Where is the file sharing setting?
Five names, and the reason they all exist is that none of them will talk to the others. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
10 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use five different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| AirDrop | 4 |
| File Sharing | 3 |
| Nearby Share | 1 |
| Quick Share | 1 |
| Nearby sharing | 1 |
The most common is AirDrop, on 4 of the 10. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. Every one of them is within two taps of the first settings screen.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Mac OS 9 9.2 | File Sharing | 1 |
| ChromeOS 151 | Connected devices › Nearby Share | 2 |
| iOS 27.0 | General › AirDrop | 2 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | General › AirDrop | 2 |
| Mac OS X 10.6 | Sharing › File Sharing | 2 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Control Center › AirDrop | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Connected devices › Quick Share | 2 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Sharing › File Sharing | 2 |
| visionOS 27 | General › AirDrop | 2 |
| Windows 11 | System › Nearby sharing | 2 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
This is the one place in the catalogue where the naming divergence is not cosmetic. AirDrop, Quick Share and Nearby Share are genuinely different protocols, and a phone running one cannot send to a phone running another. The names are not synonyms; they are incompatible products.
Which is why the setting is nearly always within two taps: it only works if both people can find it quickly, standing next to each other.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to pairing Bluetooth, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where is the file sharing setting on most systems?
On 10 of the 10 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “AirDrop”, used by 4 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are five different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
10 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.