Why won’t my MacBook Pro accept AirDrop files from any device?

Here is some of Apple's guidance for AirDrop:

Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices - Apple Support

Change AirDrop & Handoff settings on Mac - Apple Support

Meanawhile, if a simple reboot of your Mac doesn’t fix things, see if the problem still happens in safe mode.  Safe mode will often correct weird software behavior by forcing the OS to clear caches, do disk repair and other self-maintenance and housekeeping and temporarily disables third-party mods.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 

Does the problem go away in Safe mode? 

If so, this may indicate a software conflict. Have you installed any anti-virus, cleaning, security or VPN software? If so, disable or uninstall it. Apps of those types are unnecessary on the Mac and often cause problems.

You can exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then reevaluate the problem.

philreises wrote:

Hi all,

I have a new Macbook pro with M4 chip. I can airdrop from the Mac, but when i want to airdrop to it, it's stuck in waiting.

I've tried all the troubleshooting arcticles, also ran the first aid in recovery mode. Still not working.

I am running on the newest iOS (26.1) and MacOS (Version 26.1 (25B78)), same wifi, bluetooth enabled, hotspot disabled, etc. I am not even getting the notification on the mac to accept or decline the airdrop.

What is also weird is that i do not have the "airdrop" option in my finder. When i try to select it to show in my favorites, it unselects itself everytime. What is going on?

Any ideas that i can try?

I think there might be a hidden privacy feature that is turned on on my mac that won't allow it to receive airdrops?

See if there is anything here

Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices