Clicking on devices that are ready to receive files from Airdrop does nothing in Big Sur

Since updating my MacBook Pro (2016) to Big Sur (11.5.2), AirDrop will not allow me to complete the process to send files between the MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd gen) or between the MacBook Pro and my iPhone (SE 2020). All devices are up to date. I do not think the issue is with either of my iOS devices but with the MacBook Pro. This is because the two iOS devices show up ready to receive files, but clicking on them to tell the MacBook Pro which one to send the file to does absolutely nothing. It is like the AirDrop window becomes frozen; even clicking the Cancel button does nothing. Only hitting the Esc key will close the window. I appreciate any thoughts folks have about how to resolve this.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Sep 5, 2021 9:20 PM

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Posted on Sep 9, 2021 11:45 AM

Thank you, judysings!


Starting up in safe mode allowed me to complete the transfer of docs via AirDrop. When I restarted the Mac normally, I was also able to complete transfers via AirDrop as normal. So, I guess something was in memory that was getting in the way. I appreciate your help!

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Clicking on devices that are ready to receive files from Airdrop does nothing in Big Sur

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