CLI Airdrop 📤

CLI utility for Apple AirDrop — send files via AirDrop directly from the terminal.

What is this? 🤔

airdrop is a command-line tool that lets you send files to nearby Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) using Apple's AirDrop feature — but directly from the terminal!

Instead of dragging files to the AirDrop icon, you can just type:

airdrop image.jpg

airdrop myfile.pdf

Features ✨

Send files via AirDrop from command line
Support for multiple files at once
Pipe support — send files via stdin
Automatic file type detection
Works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs

Installation 📥

Method 1: Homebrew (Easiest!) 🍺

If you have Homebrew installed (most Mac users do):

brew tap xvoland/tap
brew install airdrop

Method 2: Manual Download

Go to GitHub Releases
Download the latest airdrop_darwin_arm64.tar.gz (for Apple Silicon) or airdrop_darwin_x86_64.tar.gz (for Intel)
Extract the file
Run it!

Or use terminal:

# For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
curl -L -o airdrop.tar.gz https://github.com/xvoland/airdrop/releases/download/v0.3.6/airdrop_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf airdrop.tar.gz
./airdrop yourfile.pdf

How to Use 📖

Basic Example: Send One File

Let's say you have a file called photo.jpg and want to send it to your iPhone:

airdrop photo.jpg

That's it! Airdrop will open and let you choose where to send the file.

Send Multiple Files

You can send several files at once:

airdrop photo.jpg document.pdf screenshot.png

Send via Pipe (Advanced)

If you want to send content that comes from another program:

cat myfile.pdf | airdrop

This sends the content of myfile.pdf through AirDrop.

Command Options ⚙️

Help

See all options:

airdrop --help

Version

Check which version you have:

airdrop --version

Verbose Mode

Want to see more details about what's happening?

airdrop -v file.pdf

Troubleshooting 🔧

"Permission denied" or "Blocked by macOS"

macOS has a security feature called Gatekeeper that blocks apps from unknown developers. If this happens:

Solution 1: Run this command in terminal

xattr -cr $(which airdrop)

Solution 2: Allow manually

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
Look for the message about blocked airdrop
Click Allow anyway
Try running airdrop again

"AirDrop failed"

Make sure:

✅ AirDrop is turned ON on your Mac (Control Center → AirDrop)
✅ AirDrop is turned ON on your receiving device (iPhone/iPad)
✅ Devices are close to each other
✅ You accepted the incoming request on the receiving device

Requirements 📋

macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
AirDrop enabled on your Mac
Receiving device nearby (iPhone, iPad, or another Mac)

Building from Source (For Developers) 👨‍💻

Want to build it yourself? Here's how:

# 1. Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/xvoland/airdrop.git
cd airdrop

# 2. Build it
make

# 3. Run it!
./airdrop file.pdf

Building for Different Macs

# For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
make all ARCH=arm64

# For Intel Mac
make all ARCH=x86_64

Github Page URL

You can find the project’s homepage here https://github.com/xvoland/airdrop

Made with ❤️ for macOS users!

Airdrop CLI