You open the share sheet, tap AirDrop, and spot your Mac — twice. Two identical entries, side by side, same name, same icon. You tap one, and the transfer either hangs or fails instantly. Which one is the real device, and why is it listed twice?
A duplicated device in the AirDrop menu is a confusing glitch, but it has a straightforward explanation: one entry is real, and the other is a ghost. Here is why the ghost appears and how to remove it on iPhone and Mac.
Why AirDrop shows the same device twice
Here is the key insight most people miss: the fault is not in the device that appears duplicated — it is in the device showing the list. AirDrop discovers nearby devices over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and the Bluetooth stack keeps a cache of identifiers, including MAC addresses, for devices it has connected to before.
When the Bluetooth module glitches, AirDrop renders both a fresh, working entry and a stale cached entry for the same device. The ghost looks identical, but sending anything to it fails, because it points to an identifier that no longer resolves. Your iPhone and Mac need a healthy Bluetooth and Wi-Fi handshake for this to work — the same handshake that powers features like automatic hotspot connection from iPhone on Mac. Apple’s AirDrop troubleshooting page covers the basics — radios on, devices nearby, receiving settings correct — but it does not describe this duplicate-entry bug specifically.
How to clear duplicate AirDrop devices
On iPhone and iPad
- Refresh the radios first. Turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, wait about ten seconds, then turn them back on and restart both devices. Sometimes that alone clears the ghost entry.
- Reset Network Settings. If the duplicate persists, open Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings. Confirm and let the iPhone reboot. This wipes the stale Bluetooth cache — along with every saved Wi-Fi password, VPN configuration, and Bluetooth pairing — so keep your Wi-Fi password handy.
- Check AirDrop again. After the reboot, open the share sheet. The duplicate should be gone, with a single working entry for the device.
On Mac
- Open the Bluetooth preferences folder. In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder, type
/Library/Preferences/, and press Enter. - Delete the Bluetooth preferences file. Find
com.apple.Bluetooth.plist— on some macOS versions it is the.lockfilevariant — and move it to the Trash. - Restart the Mac. macOS rebuilds the Bluetooth preferences from scratch, and the ghost entry disappears.
If it still doesn’t work
If the duplicate keeps coming back, toggle AirDrop receiving off and back on again on both devices — open Control Center, long-press the connectivity block, tap AirDrop, and change the setting. Also make sure both devices are signed in to iCloud and running up-to-date software: a ghost that survives both fixes above usually needs an OS update. MacRumors has covered recurring AirDrop glitches across iOS and macOS releases, and updates have historically fixed the stubborn cases.
Frequently asked questions
Which of the two entries should I tap?
Try the one that appears first — that is usually the live entry. If the transfer spins or fails, cancel it and tap the other one. Once you apply the fixes above, only one entry remains, so the question goes away.
Will Reset Network Settings delete my photos or apps?
No. It only clears network-related settings: saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, VPN profiles, and Bluetooth pairings. Your photos, apps, messages, and other data are untouched.
Conclusion
A duplicated device in the AirDrop menu looks alarming, but it is just a stale Bluetooth cache on the device showing the list — not a hardware problem. Clear it with Reset Network Settings on iPhone, or by removing the Bluetooth preferences file on Mac, and AirDrop goes back to one clean entry per device. If your AirDrop problem goes the other way — your iPhone receives files fine but will not send them — see our companion guide on why your iPhone can’t send files via AirDrop.
