Airdrop stopped working after macOS Sierra Upgrade

Not sure you are still having this issue. I too installed Sierra recently on my MacBook and since then I was unable to send from my phone (iPhone 6 Plus) to my Mac. I did a PRAM reset and now it is working again. Maybe give it a try.

How to reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

I have the exact same issue. My Macbook Pro (17" Early 2011 Model upgraded with SSD/Memory) cannot be recognized by another device. Airdrop shows up in finder, but it doesn't have the 'allow me to be discovered by:" hyperlink or "Don't see who you are looking for?" hyperlink. I performed as many of the troubleshooting tips out on the net to no avail. My daughter upgraded her Macbook Air and her Airdrop works just fine. Anyone have any other ideas?

Hi Guys,

I have also the same issue on a Macbbok Air 2012

with mac os Sierra.

I have no issues If i use airdrop between iphone and ipad, but if i want to send something grom iphone to my mac, i can't since my Mac is not visible.

Furthermore, the options in Airdrop which allow to be visible to everyone are simply disappeared.

Has someone a solution for that? It seems that Apple does not want to hear us..

Thanks,

Marco

I had this issue since updating to Sierra, I could Airdrop files from iPad/iPhone to my iMac but viceversa would fail all the time (after being stuck in waiting for about a minute), sending and receiving files from other Macs was sometimes hit and miss but it mostly worked fine. I followed all the troubleshooting steps suggested here to no avail. However after visiting this page (by a random search) in Google, I could once and for all resolve this issue for good!

http://forums.imore.com/ask-question/382823-why-airdrop-not-working-my-mac-sierr a.html

My iMac was connected to Wifi (DHCP) and at the same time it was connected to my router by Ethernet cable (DHCP). After disconnecting the Ethernet cable, AirDrop started working as expected and there is no more timeouts or transmission failures!

I hope this could help if you have the same setup as me!

Cheers!

Hi Everyone!

I read through everything and tried a lot of stuff including reset and deleting files instructed and what not. Nothing worked for me but I accidentally discovered something when working with the 2 MBPs, 1 on ElCapitan and the other on Sierra.

For Airdrop to work, we found one small thing was required even after all other steps were followed. And that is, the wifi and bluetooth should be ON, BUT, the MBP (on ElCapitan in our case) shouldn't be connected to ANY network. If you have a wifi at home that your computer automatically connects to, you would have to either disconnect from it or even remove (if you can't disconnect) that network from your list of remembered networks so that while your MBP WiFi adapter is on, it is free and not ALREADY connected to any network. To put it in layman terms, your Wifi status should be "WiFi:Looking for networks" rather than "Wifi:Connected" when you click on the wifi icon on the top bar.

Surprisingly, for the MBP on Sierra, it didn't matter if it was simultaneously on another Wifi network, for AirDrop to work. Even when connected to the home wifi, both computers could still work with AirDrop, long as the non-sierra MBP was not connected to any wifi.

We tested this multiple times, and as soon as the MBP with ElCapitan was connected to a Wifi Network of any sort (with or without internet access), the AirDrop functionality was immediately unavailable.

Hope it helps.

I find Airdrop between my multiple Mac computers to be pretty much useless. I have tried all of the suggested fixes (including reimaging my computer) but it almost never works. Every once in awhile they will see each other, but in the time it takes to get frustrated and give up trying to coax Airdrop to work it's easier and less frustrating to just use a USB drive. I was hoping that it would start working with the Sierra upgrade, but I guess that one didn't make the list.

Hello all, my Macbook Pro, os Sierra does not provide any "options" when I click on Airdrop in Finder. I cannot see or connect to my iphone or ipad. My iphone and ipad can share with each other via Airdrop no problem. My Macbook bluetooth can connect to my bluetooth speakers, so the bluetooth is working. My Macbook is connected to the WiFi router and is working just fine.

I have tried all of the suggestions listed so far in this thread but no joy.

I guess I am left to reinstalling Sierra. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

Thanks!

Hi there, junwalla.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities! It appears that AirDrop on your MacBook Pro on macOS Sierra isn't seeing your other MacBook Pro to share content between them. I'll be glad to help.​
Use AirDrop to send content from your Mac -- The first thing to check is that both Mac's are set up to send and receive.

Turn on and set up AirDrop

On Mac computers:

1. Choose Go > AirDrop from the menu bar in the Finder. An AirDrop window opens. If Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is turned off, you'll see a button to turn it on. AirDrop turns on automatically when Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on.
2. To receive files from everyone instead of only those in your Contacts app, you can use the “Allow me to be discovered by” setting at the bottom of the AirDrop window.

Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up -- Safe mode will make sure your Mac starts up correctly. Test how it responds in Safe Mode. If there are no issues, reboot normally and test in your own user account.

What is safe mode?

Safe mode (sometimes called safe boot) is a way to start up your Mac so that it performs certain checks, and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:

• Verifies your startup disk, and attempts to repair directory issues if needed
• Loads only required kernel extensions
• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically
• Disables user-installed fonts
• Deletes font caches, Kernel cache and other system cache files

Together, these changes can help resolve or isolate issues related to your startup disk.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac -- If the issue is also happening in safe mode, use this article to test another user account. This will demonstrate if the issue is isolated to your account, or if it's system wide.

Let me know how that goes and have a great day!

Thanks for trying the steps Sterling gave you, junwalla. Sierra does work on the models you've listed so we just need to find where the issue is.​
How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac -- If the issue is also happening in safe mode, use this article to test another user account. This will demonstrate if the issue is isolated to your account, or if it's system wide.​
Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac -- Before the moving to the next step, be sure your personal information is safe by backing up your Mac. It's always better to "have" a backup than to "need" a backup.
About macOS Recovery If the issue is also happening in the test user account, reinstalling macOS Sierra will put a fresh copy on your Mac.
If you're still unable to use AirDrop between the two, try Sterling's and my recommendations on the second one as well.
Cheers!

Did you follow this advice:

• If you're sending to a Mac:
  • If the receiving Mac is using OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion, it needs to have an AirDrop window open: choose Go > AirDrop from the menu bar in the Finder.
  • If the receiving Mac is a 2012 or older model, click “Don't see who you're looking for?” in the AirDrop window or sharing sheet of the sending Mac. Then click “Search for an Older Mac.”
  • Find out if the Mac has “Block all incoming connections” turned on in Security & Privacy preferences. A Mac won't receive items using AirDrop if this setting is turned on.
• If AirDrop on the receiving device is set up to receive items from contacts only, make sure that both devices are signed in to iCloud. Also make sure that the email address or phone number associated with your Apple ID is in the Contacts app of the receiving device.

The supported Macs are still:

• MacBook Pro (Late 2008) or later, excluding the MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010) or later
• MacBook (Late 2008) or later, excluding the white MacBook (Late 2008)
• iMac (Early 2009) or later
• Mac Mini (Mid 2010) or later
• Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010)

I do have the same problem. I can't transfer from my iPhone (latest version of iOS) to my MacBook Pro (OSX Sierra) via Airdrop. I can't see any device.

Same inability to see iMac Sierra son IOS 10 devices. I discovered that simply opening the Bluetooth system preference pane inexplicably makes the iMac show up on my IOS10 devices. Closing the pane and trying to AirDrop again fails until Bluetooth preference is opened! Weird bug?