AirDrop didn't save after accepting. Can I recover the files?

Is the library you are currently using set as the system library. Airdrop to photos will put them in the system library. So it may be they are in a different library from the one you are currently opening.

Try holding down the option key while starting photos to see what libraries are on your system. If more than one, have a look at each to see if they contain your missing pics.

If not, then something has gone wrong with the transfer. You could try a spotlight search of “this mac” for image files, and sort it by file date. If you can’t find them then I see little chance of recovery. You should take it as a learning experience to make sure you always check a file has been copied successfully before deleting the original.

Hi there berika8,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities.

We understand you lost a few photos that were sent using Airdrop, but did not save in Photos app. If you know the name of the photos, you can use Spotlight to search for them, but without the photos being saved on any available device, there's no way to recover them.

Review Use AirDrop on iPhone to send items to nearby devices

Regards.