Best 6 Ways to Connect Samsung Phone to Mac
If you have a Samsung phone, you may be intimidated by the concept of connecting it to your Mac. Nevertheless, transferring files to and from your Samsung device is often a necessary task, whether you need to free up space or simply want to move some photos to or from your phone. Here are a few ways to connect a Samsung phone to Mac that will work with a variety of Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S9, S23, S25, Samsung Galaxy Note, Flip7, and other popular models.
USB Connection
The most popular way to connect your Samsung to your Mac is via USB cable. This is a relatively simple task in and of itself – as long as you have a USB cable that fits both your Mac and your Android, you’re pretty much set, but you will also need to install an app to serve as the file manager in which you can see your Samsung’s files when you connect it to your Mac. Here are a few options for file manager apps that you can use to connect your Samsung device to a Mac.
Samsung Smart Switch
Samsung Smart Switch is a simple choice by virtue of the fact that it is designed specifically for Samsung devices, making it reliable for working with your Android phone or tablet. In addition to being free to download and install on a variety of devices, it offers simple functionality and the ability to do one thing really well – transfer files from Samsung to Mac.
The bad news is that you won’t be able to use it with non-Samsung devices, and your Mac won’t be able to transfer data to your phone or tablet through this app, so it’s less universal than other options in this article. That said, it’s a solid option for anyone who wants to move data between a Mac and a Samsung device without having to pay or use older apps.
- Free and easy to use
- Works without internet connections
- It is possible to restore iTunes backup to your Samsung phone
- Limitations for data are restricted to your Mac’s hard drive size, allowing you to back up virtually anything if you have the room
- Allows you to update your device’s software
- Samsung-proprietary architecture restricts this app to Samsung devices
- File transfer speed is noticeably slow in some cases
- App is reportedly unreliable when it comes to maintaining a connection
How to Connect Samsung Phone to Mac via Smart Switch
- Install Smart Switch on your computer.
- Use a USB cable to connect your Samsung phone to your Mac.
- Open Smart Switch on your Mac.
- When the app detects your phone, you will see the interface of the app.
- Click on the “Backup” button.
- Wait until the process is finished.
MacDroid
MacDroid is the best all-around option for USB connection, but it also gives you the ability to connect your devices wirelessly. Because it processes your Android device like a drive, you can connect your Samsung and then treat it like a file location in Finder, allowing you to click and drag files back and forth without having to worry about transfer speed, moving between your phone and your computer, and browse quickly through your phone’s file system in a clean and intuitive interface. Since MacDroid was designed for macOS from the ground up, it will work reliably with any Samsung device every time.
There is a free version of MacDroid, but it only allows you to transfer files from your Samsung to your Mac. Paying for the Pro version, which costs $19.99 per year or $34.99 for a lifetime license, unlocks the ability to transfer files from your Mac to your Samsung device. However, even without this option, MacDroid remains the easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to manage your Samsung’s files on your computer.
- Works with virtually all Android phones and devices
- Allows you to edit files both on your Mac and without moving them from the phone
- Contains both MTP and ADB cable support, and Wi-Fi mode
- Shows phone as a drive, allowing you to manage its contents
- Available in 16 languages
- Free version only allows transfers from Android to Mac
How to Use MacDroid
Your first step should be to download and install MacDroid on your Mac. Once you have done that, go ahead and connect your Samsung to your computer via a USB cable; then, do the following:
1. Click the MTP option on your Mac.
2. Click Next in MacDroid’s window, then confirm the File transfer option on your Samsung if necessary.
3. Wait for your Samsung to appear in the MacDroid window, then click Mount next to it.
Once your Samsung is officially mounted, it will appear in MacDroid as a drive. This means that you can move files between your Mac and Samsung as different file locations.
And here are step-by-step instructions on how to connect Android to Mac via Wi-Fi mode in MacDroid:
Wireless Connection
If using a USB cable to connect Samsung to Mac isn’t an option for you, or if you want to be able to transfer files without having one or the other on you at the time, there are a few reputable wireless options as well. While none of these options will be as quick or intuitive as using a cable and file manager, it is hard to deny the convenience of being able to open your Samsung, select a few files, send them to your Mac, and then access them there (or vice versa). Here are the best options for connecting your Samsung to your Mac via a wireless medium.
AirDroid
AirDroid is a quick and efficient way to connect a Samsung device to a Mac, provided you’re willing to install some software. This app allows you to manage data on your Android device by transferring files to and from other devices with AirDroid installed, including your Mac, as well as providing some Android control options for monitoring your phone from your Mac. To wit, you can install the AirDroid app on pretty much any conceivable desktop or smartphone platform.
There are, of course, some drawbacks to AirDroid. For one, the premium features, namely smartphone control, are locked behind a paywall that starts at $29.99 per year. AirDroid also has some advanced functionality that may be more confusing than helpful to newer users.
- Both Mac and Windows compatible
- Usable on most major platforms as well as online
- Allows basic file transfers as well as screen control and mirroring
- Premium features are costly, but may prove necessary for some users
- Sharing speed can be unpredictable
Connect Samsung Phone and Mac with AirDroid
- Install AirDroid on both devices and create an account.
- Connect your phone to the same network as Mac.
- You should connect automatically after logging into both devices.
- You’ll be all set once you’re logged in on both devices.
SHAREit
SHAREit is a versatile alternative for those looking to connect their Samsung device to a Mac without relying on cables or outdated software. Unlike traditional USB-based apps, SHAREit operates over Wi-Fi Direct, allowing you to send files directly between your Samsung and Mac without an active internet connection. Once you have the SHAREit app installed on both your devices, transferring photos, videos, and documents becomes a matter of a few taps, with data moving at speeds significantly faster than Bluetooth.
What sets SHAREit apart is its cross-platform nature. You can use it not just between Android and Mac, but also with Windows PCs and iOS devices, making it ideal if you regularly switch between different ecosystems. Additionally, SHAREit offers features such as media playback and file management, although these extras may seem superfluous if you’re primarily looking to transfer files.
- Wireless transfers are much faster than Bluetooth
- Supports multiple platforms, including Android, Mac, Windows, and iOS
- No need for an internet connection once devices are paired
- Completely free to use
- The interface includes ads and unnecessary features unrelated to file transfers
- The initial pairing process can sometimes be unintuitive for first-time users
- Occasional stability issues during large file transfers
How to Pair Samsung and Mac using SHAREit
- Download and install the SHAREit app on both your Samsung phone and Mac.
- Connect devices to the same Wi-Fi network or establish a direct connection via Wi-Fi Direct.
- Open SHAREit on both devices.
- On your Samsung, tap “Send” and select the files you wish to transfer.
- On your Mac, tap “Receive” to make it visible to your phone.
- Once your Mac appears on your Samsung’s screen, tap to connect and initiate the transfer.
Bluetooth
Connecting your Samsung to a Mac via Bluetooth is not ideal, as it only transfers individual files, not a full-fledged connection of the device as a separate disk.
It also opens quickly and requires no additional settings, other than pairing devices once in the settings. The trade-off is that Bluetooth is infamous for phenomenally slow transfer speeds, and the limited effective range of this connection type means that you’ll need to keep your phone near your computer for the duration of the transfer. However, if you just need to move small text files or a single photo between your Galaxy device and your Mac, this is a viable option.
- Free and quick to set up
- Ideally suited to small file transfers
- Requires no additional software
- Slow transfer speeds make this method unsuitable for any file or backup larger than a few megabytes
- Bluetooth’s extremely short range means you have to stay near your computer until the transfer completes
How to Use Bluetooth
When connecting a Samsung phone to MacBook in this way, you will need to make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on both of your devices; then, follow these steps:
- Open your Mac’s Bluetooth menu: Go to System Preferences, then click Bluetooth
- Note your Mac’s name in the Bluetooth menu.
- Find your Mac’s name in your Android’s Bluetooth menu and tap it.
- Select Pair when asked to confirm, then follow any on-screen prompts on your Mac or Android.
- Enable Bluetooth Sharing on your Mac: Open System Preferences, then click General, click Sharing, and turn on the switch next to “Bluetooth Sharing”
- Select files on your Mac or Samsung and click the “Share” icon.
- Select Bluetooth and another device.
- Confirm the decision to send the files, as well as to receive them if necessary.
Google Drive
Google Drive is the default cloud storage service on Android phones, and for good reason: It affords a hefty 15 gigabytes of storage for free, it integrates with all of Google’s other creative apps, and, like other cloud storage apps, it allows you to access your stored files from anywhere with an internet connection. Since Google Drive is free to use by default, you should be able to access it on your Mac, making it easy to find and view or download any files you have stored there from your Samsung.
- Easy and free to use in its default configuration
- You should already have an account with Google if you have a Samsung, so you shouldn’t need to set up any new software
- Uses cloud storage, so you can access your files anywhere without using space on your Mac
- The free version of Google Drive only allows for 15 gigabytes of storage space, which may not be enough to back up your phone
- Uploads and downloads can be extremely slow depending on your internet connection
- Some users may be uncomfortable uploading sensitive or private documents to the cloud
How to Use Google Drive
Using Google Drive to connect Android to Mac is as simple as logging into Google Drive in your Mac’s browser. From there, you can access, manipulate, and download any files stored on your Samsung’s Google Drive app; if you want to add a new file to Drive, you’ll need to follow this easy four-step process:
- Open the Google Drive app on your Samsung.
- Tap the plus icon in the corner of the screen.
- Tap Upload, then select the type of file(s) you want to add to Drive.
- Confirm your selection and wait for the upload to finish.
Once your upload is complete, you will be able to view your file on your Mac in the Google Drive window.
Conclusion
There are several quick and easy ways to connect your Samsung smartphone to your Mac. The simplest ones, such as Google Drive and Bluetooth, are effective but slow and generally inefficient for files larger than the smallest. USB cable connections require third-party programs to bridge the gap between your Android phone and your Mac, but these connections also enable fast file transfers, on-Mac backups, and more; this is why MacDroid is our primary recommendation if you want to connect your Samsung to your Mac, though other apps like ShareIt and Samsung Smart Switch are also viable.
