How do I share files from my Mac to my Android wirelessly?

Sharing files from a Mac to an Android device wirelessly is very convenient and easy to set up. With just a few quick steps, you can access and transfer photos, videos, documents, and other files over a WiFi network between your Mac and Android device.

This guide will provide an overview of how to enable wireless file sharing between a Mac and Android phone or tablet. We’ll cover how to turn on file sharing on the Mac, download a file manager app for Android, connect to the same WiFi network, locate the Mac’s IP address, and enter it in the Android file manager to access the shared files. With wireless file sharing set up, you’ll be able to quickly copy files from your Mac to your Android device over WiFi.

Wireless file sharing provides a simple way to transfer files without cables or adapters. Once configured, you’ll enjoy an easy, streamlined process to access and move files between devices. Whether you want to view photos from your Mac on your Android phone, or save documents from your Android to your Mac, wireless file sharing makes transfers quick and convenient.

Enable File Sharing on Your Mac

The first step is to enable file sharing on your Mac. This allows other devices on your network to access shared files on your Mac. To enable file sharing:

1. Open System Preferences on your Mac. You can find it in the Apple menu or by using Spotlight Search.

2. Select “Sharing” from the options.

3. Check the box next to “File Sharing” to turn it on. The text under it will change from “Off” to “On.”

4. Make sure “File Sharing” is highlighted in blue, then click the “Options…” button below it.

5. In the window that pops up, check the box next to “Share files and folders using SMB.” This enables Windows file sharing protocol so your Android device can access the files.

6. Click “Done” to close the window.

File sharing is now enabled on your Mac. Any folders you designate as shared folders will now be accessible to other devices when connecting over the network. Just make sure your Mac and Android device are connected to the same WiFi network.

For more details, check out this guide or Apple’s support page on how to enable file sharing on Mac.

Install a File Manager App on Your Android Device

There are many great file manager apps for Android to choose from. According to reviews on Reddit, some popular options include Solid Explorer, FX File Explorer, and MiXplorer Silver. Solid Explorer and FX File Explorer are both highly rated premium apps with robust feature sets. MiXplorer Silver is a popular free, open-source alternative. While the premium apps cost a few dollars, they offer useful extras like cloud storage integration, theming/customization, and advanced organization and searching tools.

When selecting a file manager, it’s worth considering your needs and preferences. For example, Solid Explorer has an intuitive dual-panel interface but lacks cloud drive support. FX File Explorer offers broad file format compatibility and root access capabilities. MiXplorer Silver provides a clean UI and lots of customization options. Most options allow basic tasks like browsing files and folders, viewing storage usage, copying, moving, deleting, renaming, sharing, and more. Install a few to test out and choose the Android file manager that best suits your requirements.

Connect Your Android Device and Mac to the Same WiFi

In order to wirelessly transfer files from your Mac to your Android device, both devices need to be connected to the same local WiFi network. Here are the steps to get both devices on the same network:

On your Android device, open the Settings app and tap on Wi-Fi.
Select and connect to the same WiFi network that your Mac is connected to.
On your Mac, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar to verify it is connected to the same network as your Android device.

The network name on both devices should match if connected to the same WiFi.

Once your Android and Mac are connected to the same WiFi network, they will be able to discover and communicate with each other to share files and folders. Make sure the WiFi connection is strong on both devices for smooth file transfers.[1]

Locate Your Mac’s IP Address

To transfer files from your Mac to your Android device, you first need to locate your Mac’s IP address. Here’s how to find your Mac’s IP address in System Preferences:

1. Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and select System Preferences.

2. In System Preferences, click on “Network”.

3. On the Network screen, select your active network connection (usually Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

4. On the right side, you’ll see the IP address for your selected network connection under “Status”. This is your Mac’s current local IP address on your network.

For example, the IP address may look something like 192.168.1.101 or 10.0.0.5. Make a note of this IP address, as you’ll need it to connect your Android device to your Mac.

If you don’t see the IP address listed, click on the gear icon below the network connection and choose “Make Service Inactive.” Then toggle the network connection back on to refresh the IP address.

You can also find your Mac’s IP address by going to System Preferences > Sharing and looking next to “Computer Name.”

Now that you have your Mac’s IP address, you can use it to access your Mac’s shared files from your Android device.¹

Enter the IP Address in Your Android File Manager

Once you have located your Mac’s IP address, you will need to input it into your Android device’s file manager app to access the shared files. Here are the steps:

Open the file manager app on your Android device. Some common options are Files by Google, ES File Explorer, File Commander, or Solid Explorer.
Look for an option to add a new cloud storage, FTP site, network location, or “Connect to Server.” This may be under a “More” or three-dot menu.
Enter the IP address you got from your Mac in the format smb://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where the x’s are the IP address numbers.

Tap Connect. You may need to accept security warnings.

Once connected, you should see your Mac’s shared folder available in the file manager. You can now copy files between your Android device and Mac wirelessly.

Navigate to the Shared Folder

Once you have your Android device and Mac connected to the same WiFi network, you can access the shared folder on your Mac. Here are the steps to locate and open the shared folder on Android:

1. Open the file manager app on your Android device – for example, File Manager Plus.

2. Look for the “Remote” or “LAN” section. This is where you can access devices on your local network.

3. You should see your Mac listed under the remote devices. The default name will usually be the computer name, but you can rename it for easier identification.

4. Tap on your Mac’s name to expand the remote connection.

5. This will show you the shared folders available on the Mac. Tap on the folder you want to access.

6. You may need to enter your Mac user account password or confirmation to connect to the shared folder. Enter this when prompted.

7. Once connected, you will be able to view, open, and copy files from the shared folder on your Mac. You can now transfer files between devices wirelessly.

If you enabled file sharing properly in System Preferences on your Mac, the shared folder should now be accessible through your Android file manager app when connected to the same WiFi network. Browse for your Mac and tap the folder to gain access.

Copy Files from Mac to Android

Once you have accessed the shared folder on your Mac from your Android device, you can start copying files over. Here are the steps:

1. Navigate to the folder on your Mac that contains the files you want to transfer. This is likely your Documents or Downloads folder.

2. Long press on a file to select it. You can select multiple files by tapping while holding down Ctrl (Cmd on Mac).

3. Tap the copy icon in your file manager app. This is usually depicted by two overlapping squares.

4. Navigate to where you want to save the files on your Android device. You can copy them directly to internal storage or external SD card if available.

5. Long press on an empty space and select “Paste” to copy the files over from your Mac. An overlay will show the transfer progress.

That’s it! The selected files will now be transferred from your Mac to your Android device over the local WiFi network. The speed will depend on your network, but it is usually very quick to copy files this way compared to using a cable.

You can now access the copied files using your Android file manager or gallery apps. This wireless transfer method makes it easy to move files between a Mac and Android without any cables.

Access Transferred Files on Android

Once you have copied files from your Mac to your Android device over the network, you need to access those transferred files within your file manager app on Android. Here are the steps to find the copied files:

Open the file manager app you installed earlier on your Android device, such as File Manager or ES File Explorer. Navigate to the folder where you copied the files from your Mac. This is usually in the “Downloads” or “Received Files” folder within your file manager.

You can also search for a specific file name using the search function in your Android file manager app. This will help locate the file if you are unsure of the exact folder location.

If you cannot locate the copied files, check the settings in your file manager app. Some apps have an option to “Show hidden files” which needs to be enabled to view all folders and files. The Android/data folder is typically hidden by default.

Once you find the transferred files, you can open them directly within the file manager app. Or you can copy/move them to another folder on your Android device for easy access. Now you have wireless file transfer capabilities between your Mac and Android device.

Source: https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues getting your Android device to connect to your Mac for file transfer, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

First, check to make sure your USB cable is not damaged or faulty. Try connecting your Android device to your Mac with a different USB cable to see if that resolves the issue.

You can also try connecting your device to a different USB port on your Mac. Some ports may not work properly for file transfer.

If you are getting an “Android File Transfer could not connect to device” error, try restarting both your Android device and your Mac. Disconnect the USB cable, power down both devices, restart them, reconnect the USB cable, and retry the file transfer.

Sometimes the Android File Transfer app itself is the problem. You can try uninstalling Android File Transfer from your Android device and reinstalling it from the Google Play Store. This has been known to fix connectivity issues in many cases (https://www.airdroid.com/file-transfer/android-file-transfer-not-working/).

As a last resort, you may need to reset your Android device to factory default settings. Back up your data first, then reset the device. After rebooting into the factory settings, try setting up the file transfer again.

If you still cannot get your Android device to connect to your Mac, you may need to try a third party file transfer app instead of the default Android File Transfer utility. Apps like AirDroid allow wireless file transfer without a USB cable.