Put AirDrop back in your Finder sidebar

Why it happens

Finder lets you choose which places appear in its sidebar, and AirDrop is just one of them. It's easy to untick by accident, or to drag it out of the sidebar. AirDrop itself still works, it just has no shortcut on the left.

How to fix it

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock so Finder is the active app, with its name next to the Apple menu.

2. Choose Finder > Settings… from the menu bar (or press Command-comma), then click Sidebar at the top of the window.

   Finder›Settings›Sidebar

3. Tick AirDrop in the list and close the window. AirDrop appears in the sidebar of every Finder window.

4. Any time you need it quickly, press Shift-Command-R in Finder, or choose Go > AirDrop.

Still not fixed?

1. If there's no sidebar at all, choose View > Show Sidebar in Finder, or press Control-Command-S.

   Finder›View›Show Sidebar

2. If AirDrop is ticked but you still can't see it, point at the section heading in the sidebar where it should be, such as Favorites, and click the small arrow to open that section again.

3. If AirDrop opens but nobody shows up, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices, then check who can find you in General > AirDrop & Continuity.

   General›AirDrop & Continuity

4. If AirDrop is missing from the Go menu as well, the Mac may be managed by a company or school that has turned it off, so ask them. On your own Mac, contact Apple Support.