phones can use AirDrop with iPhone, Mac. 9to5Google, June 3, 2026.
Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices (Mac User Guide). Apple Support.
Quick Share: Fast and Seamless File Sharing. Android.
grishka/NearDrop. GitHub.
LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices. LocalSend.
OpenMTP: Android File Transfer for macOS. OpenMTP.
Blip: The fastest way to send files. Blip Studio.