Can't find airdropped items

Hello Gunn Anita,

To start off and make sure the right steps are being followed, please review this article: Use AirDrop on your Mac - Apple Support. Follow this guidance:

"Receive content with AirDrop

When someone nearby attempts to send you a file using AirDrop, you see their request as a notification, or as a message in the AirDrop window. Click Accept to save the file to your Downloads folder.

If you can't see the other device in AirDrop

Make sure that both devices are within 30 feet (9 meters) of each other and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.

Choose Go > AirDrop from the menu bar in the Finder, then check the ”Allow me to be discovered by” setting in the AirDrop window. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have a similar setting. If set to receive from Contacts Only, both devices must be signed in to iCloud, and the email address or phone number associated with the sender's Apple ID must be in the Contacts app of the receiving device.

Install the latest software updates for your Mac and other devices.

Make sure that incoming connections aren't blocked in firewall settings:

• macOS Ventura or later: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings. Click Network in the sidebar, then click Firewall on the right. Click the Options button, then make sure that “Block all incoming connections” is turned off.
• Earlier versions of macOS: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy. Click the Firewall tab, then click the lock  and enter your administrator password when prompted. Click Firewall Options, then make sure that “Block all incoming connections” is deselected."

In addition, to help with this behavior, we advise that you restart your Mac (Shut down or restart your Mac) and make sure it's fully updated (Update macOS on Mac). Once those are done, please test this issue.

We hope this helps. Let us know if we can assist with anything else at all. Take care.

Hi Gunn Anita,

To clarify, if you're sending files to yourself with AirDrop, you will not receive the prompt to accept or decline as outlined below. How to use AirDrop on your iPhone or iPad:

"If you AirDrop something to yourself, like a photo from your iPhone to your Mac, you won't see an option to Accept or Decline—it'll automatically get sent to your device. Just make sure that both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID."

From your description, it sounds like the files are being received. If you're not seeing them in the expected Downloads folder, try using Spotlight to search your Mac for one of the files and let us know what you come up with: Search with Spotlight on Mac - Apple Support

Cheers.