AirDrop not working from MacBook Pro to iPad

Catherine Ranger wrote:

M1 Macbook Pro w/ OS 15.3.2 (so up-to-date); 6th gen iPad, iOS 17.7.5

Up until 5 days ago, AirDrop worked just fine between all my devices. Then, for no apparent reason, the iPad stopped seeing the laptop. All permissions are set properly, Bluetooth is on and they are on the same wifi network. The iPad sees the laptop and will sent TO it, but will not receive FROM it. The laptop sees the iPad, and will attempt to send, but never gets a positive response. This happens whether the VPN on the iPad (SurfShark) is on or off. Both devices are turned off every evening and restarted every morning. All devices are on the same Apple ID. The iPad will receive from my iPhone 7+, but not from the laptop.

Shut down and restart all devices...

ref:

How to use AirDrop on your iPhone or iPad

Use AirDrop to send items to nearby Apple devices - Apple Support

sign out of your AppleID/Account and back in again, compare your results

Sign in to or out of your Apple Account on Mac

note: Verify your software is up to date…

Current iOS 17.7.6 31 Mar 2025 for your 6th gen iPad

About the security content of iPadOS 17.7.6 - Apple Support

The current stable release of Sequoia including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 15.4

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support