ShuttleDrop
Move files between your Android phone and Mac without the fight.
Plug in a cable and the phone opens like a folder. Drag photos, videos and whole folders either way. Nothing to install on the phone, no account, no cloud, no developer settings.
Why is this still hard in 2026?
A Mac and an Android phone are two of the most common devices on earth, and copying a video between them is still a chore.
- Google discontinued Android File Transfer, its own Mac app, and its download page now points to a cloud service.
- Quick Share's AirDrop support only reaches recent flagship phones, and only one file at a time.
- The remaining apps want a yearly subscription, a companion app on the phone, or USB debugging turned on.
- So people email themselves videos, or fill up Google Drive, or just give up and leave the photos on the phone.
ShuttleDrop is the plug-in-and-drag answer. Pay once, and the phone is a folder on your Mac from then on.
Nothing on the phone
Uses the File transfer mode every Android has had since 2011. Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Vivo, OnePlus, the old phone in the drawer. No developer mode, no companion app.
Works like Finder
Drag files out of the phone into any folder or onto the Desktop. Drag files in. Right-click any file in Finder and choose Send to Android Phone.
Built for the big move
Whole folders in either direction. Forty gigabytes of videos in one drag, a progress bar you can cancel, and never a half-copied file left behind.
Both directions
Phone to Mac and Mac to phone, including folders. Other free tools only let you pull.
Private by design
Files move over the cable, from the phone to your Mac. No server in the middle, no account, no analytics in the app.
Native and small
A 5 MB Mac app written in Swift, for Apple Silicon and Intel. Opens instantly and stays out of the way.
Three steps, every time
Plug in
Any USB cable that charges the phone also carries files. Unlock the phone.
Tap “File transfer”
The phone shows a USB notification. Choose File transfer. Most phones remember it.
Drag
The phone opens in ShuttleDrop. Drag out, drag in, or right-click in Finder to send.
Compared with the other ways
| ShuttleDrop | Android File Transfer | OpenMTP | MacDroid | MacTransfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App needed on the phone | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Needs USB debugging | No | No | No | For fast mode | Yes |
| Drag to any Finder folder | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Send from Finder’s right-click menu | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Mac to phone on the free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Limited |
| Still maintained | Yes | Discontinued | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $29 once | Free | Free | $19.99 a year | $24.99 once |
Checked October 2026 against each product’s own website. Tell us if something changed.
Pay once. Use it forever.
ShuttleDrop launched in October 2026. The first customers pay less and get a direct line to the person who builds it.
ShuttleDrop Lifetime
- Unlimited transfers, any file size
- Phone to Mac and Mac to phone, whole folders
- Finder drag-and-drop and right-click Send
- One key for up to 3 Macs
- All future updates included
Questions
Does it work over Wi-Fi?
Not yet. ShuttleDrop 1.0 uses the cable, because it is faster and needs nothing on the phone. Wi-Fi is the next feature on the list, and it will be a free update.
Which phones work?
Any Android phone or tablet with a File transfer mode, which is all of them. Tested on Samsung Galaxy, Vivo and stock Android. If yours doesn’t show up, email us and we’ll fix it.
Do I need to enable developer mode or USB debugging?
No. ShuttleDrop uses the normal File transfer mode, the same one your phone offers in the USB notification. Developer settings stay off.
Where do my files go?
Wherever you drop them. Copy to Mac puts them in Downloads and then shows them in Finder. Nothing passes through any server.
What do the two free transfers include?
Everything. Each transfer can be one file or a whole folder of any size. After two, ShuttleDrop asks you to unlock it.
What if I change Macs?
Open ShuttleDrop › Settings on the old Mac and click Deactivate. Your key then works on the new one. One key covers three Macs at a time.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, within 30 days of purchase, no questions asked. Email support@shuttledrop.app with your order number.
Your phone, open in a window on your Mac.
Download it, plug in, and try two transfers on us.
Download free for Mac