An Android File Transfer alternative for Mac
Updated 16 October 2026
For years, the answer to getting files off an Android phone on a Mac was Google's Android File Transfer. Google no longer offers it. The old download page at android.com/filetransfer now sends you to Quick Share, which is for Windows PCs, and there is no Mac version of that.
SideMount is a different kind of replacement. It is not a window you drag files in and out of. It mounts the phone in Finder as a drive, so every app on the Mac can use it.
Why Android File Transfer always felt broken
Android File Transfer used MTP, the Media Transfer Protocol. With MTP the computer asks the phone for one file at a time, through commands of its own. It is not a file system, so macOS cannot mount it, and that has consequences you have probably met:
- The files live in the app's own window, not in Finder.
- No other app can open a file on the phone. You copy it to the Mac first, then open the copy.
- The terminal, rsync and backup tools cannot see the phone at all.
- Copies stalled, the connection dropped easily, and no single file could be over 4 GB. "Could not connect to device" was a familiar sight.
What SideMount does instead
SideMount works differently from Android File Transfer. Turn on USB debugging on the phone once, and it appears in Finder as a volume, like a USB stick. There is no adb to install on the Mac and nothing to install on the phone.
It is quick over a USB 3 cable, too: a 4.5 GB video copies in under 20 seconds either way. On a USB 2 phone the cable itself is the limit, at about 21 MB/s, whatever app you use.
Side by side
| Android File Transfer | SideMount | |
|---|---|---|
| Available today | No, Google withdrew it | Yes |
| Where the files appear | In its own window | In Finder, as a drive |
| Open a file in place | No, copy it first | Yes, from any app |
| Terminal and rsync | No | Yes |
| Over Wi-Fi | No | Yes, on Android 11 or later |
| What the phone needs | File transfer mode | USB debugging, turned on once |
The trade-offs, honestly
SideMount asks for two things Android File Transfer did not. The phone needs USB debugging turned on, once, which takes a minute: see how to turn on USB debugging. And the Mac needs macOS 26 or later. On an older Mac, an MTP app such as the free OpenMTP is still the way.
SideMount is also paid software, after a seven day trial that asks for no card. The prices are on the home page.
Moving over from Android File Transfer
- Download SideMount and move it to Applications.
- Turn on its file system extension in System Settings. The app opens the right pane for you.
- Turn on USB debugging on the phone, plug it in, unlock it and tap Allow.
The phone then appears in Finder's sidebar. Internal storage is the root, and an SD card is a folder at the top. The setup guide has every step in detail.