MAC ↔ WINDOWS · QUICK SHARE GUIDE
Quick Share Between Mac and Windows
Nearby Drop is a macOS menu bar app that can send and receive files with compatible Windows Quick Share devices. It adds a Mac endpoint to a local Quick Share workflow; the Windows PC uses its own compatible Quick Share client.
Mac to Windows
- Connect the Mac and Windows PC to a local network that allows device discovery.
- Open Nearby Drop from the Mac menu bar, choose files, and select the Windows PC when it appears.
- Accept the transfer in the Windows Quick Share client.
Windows to Mac
- Open the compatible Quick Share client on Windows and select the files to send.
- Choose the visible Nearby Drop Mac, then review and accept the request in the Mac menu bar app.
- Find received files in the download folder selected in Nearby Drop.
What has been tested
Both directions passed in a final Debug test build with one Windows PC. For Windows-to-Mac, the received 65,678-byte test file matched its expected SHA-256 and Nearby Drop showed Transfer Complete. For Mac-to-Windows, the user confirmed arrival and the Mac showed Sent; the Windows file hash was not independently checked.
The protocol changes first shipped in v2.3.1. The current v2.3.4 packaged app has not been separately device-tested for this Windows flow. This verifies one Windows device and one test setup; it does not establish compatibility with every Windows PC, Quick Share version, or network. Nearby Drop runs on macOS only and is not a Windows app.
If discovery fails
Keep both devices on a reachable local network. Guest Wi-Fi, client isolation, firewall settings, or local-network permission can stop devices from appearing. LTE-only phone-hotspot discovery has not been verified. File data transfers directly over the local connection; Nearby Drop does not use a cloud relay.