We have prepared simple instructions to help you connect to Mac wireless devices or gadgets on Android.

How to Connect Bluetooth Devices to Mac

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your MacBook

To turn on Bluetooth on your MacBook, click on the blue tooth symbol in the status menu at the top right of the screen. Select "Enable Bluetooth" from the drop-down list. Now the symbol will become darker - this indicates that the module for wireless transmission data is activated.

Yours will start looking for Bluetooth devices in a new window. Choose the one you need from the list provided. If it is not displayed, make sure that the gadget is turned on and is within range of the Bluetooth module.

2. Set up Bluetooth devices

To set up the connection, click on the Bluetooth symbol again. In the drop-down menu, you will see all recognized wireless devices. If you are connecting any gadget to your MacBook for the first time, you need to set it up. To do this, click on the menu bar "Set up Bluetooth device".

The MacBook will ask you to confirm. To do this, you need to enter a combination of numbers on the connected device, which the Mac will show.

3. Pair your wireless devices with your MacBook

Click the Bluetooth symbol again in the status menu and select the configured device. In the drop-down menu, activate the "Connect" or "Connect to Network" option so that your wireless gadget can connect to your MacBook.

How to Connect an Android Smartphone to a Mac

In order for your Android gadgets to share music and photos with Mac computers (MacBook and iMac), they need to be properly paired. There are three convenient ways to do this: via USB cable, via Bluetooth and via cloud service.

1. Connecting an Android gadget via USB

Android devices usually come with a USB cable that you can plug into your Mac. At the same time, your smartphone must have a version of Android not lower than 3.0.

Insert the plugs of your cable into the corresponding sockets on your smartphone and Apple computer. A small USB symbol will appear on the menu bar. Unlike connecting to Windows, in order to exchange data between Android and Mac, you will need to install on your computer additional program. Free utility Android File Transfer can be downloaded from the official website of the developer.

While moving data from the gadget, your smartphone will be charged. In order for the connection not to be interrupted, the Mac must have an adequate supply of energy (relevant for the MacBook).

2. Connect Android smartphone via Bluetooth

If you don't want to use additional software, connect your smartphone and Mac computer using Bluetooth. Please note that with this connection, the Android gadget will not be charged from the Mac. To ensure that the connection is not interrupted, the smartphone must have a sufficient battery level.

3. Connect Android device and Mac via the cloud

If you want to transfer data between Android and Mac without having to keep the devices in close proximity to each other, you can organize the synchronization of gadgets using a cloud service: for example, or Yandex.Disk.

Choose a cloud and install necessary program on an Android gadget and an Apple computer. After that, you will be able to move data through the cloud interface.

The Mac also has a "native" cloud storage iCloud. For Android smartphones, it is only available through a web interface in a browser.

To access Android content from a Mac, you need to download free program Android File Transfer from the official site android.com.

The program is downloaded as a file androidfiletransfer.dmg, which you then need to drag and drop into Applications.

Now that the program is installed, it remains to perform a number of simple steps in accordance with the instructions from Google:

  • Launch Android File Transfer. The next time you connect your device to your computer, the app will launch automatically.
  • Unlock the screen.
  • Connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer using a USB cable.
  • On a mobile device, drag the notification bar down by swiping from the top of the screen. Click on the USB connection message and select File Transfer (MTP).


  • Disconnect the USB cable when finished.

Possible problems

There is no guarantee that Android File Transfer supports your specific smartphone or tablet model. Android version 4.4 and above is required for correct operation. If, after launching the application and connecting via USB, the mobile device is not detected, you need to make sure that you have done everything according to the instructions, that is, you have unlocked the screen and selected the MTP file transfer method.

Also, Android File Transfer may conflict with proprietary drivers for mobile device, which you may have installed on Mac at one time. These drivers must be removed.

When it comes to sharing the Internet, it usually means connecting gadgets to a computer or laptop that has access to the world wide web. But often there are reverse situations when you need to connect to the Internet on a computer, and the points WiFi access not seen nearby. Then you have to act exactly the opposite: fumble the Internet from your smartphone or tablet to your computer. You can organize a connection to the Network in this way via Wi-Fi, but it is better to use a USB interface - this will provide a more stable, reliable and high-quality connection.

This procedure is standard and does not cause any problems in the case of iPhone, iPad and Mac. But if the user has an Android device, here standard means not enough. To solve the problem, you will need to install a special HoRNDIS driver. it free package, whose advantage over other tethering solutions is high speed and operational reliability.

How to Share Internet from Android Smartphone to Mac via USB

Step 1: Download the latest build of the HoRNDIS driver for Mac from this link.

Step 2: Install the driver in the standard way.

Step 3: Connect your Android device to your computer.

Step 4: Go to the settings of your Android smartphone and turn on the Hotspot feature.

If a window for setting up your device appears on your Mac, just follow the instructions on the screen. You can check the availability of an Internet connection by going to the Settings -> Network menu. Here you need to find the device in the list of gadgets. If there is a green indicator next to it, everything is in order.

The HoRNDIS driver can be used with all Apple operating systems from OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard to OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

Unfortunately, in the usual way(as they used to do Windows users and Linux with file manager) transfer files from a smartphone under Android control to a Mac and vice versa over a USB cable is not possible. Previously, that is, before the version of Ice Cream Sandwich, smartphones with Google's OS used the UMS (Universal Mass Storage) protocol, which made it possible to connect these devices like a USB flash drive and it was easy to exchange files between devices. But with the advent of Android 4.0, developers switched to new standard- MTP (Media Transfer Protocol). That is why the “corporation of goodness” released a special utility for this called Android File Transfer.

Android File Transfer allows you to move absolutely any type of files, be it music, videos, photos, documents, applications and others. And in today's article, we'll show you how to use Android File Transfer to transfer files from Android to Mac and vice versa.

How to Transfer Files from Android to Mac and Back


Now, to transfer files from an Android device to a Mac, you just need to go to the desired folder in Android File Transfer, select the files and drag them to an arbitrary directory on the computer.

In the same way, you can transfer files from Mac to Android by moving files and folders from the file manager to the Android File Transfer window.

To create a new folder, click on the folder icon in the right upper corner programs.

To delete one or more files, select them, press right button mouse and select "Delete".

It should be noted that for the correct operation of the program, it is necessary android versions 4.4+ and Mac OS X 10.5 and up.

Recently, many users have reported problems with Android File Transfer. Most of the complaints sound like "file transfer does not work." You may reasonably wonder, what are the causes of the problem and how to solve it? It is worth noting that the problem with Android File Transfer not working is not always related to software. Difficulties with the operation of the program may also arise due to hardware. Let's take a closer look at these points.



Let's start with the USB connection.

  • First, try replacing the USB cable.
  • If that doesn't help, test your phone's micro USB port by connecting it to another computer or laptop.
  • Now it's time to test your computer's USB port. See what happens if you connect another Android device to it.
  • Try switching the device to MTP (Media device) mode. In advance, you will need to enable USB debugging on the device.

Now it's your Mac's turn to be tested.

  • Make sure your computer is running Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
  • Restart your computer - sometimes such a banal action helps to fix the problem.
  • This may be too obvious, but it's worth asking - is your Android File Transfer for Mac OS up and running?

Bad luck? Maybe a problem with your Android device?

  • Minimum Version operating system smartphone - Android 3.0.
  • Restart your device.

Using the Android File Transfer Utility

So, if you've tried all of the above methods and still can't transfer files from Android to Mac, you might just need to switch to a different software.

Eltima Software offers a great Android to Mac file transfer app called Commander One. This application is able to mount Android devices on Mac in such a way that they appear as additional hard drives. With it, you can easily access their content and transfer files from Android to OS X. Commander One also supports popular cloud services storage, including Google Drive and Dropbox.


How to transfer files to Android using Commander One:

  • Download, install and run the application
  • Connect your Android device using a USB cable. Commander One should immediately recognize the device and display its contents.
  • Thanks to the dual-pane interface, you can use drag-and-drop to move files from one place to another.

Simple, right? Mac users will certainly appreciate the ease with which Commander One handles Android file transfers.