Android File Transfer app: which apps do the same job on a Mac?

If you searched for the "Android File Transfer app", you probably want a Mac app that shows your phone's files and lets you drag them across. Google's own version is no longer offered: as of 26 October 2026, its old address android.com/filetransfer opens a Quick Share for Windows page. The job is now done by apps from other makers, and they split into three kinds by how they reach the phone: a cable, your Wi-Fi, or the phone's built-in sharing. This page sorts them that way, so you can pick by how you work. It does not crown a winner.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

How do the apps compare at a glance?

Which apps use a cable?

OpenMTP is the closest to the old app. You connect the phone, set USB to file transfer, and drag files between the two sides. Its page lists a separate build for Apple silicon and one for Intel, and says files over 4 GB are supported. Setup is in how to use OpenMTP.

Choose OpenMTP if you want free, you are happy with a cable, and you do not mind a separate window instead of Finder.

MacDroid mounts the phone so its contents show in Finder, per its page. The free version is limited, and its page says sending files from the Mac to the phone needs PRO. It also offers a Wi-Fi mode, which its page says involves turning on USB debugging on the phone first. See mounting an Android phone on a Mac.

Choose MacDroid if Finder is how you want to work and paying for PRO is acceptable. If you are choosing between the two cable apps, MacDroid vs OpenMTP goes line by line.

Which apps use Wi-Fi?

LocalSend sends files between devices on the same network, with no account and, its site says, no internet needed. Its page describes it as file sharing between nearby devices.

NearDrop is an unofficial, partial copy of Quick Share for the Mac, and its page says it is "Wi-Fi LAN only". Choose it if the phone's own Share menu is where you start. NearDrop or LocalSend compares the two.

KDE Connect is a larger tool whose download page offers a stable macOS build for ARM64. Whether it suits you depends on which of its features you want, so read KDE Connect on a Mac first.

Choose a Wi-Fi app if the cable is what you dislike and you send files in small batches.

What about no app at all?

Google says Quick Share can send to an iPhone through AirDrop, on the phones in its compatibility list. If your model is on that list, you may not need to install anything on the Mac. Check the list for your own model. See AirDrop from Android to a Mac for the steps.

When is The Relay the better pick, and when is it not?

The Relay is a different kind of app. You install it on the phone and the Mac, pair them by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac, and browse the phone's storage from a window on the Mac, dragging files either way over your own Wi-Fi network. The app sets no file-size limit. It also syncs the clipboard in both directions, shows notifications and calls, and copies login codes from texts to the Mac. See file transfer and browsing.

Choose The Relay if you want files and the rest of the phone-to-Mac list in one Mac app and a subscription is acceptable. Pick another app if you want a free tool, a cable, or something that works away from your home network, since The Relay has no USB mode and needs both devices on one network or in Bluetooth range. It is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial; start at the download page.

How do I choose in two minutes?

1. Do you want a cable and free? OpenMTP.
2. Do you want the phone in Finder? MacDroid, with its limits in mind.
3. Do you send a few files now and then, without a cable? LocalSend or NearDrop.
4. Is your phone on Google's AirDrop list? Try Quick Share first, since there is nothing to install.
5. Do you want the clipboard, notifications, and files together? The Relay.

Before you commit to any of them, send one real file, such as a large video, in each direction. A tool that fails that test fails it for you, whatever its page says.

Questions people ask

Is there an official Android File Transfer app for Mac now?

Not from Google. No Google page we opened offers the Mac app, and its USB help page lists steps for Windows and Chromebook only.

Do I need an app on the Android phone as well?

For the cable apps, the phone is set to a file transfer USB mode and nothing else is installed; MacDroid's page adds a USB debugging step for its Wi-Fi mode. For wireless apps such as LocalSend and The Relay, you install an app on the phone too.

Which app works on a new Mac with Apple silicon?

OpenMTP's page offers a build for each chip type. For KDE Connect the stable download is ARM64. See Android File Transfer on Apple silicon.

Is downloading from an unofficial site safe?

You cannot verify it against an official copy. Use the checklist in is Android File Transfer safe.