Fix Guide: AirDrop Devices Not Showing Up on macOS Tahoe 26.2
Symptom: You attempt to send a file via AirDrop, but nearby devices (iPhone, iPad, or other Macs) do not appear in the share sheet, or your Mac is invisible to others.
AirDrop in macOS Tahoe 26.2 introduces stricter security handshakes. If your discovery settings or Bluetooth cache are out of sync, the peer-to-peer connection fails silently.
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Fix 1: Reset AirDrop Discovery State
Sometimes the simple toggle in Control Center gets stuck in a "ghost" state.
- Open Control Center from your menu bar.
- Click the AirDrop icon.
- Toggle it to Off, wait 5 seconds, then select Everyone for 10 Minutes.
- On the receiving device, ensure AirDrop is also set to Everyone.
Fix 2: Force Restart the AirDrop Daemon
If the background process sharingd hangs, AirDrop discovery will break system-wide.
- Open Terminal (Command + Space, type Terminal).
- Paste the following command and hit Enter:
sudo killall sharingd
- Enter your admin password when prompted. The process will restart automatically.
Fix 3: Clear the Bluetooth Discovery Cache
Corrupt Bluetooth preferences are the leading cause of "invisible" devices.
- Open Terminal.
- Run this command to delete the Bluetooth property list:
sudo rm /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist
- Restart your Mac immediately to regenerate the file.