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How to AirDrop from your Mac notch to an iPhone

Shelf and AirDrop Published

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Drag the file to the notch, drop it on the AirDrop zone and click your iPhone in the picker. NotchStar uses the standard macOS AirDrop sharing sheet, so any nearby device that can receive AirDrop appears in the same list, an iPhone included.

Steps

  1. Make sure the iPhone is awake and keep it near the Mac.
  2. Drag the file toward the notch and drop it on the AirDrop zone.
  3. In the picker, click the iPhone.
  4. Accept on the iPhone if it asks. If both devices use the same Apple Account, Apple says items are accepted and saved automatically.

If the iPhone does not show

  • WiFi and Bluetooth must be on for both devices (Apple, checked 4 November 2026).
  • The devices should be within about 10 metres.
  • With Contacts Only, the sender must be in the recipient’s contacts.
  • With macOS 26.2 or later, someone who is not in the contacts needs an AirDrop code shown on the receiving device. After one exchange Apple says sharing continues for 30 days without a new code.

NotchStar cannot change these settings. It only starts the send. See what the AirDrop zone does and the File Shelf page.

Quick answers.

Why is my iPhone not in the picker?

Check that the iPhone is awake and nearby, that WiFi and Bluetooth are on for both devices, and that its AirDrop receiving setting allows your Mac. Those settings belong to macOS and iOS, not NotchStar.

Link to this answer

Keep reading.

A shelf and an AirDrop zone in the notch
Park files in the notch while you work, then drag them out or AirDrop them. Drag a file toward the notch and the shelf opens by itself.
How to AirDrop a file from your Mac notch
Drag a file toward the notch and drop it on the AirDrop zone. The macOS AirDrop picker opens with the file attached. Pick a device to send.
What the AirDrop zone in the NotchStar shelf does
The AirDrop zone does not keep files. Whatever you drop on it opens the macOS AirDrop picker with those files attached, and nothing is stored.
What permissions the NotchStar shelf and AirDrop need
The shelf needs no account and no special file permission of its own. AirDrop needs WiFi and Bluetooth on, and a receiver who allows your Mac.

More in Shelf and AirDrop.

How to drop a file on the NotchStar shelf
Drag a file toward the notch and the Shelf tab opens. Drop it in the dashed zone and it waits there until you drag it out or send it.
How to open the NotchStar shelf by dragging a file
Drag a file toward the top of the screen near the notch and NotchStar opens the Shelf by itself. Let go elsewhere and it closes again.
Why the NotchStar shelf does not open for text or images
Drag to open reacts to files only. Text and images dragged from a web page do not open the shelf. Save the image as a file first, then drag it.
How to AirDrop a file from your Mac notch
Drag a file toward the notch and drop it on the AirDrop zone. The macOS AirDrop picker opens with the file attached. Pick a device to send.
What the AirDrop zone in the NotchStar shelf does
The AirDrop zone does not keep files. Whatever you drop on it opens the macOS AirDrop picker with those files attached, and nothing is stored.
What the NotchStar shelf remembers: locations, not contents
The shelf keeps the location of each file, like an alias, not a copy of its contents. Dragging out uses the original file on your disk.
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