How to AirDrop a Video: The Complete iPhone, iPad & Mac Guide

Part 1. What You Need to Know Before AirDropping a Video

AirDrop is Apple's peer-to-peer file-sharing feature that uses Bluetooth to discover nearby devices and a direct Wi-Fi connection to transfer files. It's integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS so you can quickly send photos, videos, documents, and more with minimal setup.

How AirDrop works:

• Discovery: Devices use Bluetooth Low Energy to find each other.
• Connection: Once discovered, AirDrop sets up an encrypted peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection for the actual transfer (no internet required).
• Transfer: Files are sent directly between devices over that secure Wi-Fi link.

Requirements & conditions

• Both devices must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
• Devices should be in close range (typically within 30 feet / ~10 meters).
• The receiving device's AirDrop settings must allow the sender (Contacts Only or Everyone).
• Devices must be awake and unlocked to accept transfers (macOS can accept when asleep depending on settings).

Supported file types & size considerations

• AirDrop supports photos, videos, documents, contacts, web links, and many other file types.
• There's no hard published file-size limit, but very large files may take a long time and could be interrupted by sleep, low battery, or connection problems. For huge videos consider compressing or using iCloud/other transfer options.

Part 2. How to Turn On AirDrop on iPhone/iPad/Mac

To successfully share, you need to make sure AirDrop is active and visible.

Turning Airdrop On iPhone/iPad

Step 1. Open Control Center: Swipe down from the top-right corner (or swipe up from the bottom on older devices).

Step 2. Tap and Hold the Network Settings Card: Press firmly or tap and hold the upper-left group of icons (Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular).

Step 3. Tap the AirDrop Icon: It looks like a concentric circle with a slice cut out.

Step 4. Select Your Receiving Preference:

• Receiving Off: You won't receive AirDrop items.
• Contacts Only: Only people in your contacts list can see your device.
• Everyone: Any nearby Apple device can see you.

Turning Airdrop On Mac

• Step 1. Open Finder:Click the Finder icon in your Dock.
• Step 2. Select AirDrop:Click "AirDrop" in the sidebar.
• Step 3. Choose Your Preference:At the bottom of the AirDrop window, click the "Allow me to be discovered by:" dropdown menu and select "Contacts Only" or "Everyone." This is also how do you get airdrop on a mac easily.

Part 3. How to AirDrop from iPhone to iPhone

Sending a video from one iPhone to another is one of the most common uses of AirDrop. The steps below show exactly how to AirDrop a video from iPhone to iPhone so the recipient receives the full file without needing email or messaging.

• Step 1.On both iPhones, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and ensure AirDrop receiving is set to Contacts Only or Everyone.
• Step 2.Open the Photos app on the sending iPhone and locate the video you want to share.
• Step 3.Tap the video, then tap the Share icon (a square with an arrow).
• Step 4.In the sharing sheet, you'll see AirDrop icons for nearby devices at the top. Tap the recipient's device name or image.
• Step 5.If asked, the recipient should tap Accept.
• Step 6.Once accepted, the video will transfer. On the receiving iPhone the video will appear in the Photos app

Tips & troubleshooting while sending videos:

• If the other iPhone doesn't appear, set AirDrop to Everyone temporarily.
• Keep both screens awake and unlocked during transfer.
• For very large videos, ensure both devices have enough battery and remain nearby.

Part 4. How to AirDrop from iPhone to Mac (and Mac to iPhone)

You can AirDrop videos both ways between iPhone and Mac. Below are clear steps for AirDrop from iPhone to Mac and AirDrop from Mac to iPhone.

AirDrop from iPhone to Mac

• Step 1.On the Mac, open Finder > AirDrop. Set "Allow me to be discovered by" to Everyone or Contacts Only. Keep the Finder window open.
• Step 2.On the iPhone, open Photos and select the video you want to send.
• Step 3.Tap the Share icon and choose the Mac's name from the AirDrop row.
• Step 4.On the Mac, either the file will automatically appear in Downloads or a prompt will ask to Accept. Click Accept.

The video will be saved to the Mac (usually Downloads) and/or opened in the default app.

AirDrop from Mac to iPhone

• Step 1.On the iPhone, ensure AirDrop receiving is enabled and set appropriately.
• Step 2.On the Mac, locate the video file in Finder. Right-click it and choose Share > AirDrop.
• Step 3.Select the iPhone from the AirDrop window.
• Step 4.On the iPhone, tap Accept when prompted. The video will appear in the Photos app.

Notes:

• If the Mac is running an older macOS or the iPhone uses an older iOS, you may be prompted differently, but the underlying steps are the same.
• When someone asks how do you get AirDrop on a Mac, the answer is - it's built into macOS. If you don't see it, update macOS and make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled.

Part 5. Improve Video Quality Before or After AirDrop

AirDrop is excellent for speed and convenience, but sometimes, the source video itself is low-resolution, blurry, or captured in poor lighting. While AirDrop doesn't typically compress the file, the underlying video quality might reveal its flaws once viewed on a larger screen like a Mac.

Scenario: You successfully airdrop videos from your iPhone to your Mac, but when you watch the video, it looks pixelated or too dark. What should you do?

The solution is to use a powerful AI video enhancer like HitPaw Vikpea.

Introducing HitPaw Vikpea

HitPaw VikPea is an advanced video enhancement tool that uses AI technology to upscale, sharpen, and de-noise your footage, bringing new life to old, blurry, or low-resolution videos. It's the perfect tool to prepare a video before AirDropping it or to clean up a video after you transfer it.

Key features & highlights

• AI Upscaling: Increase resolution (e.g., HD to 4K) while preserving detail.
• Stabilization: Remove shake and jitter from handheld clips.
• Noise Reduction: Clean up grainy, low-light footage.
• Color Correction & Enhancement: Improve color vibrancy and exposure automatically.
• Face/Detail Refinement: Restore facial details and important textures.
• Batch Processing: Enhance multiple clips at once for fast workflows.
• Preview & Export: Preview changes before exporting in the format and quality you choose.

How to enhance a video with HitPaw VikPea

• Step 1.Install HitPaw VikPea on your computer, launch it and choose Video Enhancer feature. Follow the onscreen instructions to import your video footage.

  

• Step 2.Choose the appropriate AI model (e.g., General Restoration for overall quality improvement, Portrait Model for facial details, Animation Model for cartoons, etc.).

  

• Step 3.In the Export Settings, you can set up the resolution to 4K, bit rate, frame rate and output format.

  

• Step 4.VikPea shows a before/after comparison so you can confirm the improvement. Click the Preview button to enter split-screen preview.

  

• Step 5.If you are satisfied, click "Export" to save your high-quality, enhanced video.

Part 6. AirDrop Videos FAQs

Conclusion

AirDrop is an easy, secure, and fast way to send videos between Apple devices. Now you know how to AirDrop a video from iPhone to iPhone, how to AirDrop a video from iPhone to Mac, how to enable AirDrop, and how to troubleshoot common problems. If your footage needs a quality boost, tools like HitPaw VikPea can stabilize, denoise, and upscale your videos so they look great before or after you AirDrop them. Happy sharing!