AirDrop · Windows and Android

AirDrop for Windows or Android: what actually exists

No, you cannot AirDrop to a Windows PC, and only a few recent Android phones (Pixels first) can receive from AirDrop, through Quick Share. Everything else sold as “AirDrop for Windows” or “AirDrop for Android” is a different app under a borrowed name. Here is what each side really offers, and how to get the same gesture — point, send, done — between an iPhone, an Android, a Mac and a PC.

On the computer: Windows · MacOn the phone: App Store · Google Play

Can you AirDrop to a PC?

No. AirDrop is built into iOS and macOS and talks only to other Apple devices. There is no AirDrop app for Windows from Apple, and no setting on the iPhone that makes a PC appear in the share sheet. Any Windows program that promises AirDrop is using its own protocol and needs its own app on the iPhone.

Does AirDrop work with Android?

Only on some recent Android phones, Pixels first, and only with the Apple device set to be discoverable by “Everyone for 10 Minutes”: those phones reach AirDrop through Quick Share. A Samsung or any older Android does not appear in the AirDrop list. Apple also documents that AirDrop may send a converted copy (JPEG, H.264) when the receiver does not support HEIC or HEVC — see why AirDrop can lower video quality.

The AirDrop equivalent for Windows: what exists

Phone Link shows an Android 11+ phone in File Explorer on Windows 11, mirrors messages and calls, and on iPhone only takes files through the share sheet. Quick Share for Windows pairs an Android phone with a PC that has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi; it does not exist for Mac and does not talk to an iPhone. Bluetooth file transfer works from Android to Windows at a fraction of a megabyte per second, and not at all from an iPhone.

The AirDrop gesture for all four devices

ZiggSend is the closest thing to AirDrop that covers iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows at once. Install it on the computer and the free app on the phone, on the same Wi-Fi. On the phone, tap Connect phone or computer and point the camera at the QR code on the computer; between two phones, one shows its QR and the other reads it. From then on, sending is one gesture, the file arrives as the original, and a SHA-256 check proves it. Measured: 806 MB in 46 s on home Wi-Fi; up to 49.7 MB/s from a Mac to an iPhone.

About the apps called “AirDrop for Android” in the stores

None of them is AirDrop. Some are fine local-transfer apps (LocalSend, for one, is free and open source); others carry ads, need an account or route files through a server. Before installing, check whether the app also exists for the other device you want to reach, and whether it says what it does with the file on arrival.

Measured, not promised. 22 GB in 184 files with 0 failures from an Android to a Mac over a USB 2 cable (about 28 MB/s); an 806 MB video over home Wi-Fi in 46 s; up to 49.7 MB/s over Wi-Fi from a Mac to an iPhone. Every file is checked against the original on arrival. How we measure.

What people ask before they trust a transfer app

“I don’t trust my private photos to a site I don’t know.”

Neither do we. ZiggSend has no site in the middle: the file goes from one device to the other over your home Wi-Fi (or, from Android to a Mac, a cable), and no file is stored anywhere else. The computer app only contacts ZiggSend to check for updates, to register a random install ID when it opens and, once you buy it, to activate the license and check its status once a day; the privacy policy lists exactly what goes out.

“Mine fails at 64% every time.”

A transfer that breaks resumes where it stopped. Every file is written as a temporary part and only gets its final name after the SHA-256 check passes — you never end up with a half file that looks whole.

“I’m out of space and need to empty the phone.”

Move everything to the computer first: only files that pass the SHA-256 check get their final name, and History shows each fingerprint. Then delete on the phone. Originals, no size limit.

Free forever, on your phone and on your computer.

No account, no ads, no limits. Want to help ZiggSend grow and keep improving? Become a Founder for $9.99, once.

Get ZiggSend

On the computer: Windows · MacOn the phone: App Store · Google Play

Questions people actually ask

Is there an AirDrop equivalent for Windows, official or not?

No. Apple does not make AirDrop for Windows, and Windows does not include a receiver for it. Phone Link and Quick Share for Windows are Microsoft’s and Google’s own paths, each for its own phones.

Can a Samsung phone AirDrop to an iPhone?

Not today. AirDrop from Android has reached only some recent phones, Pixels first, through Quick Share. Between a Samsung and an iPhone you need an app on both sides, such as ZiggSend over Wi-Fi.

Is there a free AirDrop alternative for PC?

Yes. ZiggSend is free on the phone and on the computer, with no account; LocalSend is free and open source. Both move the file directly over your Wi-Fi.

Does AirDrop reduce photo or video quality?

It can. Apple documents that HEIC and HEVC may be shared in a more compatible format when the receiver does not support them, which is a re-encode. A transfer that sends the file byte for byte, like ZiggSend, does not.

Can I send files without being on the same network?

Not with ZiggSend, by design: it only moves files between devices on the same Wi-Fi (or, from Android to a Mac, a cable), so your files never leave your network. For sending to someone on another network, use a cloud link (Drive, WeTransfer) or WhatsApp as a document — and mind their limits: every limit for a large video.

What is the best app for this — and is it free?

Depends on what “best” means to you. For casual sharing, LocalSend (free, open source, and since version 1.18 with a SHA-256 check on every file) is honest and good. For a camera roll, a client’s footage or anything you cannot afford to lose, ZiggSend: originals only, no size limit, resume, a check of the whole file already on disk, and each file’s fingerprint in the history for you to check. ZiggSend is free forever, on your phone and on your computer, with everything included (several phones, full history, automatic folders) — see pricing. Side by side: ZiggSend vs LocalSend.

Related guides

Videos from iPhone to a PC or laptop without compressionVideos from Android to iPhone without compressionVideos from Android to a Mac or MacBook without compressioniPhone not showing up in WindowsPC not recognizing your phone over USBOpen HEIC files on Windows

Compared with

ZiggSend vs AirDropZiggSend vs Quick Share (ex Nearby Share)ZiggSend vs Phone Link