How do we make AirDrop work in Tahoe 26.2?

Question

Level 1

8 points

How do we make AirDrop work in Tahoe 26.2?

How do we get Air Drop to work on Tahoe 26.2? My husband and I each have an iMac and a MacBook Air. We use iMacs with a VPN, but the MacAirs without one. Air Drop stopped working on all four machines after we upgraded to Tahoe 26.2. We really need it because we work together and exchange lots of files each day. We have two modems at home, and at work we have to use the University's wifi and no VPN. AirDrop still does not work in any of our computers, whether at home or at the University.

How can we fix this? We have done everything in the settings to keep AirDrop on, have turned off our modems and then turned them back on, have disconnected the VPN at home, and AirDrop still does not work for either of us. Please help!

iMac 24″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 30, 2026 8:26 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

158,322 points

Jan 30, 2026 8:55 AM in response to gabymuse

Until I can investigate this further, I would like to offer two AirDrop alternatives that should get you by:

Alternative A: iCloud Drive shared folder (when at either location)

Finder → iCloud Drive → create a folder like Work Exchange
Right-click → Share → Add People
Both of you drop files into the folder anytime

Alternative B: File Sharing over your network (when at home)

System Settings → General → Sharing → File Sharing ON
Add a dedicated shared folder

In the mean time, please answer the following:

Are the iMacs on Ethernet or Wi-Fi?
Do you have any of these installed: Little Snitch / LuLu / any Antivirus / any “security” filter?
When you open Finder → AirDrop, do you see “No one found”, or do you see the other Mac but transfers fail?

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

226,284 points

Jan 30, 2026 9:11 AM in response to gabymuse

The VPN may interfere with AirDrop as well as other connectivity features. Turning it off may not be sufficient to solve the problem.

If you're not using the VPN to connect to a secure private network such as your employer, remove it entirely.

The VPN does nothing to protect your privacy or secure your data when connecting to The Internet.

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Answer 3

Jan 30, 2026 9:14 AM in response to gabymuse

Meanwhile, AirDrop continues to work normally for me (except one time it hung sending a file to my iPad, restarting the iPad solved that).

VPNs can cause issues, and note that just turning it off doesn't usually work, it needs to be uninstalled.

Why are you using the VPN? I will quote my colleague from another thread on AirDrop:

IdrisSeabright wrote:

You might want to consider why you're using a VPN. Is this something you have installed because your school or work requires it in order for you to access secured servers? Or, are you using it because you think it provides additional security? If the latter, you might want to review these articles:

VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

Don't use VPNs

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Answer 4

Jan 30, 2026 9:48 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

I have Tahoe 26.2 and SurfShark VPN on both my M-series minis and AirDrop works both ways so there may be something else at play.

Or, you're just lucky. VPNs are known to cause this issue.

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Answer 5

Jan 30, 2026 9:34 AM in response to gabymuse

I have Tahoe 26.2 and SurfShark VPN on both my M-series minis and AirDrop works both ways so there may be something else at play.

In the past (long before Tahoe) on different Macs I have had problems with AirDrop not seeing a computer in one direction and put off using AD for ages . . . it was simpler to use a USB HDD or thumb drive.

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Answer 6

gabymuse Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 30, 2026 6:04 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Thank you for the VPN advice. We use it because the search functions change from one country to another, and we read academic articles and books from different countries, and sometimes have to have a VPN to access different university platforms. We are academics.

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