AirDropping photos from an iPhone only takes a few taps: select the pictures in Photos, tap Share, choose AirDrop, and select the nearby Apple device.
The same method works for videos, including long videos. What changes is how you prepare the receiving device and how you handle large batches or original photo data.
Before You Send Anything
On both Apple devices, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and keep the devices nearby.
On the receiving iPhone or iPad, open:
Settings > General > AirDrop
Choose Contacts Only when the sender is correctly saved in Contacts. For someone outside your contacts, use Everyone for 10 Minutes.
Apple says Everyone for 10 Minutes automatically changes after ten minutes. When signed in to an Apple Account, it normally returns to Contacts Only.
On iOS 26.2 and later, sharing with someone outside Contacts can also require an AirDrop code.
For a detailed explanation of these receiving options, see How to Turn AirDrop On or Off on iPhone and Mac.
AirDrop One Photo From iPhone
- Open Photos.
- Open the picture you want to send.
- Tap Share.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Tap the nearby person or Apple device.
- Wait for the recipient to accept when required.
When you send between your own supported Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account, the transfer can be accepted automatically.
The received picture normally appears in Photos on an iPhone or iPad.
AirDrop Several Photos at Once
You do not need to send pictures individually.
- Open Photos.
- Tap Select.
- Choose the photos.
- Tap Share.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Select the recipient.
Apple does not publish a simple fixed maximum such as exactly 100 or 500 photos for an ordinary AirDrop transfer.
The practical limit depends more on the total amount of data and the devices involved. A hundred screenshots are very different from a hundred ProRAW images.
For hundreds or thousands of photos, smaller batches are easier to manage. For an entire photo library, iCloud Photos or a wired import to a Mac may be more suitable than one enormous AirDrop session.
AirDrop a Video From iPhone
The process is almost identical:
- Open Photos.
- Open the video.
- Tap Share.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Select the nearby iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other supported Apple device.
Short clips may transfer quickly. Long 4K, HDR, or ProRes videos can take considerably longer.
Apple specifically lists AirDrop as an option for sharing long videos with nearby Apple devices.
Keep the devices close while the transfer starts. On current supported software, Apple says an AirDrop transfer that has already started can continue over the internet if the devices move outside normal Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range.
AirDrop Multiple Videos
In Photos, tap Select, choose the videos, then use Share > AirDrop.
I recommend smaller batches for large videos. When a batch repeatedly fails, send one video first.
A successful single-video transfer proves that basic AirDrop discovery and communication are working. The larger batch may simply be too demanding for the current connection or available storage.
Send the Original Photo or Video Data
Before tapping AirDrop, the Photos Share Sheet can provide additional sharing controls.
After selecting your media:
- Tap Share.
- Tap Options near the top of the Share Sheet.
- Review the available format and data settings.
- Continue to AirDrop.
Depending on the media and software version, All Photos Data can preserve additional original information such as metadata and edit history.
This is useful when transferring your own originals for editing or archiving.
For casual sharing, the default options are normally sufficient.
Remove Location Before AirDropping a Photo
A photo can contain location metadata showing where it was taken.
To avoid sharing that information:
- Select the photo in Photos.
- Tap Share.
- Tap Options.
- Turn off Location.
- Tap Done.
- Continue with AirDrop.
This is worth checking before sharing pictures taken at home, work, school, or another private location.
Removing location from the shared copy does not require you to disable Location Services across the entire iPhone.
AirDrop Photos From iPhone to Mac
Prepare the Mac first.
Make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on and AirDrop is enabled. You can open Control Center > AirDrop or Finder > AirDrop to check discoverability.
Then on the iPhone:
- Open Photos.
- Select the pictures or videos.
- Tap Share.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Select the Mac.
Files received through AirDrop on a Mac commonly appear in Downloads.
Do not assume they were automatically imported into the Mac Photos library. Open Finder > Downloads when you cannot find a received file.
AirDrop Photos From One iPhone to Another
On the receiving iPhone, enable AirDrop using Contacts Only or Everyone for 10 Minutes.
On the sending iPhone:
- Open Photos.
- Select the pictures.
- Tap Share.
- Tap AirDrop.
- Select the receiving iPhone.
The recipient accepts the transfer when prompted.
When the person is not in your contacts and both devices use iOS 26.2 or later, Apple can prompt you to use an AirDrop code. The recipient displays the code and the sender enters it to complete the connection.
AirDrop to Your Own Apple Devices
AirDrop is especially convenient for moving a few photos or videos among your own iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Make sure the devices use the correct Apple Account and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
Apple says transfers between your own devices signed in to the same Apple Account can be accepted automatically.
This is useful for moving an iPhone screenshot to a Mac, sending a video to an iPad, or quickly transferring a photo without uploading it to a separate cloud service.
AirDrop Photos From Other Apps
You do not always have to start in Photos.
Many iPhone apps use the standard Share Sheet. When an app allows sharing, tap Share > AirDrop and choose the recipient.
The same mechanism can send supported documents, PDFs, links, locations, and other files.
This article focuses on photos and videos because their file size, metadata, and destination often create the most questions.
Where AirDropped Photos and Videos Go
On iPhone and iPad, received photos and videos normally appear in the appropriate app, commonly Photos.
On Mac, check Finder > Downloads.
If a photo was successfully received on an iPhone but was later deleted, that is a different problem. How to Recover Deleted Photos on iPhone explains how to check Recently Deleted and other recovery options.
The Recipient Does Not Appear
Do not repeatedly select the photos when the destination itself is missing.
Check the receiving device:
- Wi-Fi is on.
- Bluetooth is on.
- AirDrop is not set to Receiving Off.
- The devices are nearby.
- Personal Hotspot is off during troubleshooting.
- Contacts Only has the correct contact information.
Temporarily selecting Everyone for 10 Minutes is a useful test.
If the device still does not appear, move to AirDrop Not Working or Keeps Failing? Find the Cause. That guide separates discovery failures from Waiting and transfer failures.
AirDrop Starts but a Large Photo or Video Transfer Fails
Send one normal photo.
If it succeeds, AirDrop itself is functioning. Check free storage on the recipient and retry the large transfer in a smaller batch.
On iPhone:
Settings > General > iPhone Storage
Large videos can require substantial destination storage, and sending several at once increases the amount of data that must remain stable through the transfer.
Keep both devices nearby while the transfer starts.
When even one small photo fails, treat it as an AirDrop connectivity problem rather than a large-file problem.
Stop an AirDrop Transfer
When you selected the wrong person or no longer want to send the files, cancel the active transfer rather than switching off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for the entire device.
The available cancellation method depends on where the transfer is in the process.
See How to Cancel AirDrop on iPhone or Mac for the specific options.
Can You AirDrop Photos to Android or Windows?
Not natively.
AirDrop is an Apple sharing feature for supported Apple devices. An Android phone or Windows PC will not normally appear as an AirDrop destination.
Use another transfer method such as cloud storage, USB, email for small files, or an appropriate cross-platform sharing service.
For moving data in the opposite ecosystem direction, How to Copy Contacts From Android to iPhone covers contact transfer separately.
For ordinary photo sharing, the workflow stays simple: prepare the recipient, select the media, use Share > AirDrop, and choose the device. The extra options matter mainly when you are sending large videos, preserving original photo data, removing location metadata, or sharing with someone outside your contacts.
