FAST FIXES FOR MAC
How to make sure your Mac remains thoroughly well-connected
16 AirDrop won’t work
Check both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, have clear line-of-sight between them, and are within nine metres. å-click then choose System Information > Network > Wi-Fi to check that AirDrop is supported. On a receiving Mac, open AirDrop in a Finder window using its Go menu. Click the ‘Allow me to be discovered by’ item and select Contacts Only or Everyone as appropriate. Ensure the Firewall, in the Security & Privacy pane, isn’t set to block incoming connections. On the receiving Mac, accept any notification which appears.
17 When USB-C devices don’t work
Check you’re using the right cable. Many designed for charging don’t carry the data a peripheral might need to exchange with your Mac. Tag your USB-C cables clearly so you don’t use the wrong one. If in doubt, use one marked as Thunderbolt 3 or 4 compliant. Try a different port on your Mac; on some notebooks specific ports can confuse thermal sensors. If it’s an Intel model, try resetting its SMC, then reconnecting. Also check the device documentation.
18 Can’t unlock with Apple Watch
å-click then choose System Information, and in Network > Wi-Fi see that Auto Unlock is supported. Check your Mac has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and it and your Watch are signed in with the same Apple ID, with two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled on that account. Check your Watch is using a passcode too. In > System Preferences > Sharing, turn off Internet Sharing and Screen Sharing. Then in System Prefs > Security & Privacy > General, enable the lowest checkbox to use your Watch.
19 Don’t panic!
If your Mac restarts or shuts down of its own accord the cause is most likely a kernel panic. After the Mac starts up again you should be asked to send its Panic Log to Apple; before doing that, select all its text, copy and paste it into a text document to help expert diagnosis. Kernel panics should be very rare; if they trouble your Mac more frequently, it’s time to call on Apple Support.
20 When Universal Clipboard fails
Check both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on and are within nine metres. In > System Prefs > Apple ID see if they’re both signed in with the same Apple ID. Open the General pane and at the foot tick the Allow Handoff item; on a device, open Settings > General > Handoff to enable. Don’t wait too long after copying an item, or it may disappear or get replaced before you can paste it.
21 Your Mac notebook doesn’t recharge
Confirm the mains supply is working then connect the charger. Try shutting your Mac down, close the case for 30 seconds, then reopen it. If it’s not an M1 model, reset its SMC. Check the power adaptor and cable are the right ones for that Mac: see the list at support.apple.com/ HT201700. Open System Prefs > Battery check the Battery Health there.