iPhone 16 not recognized in Finder on MacBook Air
I have a MacBook Air. I plug my phone (iPhone 16) in to one of the C slots, but it is not recognized in Finder. Any thoughts on why that is??
Question marked as
This usually comes down to either a cable/connection issue or a permission setting that hasn’t been approved yet. First, make sure you’re using a data-capable USB-C cable—many USB-C cables are charge-only and won’t pass data, so Finder will never see the iPhone. Try a different cable and a different USB-C port on the MacBook Air just to rule that out.
If the cable checks out, look at the iPhone screen when you plug it in. You should get a “Trust This Computer?” prompt—if that hasn’t been accepted, macOS won’t show the phone in Finder. Unlock the iPhone, reconnect it, and approve the trust request. Then open Finder and check the Locations section in the sidebar to see if the iPhone appears there.
If it still doesn’t show up, do these quick checks:
- On the Mac: System Settings → General → Software Update and make sure macOS is current.
- On the iPhone: Settings → General → Software Update and install any pending updates.
- Restart both devices and reconnect the iPhone while it’s unlocked.