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Badman2
User level: Level 1 (5 points)

Check Mac connection to iPhone

How do I check if Mac is connected to my phone

Posted on Sep 22, 2026 4:39 PM

2 replies

Servant of Cats
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)

Sep 22, 2026 6:50 PM in response to Badman2

To see the iPhone in the Finder sidebar,

  • The Mac must be running Catalina or later. (In Mojave and earlier, you use iTunes instead of the Finder.)
  • The Sidebar section of Finder Preferences or Finder Settings must have a checkmark besides "[X] CDs, DVDs, and iOS devices".
  • The iPhone and Mac must be connected via cables and adapters that support data transfer (some "charging cables" don't have the data pins connected), or they must be on the same Wi-Fi network, (To use Wi-Fi for "manual" synchronization, you must first have enabled this option when using a cabled connection.)
sberman
User level: Level 10 (280,982 points)

Sep 22, 2026 5:59 PM in response to Badman2

What does “connected” mean exactly?


If it means you connected the two using a USB cable, open Finder on the Mac and look for the iPhone in the sidebar.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256363060