NearDrop not working: what its developer says to check

When NearDrop is not working, start with the network. NearDrop only works when the Android phone and the Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network, and its developer says some public networks stop devices talking to each other at all. If the phone sees the Mac but nothing happens after you send, turn off Do Not Disturb on the Mac and look in Notification Center. If the Mac cannot see the phone, that is by design: you have to scan the QR code NearDrop shows, every time.

All of the causes below come from the NearDrop README on GitHub, which has a short FAQ and a Limitations section. Where it leaves a symptom uncovered, we say so and give the checks that Apple and Google document. Setup is in How to use NearDrop.

Symptom, cause, fix

My phone does not see the Mac. What do I check?

The README's answer is short, and all of it is about the network. Here it is as steps, with the Mac-side settings added from Apple's pages.

1. Is NearDrop running? It has no window. Look for its icon in the menu bar. If you removed the icon, open the app again while it is running to bring it back.
2. Same Wi-Fi network. The README is blunt: "Your Android device and your Mac need to be on the same network for this app to work." A phone on mobile data, or on the guest network while the Mac is on the main one, will not find it.
3. Not a public network. The README names coffee shops and hotels as places where local communication "may not work".
4. Your own router. The README says to "check your router settings to make sure it's not blocking local devices from talking to each other". It does not name the setting.
5. Local Network permission. The README does not mention this. Apple's Mac User Guide says you control which apps may "find and communicate with devices on your local network" under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network. If NearDrop is in that list, make sure it is switched on.
6. The Mac's firewall. Also not in the README. Apple's firewall page says that when an app you have not approved receives a connection, an alert asks whether to allow it, and until you answer, "any attempts to connect to the app are denied". Look for that alert. The list is under System Settings, Network, Firewall, Options.

The Mac does not see my phone. Is it broken?

No. It is a limit of the app. Sending from the Mac never finds the phone automatically. The README explains that Android only makes itself visible when it hears a particular Bluetooth signal, and macOS does not let apps send it.

The routine:

1. In Finder, right-click the file, choose Share, then NearDrop.
2. NearDrop shows a QR code. Scan it with the phone. Google's Quick Share help says the default camera app can scan a Quick Share code in photo mode on many phones, and that if yours cannot, there is a Scan QR code tile in Quick Settings.
3. Accept on the phone.

On a Samsung Galaxy the README says the QR code is the only way. On a Pixel or another non-Samsung phone you can instead tap the Quick Share button in the Google Files app.

I get a PIN on the phone and nothing on the Mac. Why?

The transfer is waiting for you to accept it on the Mac, and the Mac has not shown you the request. The README gives two causes. Do Not Disturb is on, so the notification is silenced. Or the notification went straight to Notification Center, which the developer says happens rarely and that he is "not sure why". Open Notification Center on the Mac and accept it there.

What does the README not cover?

• Transfers that start and then fail. There is no entry for this. The general checks are the ones above.
• VPNs. Not mentioned. Other local-network tools do name them: LocalSend's README says "some VPNs block local network connections by default". If a VPN is running on either device, turn it off for the test.

What if NearDrop will not work on my network?

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 1 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

A network that blocks devices from reaching each other is a problem for any tool that sends directly between a phone and a Mac over Wi-Fi. That includes LocalSend. The Relay also works over your own Wi-Fi network, with Bluetooth as a fallback, so it is not something to buy as a cure for a blocked network. On a network like that, use a route that goes through the internet, such as the Quick Share QR code, or a USB cable.

On a network that does allow it, there are two reasons to look past NearDrop. If your phone is on Google's supported list, Quick Share can send to the Mac over AirDrop with no Mac app at all. And if the QR step wears thin, The Relay's file transfer and browsing shows the phone's storage in a Mac window so you drag files in either direction. That costs $19.99 once. NearDrop is free.

Questions people ask

Why does my Mac not show up in Quick Share with NearDrop running?

The README's answer is that the two devices are not on the same Wi-Fi network, or the network is blocking devices from talking to each other. It says some public networks do this. On your own network, check the router's settings.

Does NearDrop work over Bluetooth or without Wi-Fi?

No. Its README lists "Wi-Fi LAN only" as a limitation and says Bluetooth "needs further reverse engineering". Both devices must be on the same network.

Why do I have to scan a QR code to send from my Mac?

Because the phone will not make itself visible otherwise. The README says Android waits for a Bluetooth broadcast that macOS does not allow apps to send, so scanning NearDrop's QR code is how the phone is told to connect.