Transferring files with AirBridge is designed to be frictionless. Whether you are sending a tiny text snippet or a massive 50GB video project, the user experience is identical.
Drag & Drop Transfer
The fastest way to send a file from your Mac is using the drag-and-drop interface:
- Select one or more files in Finder.
- Drag them to the top of your screen and hover over the AirBridge menu bar icon. The menu will automatically spring open.
- Drop the files onto the name of the paired device you want to send them to.
Alternatively, you can right-click any file in Finder, select Share, and choose AirBridge from the macOS share sheet.
Wi-Fi Direct Protocol
While AirBridge uses Bluetooth to discover devices, it does not use Bluetooth to transfer the actual files (which would be incredibly slow).
Instead, AirBridge automatically negotiates a Wi-Fi Direct connection between the two devices. This creates a temporary, high-speed peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network exclusively for the transfer. Because it bypasses your home router, transfers can reach speeds in excess of 1 Gbps (depending on the Wi-Fi hardware of the devices), making it up to 3x faster than standard network file sharing.
File Sizes & Limits
Because AirBridge operates entirely on your local network (peer-to-peer), there are absolutely no file size limits and no cloud storage quotas.
- You can transfer a 100GB folder structure, and AirBridge will maintain the folder hierarchy perfectly on the receiving device.
- Transfers do not consume any of your ISP bandwidth or mobile data plan.