How I easily transfer files between my Android phone and Mac - for free

QuickDrop / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Sharing files between Android and MacOS couldn't be any easier. QuickDrop is a free app that can be used by anyone. A few extra steps to take on MacOS, but it's still quite easy. Any app that is designed to transfer files should do one thing and one thing well -- make the process simple. If it's not simple, the app shouldn't be considered for general usage. There are several apps that serve such a purpose, but for me, the one that stands out as the easiest is QuickDrop. QuickDrop greatly simplifies the process of sending and receiving such things as photos, videos, and text files to and from Android and MacOS. QuickDrop works over Wi-Fi, so it doesn't require a third-party cloud service. This app makes transferring files as easy as it gets. Also: I found the easiest way to send files between my Android phone and desktop - and it's free Essentially, you install the app on your Android and MacOS devices, configure MacOS for sharing, and share. How to install QuickDrop What you'll need: The only things you'll need for this are an Android device, a MacOS device, and a wireless network for both devices. 1. Installing QuickDrop on Android QuickDrop is installed on your Android device in the same way any app is installed. Open the Google Play Store, search for QuickDrop, and tap Install. Show more 2. Installing QuickDrop on MacOS Again, QuickDrop is installed in the same way you'd install any app on MacOS. Open the Apple App Store, search for QuickDrop, tap Get, and then tap Install. That's it for the installation. Show more How to send files from Android Sending files from Android to MacOS is the easier process. Here's how it works. 1. Open QuickDrop The first thing to do is open QuickDrop on both your Android device and your MacOS device. Make sure both devices are on the same wireless network, and the MacOS device should automatically appear in the QuickDrop window. If you have multiple MacOS devices, each with QuickDrop installed, they'll all appear here. Jack Wallen/ZDNET 2. Select the MacOS device Tap the MacOS device in the list for which you want to send files. When you do that, the file picker opens so you can select the file to be sent. Once you select the file, a pop-up appears on your MacOS device. Click Accept, and the file will automatically be saved in downloads. Yeah, it's that easy. Sending files from MacOS This method isn't nearly as simple. From MacOS, you send files to Android via the MacOS Share menu, but you first have to add QuickDrop to the list of available apps that can share. Here's how you do that. 1. Open the Extension Edit window Open Finder and right-click any file you see. From the resulting pop-up, click Edit Extensions. QuickDrop will not appear in the Share menu until you add it. Jack Wallen/ZDNET 2. Enable QuickDrop From the list, locate QuickDrop and then click the associated slider to enable the app for sharing. You can enable or disable all the apps you need to include in the Share menu. Jack Wallen/ZDNET 3. Share a file Go back to Finder and locate the file you want to transfer to Android. Right-click that file and click Share. From the Share menu, select QuickDrop, and the file will be sent. All you have to do now is accept the file on Android. Also: I found a better way to transfer files between Android and Linux - and it's free And that is all there is to sending and receiving files to and from Android and MacOS with QuickDrop. Once you have the MacOS side of the equation set up, you'll find this solution to be one of the easiest on the market. Enjoy that simplified file sharing.