HOW TO: Share Files Over Wi-Fi With Friends Using OS X Lion's New AirDrop Feature

Photo: via Denisgg2002 on Flickr

One of the most useful new features in Mac OS X Lion might be AirDrop, a built-in app that makes it simple to transfer files to Macs near you.You’ll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your recipient to use AirDrop, which replaces the already-easy Bonjour file-sharing protocol in previous versions of Mac OS X.

AirDrop isn’t perfect for transferring a ton of files, but for a few files here or there, it’s convenient and requires no set-up whatsoever.

Plus, there’s encryption to ease your fears of transferring a file to a friend in a coffee shop or library.

First, click the Finder icon in your dock.

Click AirDrop in the left column. Here's the AirDrop screen. If you and your recipient are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, your computers should pick each other up.

Drag the file you want to transfer onto the image of the recipient

Drop the file onto the recipient, and press Send.

After you send the file, AirDrop waits for the recipient to accept the file, just like in iChat.

Now that you've learned how to use AirDrop...

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