How to change your AirDrop name on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Learn how to change your AirDrop name on iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well as what to do if your device is not displaying the new AirDrop name.

AirDrop is a very useful and safe feature that enables instant exchange of files and data between Apple devices. It is fast and requires a few steps to set up, and perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t degrade the quality of any media that is sent.

Your device’s default name is iPhone or iPad, and it’s the same as your AirDrop name. Every time someone wants to send files to your device, they have to select your AirDrop name on their screen from a list of potential nearby devices. This can be a problem especially when there are other Apple device users around you with the same default AirDrop name crowding out your own.

So before attempting to use AirDrop, it’s important to have an easily recognizable name. A unique name will make it easy to spot you from the plethora of other Apple IDs to choose from, which in turn can help avoid transferring files to an unintended party.

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What you’ll need

To change your AirDrop name, you need to change the name of your Apple device. First, ensure your Apple device is AirDrop-compatible. AirDrop is available on iPhones and iPads running iOS 7 or later, and it’s supported by Macs and MacBooks released in 2012 or later that run at least OS X Yosemite.

You should also ensure you are using the most recent version of the software. New versions of operating systems can sometimes cause compatibility issues.

To check for updates, open the settings from your home screen, and select General > Software Update. If there’s a newer version of the operating system available click on download, and install it.

How to change your AirDrop name on an iPhone

Changing your AirDrop name on an iPhone is simple. From your home screen, select the Settings app, and tap General > About. At the top of the screen, you’ll see your device name. Tap on it.

Delete the old name, and type in whatever you’d like. Then, tap Done to rename your device.

Your device name, and thus your AirDrop name, should now be changed, and you can go back and close the Settings app.

How to change your AirDrop name on an iPad

To change your AirDrop name on an iPad, open the Settings app, and from the left panel, tap General. On the right panel, tap About, and at the top of the screen, you’ll see your iPad name. Click on it.

Delete the default name, and type in your new desired name. Tap Done, and your iPad name is changed. Go back and close the Settings app.

How to change your AirDrop name on a Mac

The steps to set or change your AirDrop name on Mac are just as quick and easy as they are on an iPhone or iPad. Click the Apple logo on the top left corner of the screen, and select System Preference.

From the system settings, click on Sharing. Here, you’ll see your computer name. Delete the old name, and type in your new name. Click the back button, and your AirDrop name will change.

What to do if your device isn’t displaying the new AirDrop name

In some instances, you may notice that the newly updated name doesn’t appear even after following all of the steps. In that case, try doing the steps again to ensure you did it correctly.

If the name isn’t updated, verify that your device is running the latest version of AirDrop software. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Once you’ve updated the software, follow the steps again, but give the device a completely different name, and see what happens.

If the name is still not updated, try turning your device off and then turning it back on immediately after changing the name. Your phone will restart, and the new AirDrop name should be updated.

Now, when other Apple users try to send something to your device, they’ll see the new AirDrop name you’ve created. You can even add a profile picture that will be displayed alongside your AirDrop name by tapping on Add Photo.

Ready to start sharing?

AirDrop can be incredibly handy for sharing files between Apple devices. But, that’s only if you can differentiate yours from the many Apple users that may share the same default AirDrop name around you.

Follow the above steps to change your AirDrop name to something unique to ensure all of the files you want to transfer go to the correct device.