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AirDrop alternative
AirDrop for Windows: sending files between an iPhone, a macOS machine and a PC
Updated 2026-08-22 · 5 minutes read
Short answer
There is no AirDrop for Windows. Apple builds AirDrop for the iPhone, iPad and macOS only. The closest thing that needs no install is to open sendxa.app on both machines: pick the file on one side, type the 8-character code on the other. It works between any pair, including an iPhone and a Windows PC or a macOS machine and an Android phone, up to 32.0 GB per file.
The short answer is that there isn't one. AirDrop runs on Bluetooth plus Wi-Fi Direct with a protocol Apple keeps to itself. It exists on the iPhone, iPad and macOS. There is no Windows build, no official software that opens it up, and no reason for Apple to make one.
The real question is not whether AirDrop has a Windows version. It is how to get a file from your iPhone onto the Windows laptop sitting right next to it, quickly.
The three routes that exist
| Route | Works between | Needs installing |
|---|
| AirDrop | Apple and Apple | No, it ships with the OS |
| Quick Share | Android and Android, Android and Windows | Yes, on the Windows side |
| Sending through a browser | Any pair | No |
Google's Quick Share does have a Windows build and it works well, but it does not talk to an iPhone. So if your household runs an iPhone and a Windows PC, both ecosystems leave exactly your pairing out.
How to do it
On the sending device, open sendxa.app and drop the file onto the page. Several files at once is fine.
The page shows an 8-character code. There is also a QR code and a Copy link button if the other person is not in the room with you.
On the receiving device, open the same address, type the 8-character code into the box and hit Receive. Or just open the link and skip the typing.
The file list appears. Hit Download on the file you want, or Download all.
Keep the sending page open until the transfer finishes. That is the one rule; everything else takes care of itself.
One page, open on both devices. The sender picks the files and gets an 8-character code; the receiver types that code and hits Receive. With the link there is nothing to type at all.
Nothing to install on either end. No account, no Bluetooth pairing, and no turning on Everyone visibility and then remembering to turn it off again.
How it differs from AirDrop
Saying where it loses as well as where it wins makes the choice easier.
- Loses: AirDrop is one tap; this is one code or a link. Between two Apple devices in the same room, AirDrop really is fewer steps.
- Loses: AirDrop works with no network at all, because the two devices build their own. This needs both devices online.
- Wins: works between any pair, without asking who made the hardware.
- Wins: works when the two people are in different cities, not just different rooms.
- Wins: the receiving side sees the file list and sizes first and downloads only what it wants, instead of accepting the lot.
When the other person is not next to you
AirDrop needs both devices within Bluetooth range. This does not. Hit Copy link on the sending side and send that link however you like; opening it drops the other person straight in, no numbers to type. The link carries its code after the hash in the address, and browsers never send the part after the hash to a server.
The code sits after the hash, and browsers never send that part to a server. So it stays out of access logs, out of the Referer header, and out of every proxy along the way.
There is a QR code next to the character code as well. When the sender is a laptop and the receiver is a phone, scanning beats typing.
When to just use AirDrop
Two Apple devices in the same room: AirDrop is faster and has fewer steps. There is no reason to open a browser for something the operating system already does better.
The browser route is for the cases where AirDrop has nothing to offer: one end is Windows, one end is Android, or the two of you are in different places.
Questions people actually ask
Is there an AirDrop for Windows?
No. AirDrop is Apple's own and runs only between iPhones, iPads and macOS machines. There is no official Windows version.
How do I send from an iPhone to a Windows PC?
Open sendxa.app on both, pick the file on the iPhone, type the code on the PC. Nothing to install.
Can Quick Share replace AirDrop?
Only partly. It covers Android to Android and Android to Windows, but it does not talk to an iPhone.
Do I have to install anything?
No, on either end. This is a web page.
Do the two devices have to be near each other?
No. AirDrop needs Bluetooth range; this does not. Two devices in different places work fine.
Is it as fast as AirDrop?
On the same Wi-Fi the two browsers connect directly and you get local network speed. When the network blocks that, the data relays through a server and it is slower.
Try it with the file you are stuck on right now
Open the page on both devices, pick the file, read out the 8-character code. Nothing to install, no account, and the file never rests on our server.
Send a file now →