What you will achieve

Fix AirDrop when Mac does not see iPhone or other Mac, or transfers fail mid-way.

AirDrop uses Bluetooth discovery and Wi‑Fi Direct transfer between Apple devices. Visibility set to Contacts Only requires both parties in Contacts with Apple ID emails. VPN and client-isolated Wi‑Fi break discovery even when internet works fine.

1) Settings both ends

Mac: General → AirDrop & Handoff — allow Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 minutes.
iPhone: Control Centre → AirDrop — same visibility.
Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi on — AirDrop uses both; cellular off is fine.

2) Firewall

System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options — ensure Block all incoming connections is off; AirDrop needs incoming.

3) Distance and VPN

Same room works best. Disable VPN on both devices — many VPNs break mDNS discovery.

4) Reset discovery

Toggle AirDrop to Receiving Off and back. Restart Bluetooth. On Mac, logout/login iCloud if devices never appear in Contacts Only mode.

5) Personal hotspot conflict

iPhone hotspot active sometimes blocks AirDrop — turn hotspot off during transfer.

6) Older Mac Bluetooth LE

Pre-2012 Macs lack AirDrop to iOS — use USB cable and Image Capture or cloud intermediary. Between two old Macs, both need Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth 4.

7) Corporate Wi‑Fi client isolation

Many office WLANs block client-to-client — AirDrop fails while internet works. Use cable iPhone hotspot between Macs or USB drive sneaker-net.

8) Large transfers

AirDrop 10 GB video may timeout — use wired connection or iCloud Drive link. Keep Mac awake during transfer — disable sleep in Battery settings.

Verify

Receiver shows in AirDrop sheet; test photo transfers; no “Failed” after progress bar.

Additional troubleshooting notes

If steps above do not resolve the issue on the first attempt, reboot once, confirm System Settings → General → Software Update is current, and retry with a second administrator account to rule out profile or keychain corruption in your daily user. Document exact error text from Console.app with timestamp — vague “it still fails” without logs wastes support time. On Apple Silicon, re-test after full shutdown (not just restart) because firmware and Thunderbolt controllers reset only on cold boot. Intel Macs should repeat test in Safe Mode to bypass third-party login items. Before erase or keychain reset, verify Time Machine or clone backup completed — batch 3 guides assume Monterey/Ventura/Sonoma/Sequoia paths in System Settings; search Spotlight for renamed panes if your macOS version labels differ slightly.