# What is an AirDrop code on a Mac (macOS 26.2 and later) > From macOS 26.2, a sender who is not in your contacts needs an AirDrop code. How it works, how long it lasts and how to end sharing with a person. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-code-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. An AirDrop code is a short check that macOS 26.2 and later ask for when the person sending you something is not in your contacts. You choose to receive, share the code shown on your Mac with the sender, and they type it on their device. Apple's guide describes the feature for iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2 or later. ## How it works, as Apple describes it 1. A sender who is not in your contacts tries to AirDrop to you. 2. You choose to receive the item and select Continue. 3. Your Mac shows a code. Share it with the sender. 4. The sender enters the code on their device. If you are the sender and the receiver needs a code, the receiver can click or tap Get AirDrop Code and read it out to you. ## How long it lasts After one successful code, Apple says you can share with that person for 30 days without another code. To stop sooner, open the Contacts app, find the person in your Other Known list, and select Forget This Person. That ends the arrangement, and the next transfer needs a new code. ## Why it matters for the Everyone setting Before this feature, the way to receive from a stranger was to switch your Mac to Everyone. With a code, you can leave your Mac on Contacts Only and still take a file from someone new. Read [AirDrop settings](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-settings-contacts-only-everyone/) for the audience options. ## If you are on an older macOS The code requirement belongs to macOS 26.2 or later. Check your version in the Apple menu and System Settings. On an older version, you will not see code prompts, and the Contacts Only and Everyone rules work as before. ## If the transfer fails at the code step Check the usual requirements, which are `Wi-Fi` and Bluetooth on and the devices within 30 feet (10 meters). If the sender never appears, see [AirDrop not showing up](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-not-showing-up-on-mac/). Dragging files from several places into one drop zone is a separate problem. NotchStar's [File Shelf](https://www.notchstar.com/features/file-shelf/) helps with that, and it opens the standard macOS picker for the actual send. For the basics, read [how to AirDrop from a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-airdrop-from-mac/). ## Keep reading. - [AirDrop settings on a Mac: Contacts Only and Everyone](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-settings-contacts-only-everyone/): How to choose who can AirDrop to your Mac: open Control Center, click AirDrop, pick Contacts Only or Everyone. Plus Everyone for 10 Minutes on iPhone. - [AirDrop not showing up on a Mac: why a device is missing](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-not-showing-up-on-mac/): If a device or contact does not appear in your Mac's AirDrop window, check Contacts Only and Everyone, WiFi and Bluetooth, and distance. - [How to AirDrop from a Mac to another device](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-airdrop-from-mac/): Send a file from your Mac with AirDrop in two ways: the Share button in an app, or the AirDrop window in Finder. Steps, requirements and the 30 foot range. - [A shelf and an AirDrop zone in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/file-shelf/): 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. ## More in AirDrop and files. - [How to AirDrop from a Mac to another device](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-airdrop-from-mac/): Send a file from your Mac with AirDrop in two ways: the Share button in an app, or the AirDrop window in Finder. Steps, requirements and the 30 foot range. - [AirDrop not working on a Mac: what to check, in order](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-not-working-on-mac/): A short ordered checklist for AirDrop failing on a Mac: WiFi, Bluetooth, distance, the visibility setting, then a restart. Based on Apple's own guidance. - [AirDrop stuck waiting on a Mac: what to try](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-stuck-on-waiting-mac/): If an AirDrop transfer on your Mac just waits, check that the receiver accepted, the distance, WiFi and Bluetooth and their setting, then restart. - [Is there an AirDrop history on a Mac? Where to look](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-history-on-mac/): macOS has no AirDrop history list that Apple documents. Find what you sent or received, including AirDropped photos, in Downloads, the receiving app and Finder. - [AirDrop settings on a Mac: Contacts Only and Everyone](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/airdrop-settings-contacts-only-everyone/): How to choose who can AirDrop to your Mac: open Control Center, click AirDrop, pick Contacts Only or Everyone. Plus Everyone for 10 Minutes on iPhone. - [Where do AirDrop files go on a Mac?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-do-airdrop-files-go-on-mac/): Files you receive by AirDrop go to the app they came from or to your Downloads folder. How to find a received file when you cannot see it.