Quick Share for Mac: is there a download, and what works instead?

There is no Quick Share app for Mac from Google. Google's download is Quick Share for Windows, and its help pages list Android, Chromebooks, and Windows PCs as the places Quick Share runs. You can still get Quick Share files onto macOS in two ways: on newer phones, Quick Share can send straight to the Mac's AirDrop, and on any Android phone, a free Mac app called NearDrop makes the Mac show up as a Quick Share device. Quick Share is the feature that used to be called Nearby Share, so everything here applies to a search for Nearby Share on a Mac too.

Is there a Quick Share for Mac download?

No. Here is what Google's own pages say, as of 1 October 2026:

• The Quick Share for Windows page offers one download, a Windows installer. Its requirements are "Windows computers (i.e. desktops and laptops) running a 64-bit version of Windows 10 and up (or Windows 11 and up for ARM-based devices)". No Mac version is offered or mentioned.
• The Quick Share help page says Quick Share "is available on Android 6+ devices, Chromebooks, and on select Windows PCs through our Quick Share for Windows App". macOS is not in that sentence.

The same help page confirms the name change: "This feature was previously known as Nearby Share."

So if a site offers you a "Quick Share for Mac" installer and claims it is Google's, it is not. The real options are below.

Can Quick Share send to a Mac without any app?

On some phones, yes, by way of AirDrop. Google's help page has a section called "Send content to an iPhone, iPad, or macOS device". It says you can do this from a Pixel 8a or later, and from certain Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, Transsion, and Motorola devices.

1. On the Mac, turn on AirDrop and set it to receive from everyone. Google calls the setting "Everyone for 10 minutes".
2. On the phone, open the file, tap Share, then Quick Share.
3. Choose the Mac in the list of nearby devices.
4. Accept the AirDrop prompt on the Mac.

The Mac receives it as an ordinary AirDrop transfer, so nothing needs installing. The catch is the phone list. The models are named in AirDrop from Android to a Mac, along with the steps for sending from the Mac back to the phone.

For phones that are not supported, the same Google page describes a QR code route: tap Use QR code in Quick Share and the other device opens a web page to download the files. Google says those files are uploaded to its servers, stay available for 24 hours, and are capped at 10 GB every 24 hours. Both devices need internet access.

What is NearDrop?

NearDrop is a free app for macOS that its author describes as "a partial implementation of Google's Nearby Share/Quick Share". It is not made by Google. In the README's words, "The app lives in your menu bar and saves files to your downloads folder."

With NearDrop running, the Mac appears in the Quick Share list on Android phones on the same network. That works with any phone that has Quick Share, not only the ones on Google's AirDrop list.

What NearDrop can do

• Receive files from Android. Send from the phone's Quick Share menu, accept the notification on the Mac, and the file lands in Downloads.
• Send files from the Mac. The README says to right-click a file in Finder, choose Share, then NearDrop. Links can be sent from an app's File, Share menu.

What NearDrop cannot do

The README lists these limits itself:

• Wi-Fi on the same network only. The phone and the Mac must be on the same local network. Google's Quick Share can also use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, and other methods. NearDrop cannot.
• Always visible. The Mac is "visible to everyone on your network at all times" while the app is running. There is no contacts-only option.
• The Mac cannot find the phone by itself. When sending from the Mac, the phone has to be made visible first. The README says you scan a QR code that NearDrop generates. On non-Samsung phones you can instead tap the Quick Share button in the Google Files app. On Samsung devices, the README says the QR code is the only option.
• Not notarized by Apple. The first launch is blocked by a warning. The README's fix is to right-click the app in Finder and choose Open, or to allow it under System Settings, Privacy and Security.
• It may not work on public Wi-Fi. The README notes that coffee shop and hotel networks often block devices from talking to each other.

How to install NearDrop

1. Download the latest build from the releases section of the NearDrop GitHub page.
2. Unzip it and move NearDrop to the Applications folder.
3. Right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm.
4. On the phone, share a file with Quick Share and pick the Mac.
5. Accept the notification on the Mac. If nothing appears, the README suggests checking that Do Not Disturb is off.

What are the alternatives to Quick Share on a Mac?

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.

LocalSend describes itself as a free, open-source app that shares files with nearby devices over the local network without an internet connection. It lists macOS 11 Big Sur and Android 7.0 as minimum versions. Because it runs its own app on both ends, it does not rely on Quick Share at all. We compare it with NearDrop in NearDrop or LocalSend.

When is The Relay the better fit?

If your question was only "how do I receive a Quick Share file on my Mac", NearDrop or the AirDrop route answers it for free, and you should use one of those.

The Relay is a different kind of tool. It does not use Quick Share and does not make the Mac a Quick Share device. Instead it gives you a window on the Mac that browses the phone's storage, so you pull files off the phone, or push them to it, from the keyboard side. Files move over your local network and are not uploaded to The Relay's servers.

It also covers what a file-sharing tool never will: the clipboard syncs both ways, incoming texts and login codes appear on the Mac, notifications and calls show up there, and the phone's camera can be the Mac's webcam. It needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Reasons not to buy it for this: it is not free, it will not help you receive a Quick Share file from a friend's phone, and it only works when your phone and Mac are on the same network or within Bluetooth range.

Questions people ask

Can I download Quick Share for Mac?

No. Google offers Quick Share for Windows only, and its requirements list Windows 10 and Windows 11. There is no macOS version on Google's download page.

Is Nearby Share for Mac the same thing?

Yes. Google's help page says Quick Share was previously known as Nearby Share. There was no Nearby Share app for Mac from Google either. NearDrop was written to fill that gap, and its README still uses both names.

Is NearDrop safe to use?

That is your call to make, and here is what its own page tells you. It is an unofficial, open project with its code on GitHub. It is not notarized by Apple, which is why macOS warns you on first launch. While it runs, your Mac is visible to every device on the same network. If that visibility bothers you on shared networks, quit the app when you are not using it.

Why does my Mac not appear in Quick Share on my phone?

With NearDrop, check that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network and that the network allows devices to see each other. With the AirDrop route, check that your phone is on Google's supported list and that AirDrop on the Mac is set to receive from everyone.

Does Samsung Quick Share work with a Mac?

On the Galaxy models that Google lists as supporting AirDrop, yes, after turning on Share with Apple devices in Quick Share settings. On other Galaxy phones, NearDrop works for receiving on the Mac. For sending from the Mac to a Samsung phone, NearDrop's README says its QR code is the only way to make the phone visible.