# SideMount

> SideMount is a macOS menu bar app that mounts a USB-connected Android phone as a volume in Finder. It speaks the adb wire protocol itself over USB, so there is no adb server to install and no MTP, the protocol behind Android File Transfer. Every Mac app can open, save and copy files on the phone directly: Finder, the terminal, rsync, Photoshop. A phone on Android 11 or later can also be paired over Wi-Fi with wireless debugging, which is much slower than the cable and suits small transfers. Several phones mount at once, SD cards appear as folders, and macOS never leaves dot-underscore files on the phone. Requires macOS 26 or later, because it is built on FSKit, and USB debugging on the phone. Seven day trial with no card; $1.99/month or $19 once, each covering 3 Macs. Files go only between the phone and the Mac. The site is in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian and Japanese.

## Product
- [SideMount home](https://sidemount.app/): What it is, how it works, measured speed, pricing and FAQ.
- [Download](https://sidemount.app/download): The installer, and what you need before it will work.
- [Setup guide](https://sidemount.app/setup): Turn on the file system extension, turn on USB debugging, allow the Mac. Includes the fixes for the usual problems.
- [Blog](https://sidemount.app/blog): Guides, measured comparisons and fixes.
- [Changelog](https://sidemount.app/changelog): Every released version.

## Guides
- [Android File Transfer](https://sidemount.app/android-file-transfer-mac): Google no longer offers Android File Transfer for Mac. SideMount mounts the phone in Finder as a real drive instead, so every app can open its files.
- [Android to Mac](https://sidemount.app/transfer-files-android-to-mac): Every way to move photos, videos and files between an Android phone and a Mac, over a cable, over Wi-Fi or through the cloud, and which one suits what.
- [USB debugging](https://sidemount.app/usb-debugging): The steps to switch on Developer options and USB debugging on Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, OnePlus and Motorola phones, and what it does.
- [Phone not showing up](https://sidemount.app/android-not-showing-up-on-mac): Your Android phone does not appear on your Mac. The usual causes, from a cable that only charges to a missed Allow prompt, and how to fix each one.
- [adb or MTP: two ways to move files over the same cable](https://sidemount.app/blog/adb-vs-mtp): adb and MTP both move files between Android and a computer. What each needs on the phone, what each can do, how safe USB debugging is, and which to use.
- [Android File Transfer and the 4 GB wall](https://sidemount.app/blog/android-file-transfer-4gb-limit): Android File Transfer cannot copy a file over 4 GB. The likely reason, how to spot it, the ways round it, and the separate 4 GB limit of FAT32 SD cards.
- [Can an Android phone be an external drive for your Mac?](https://sidemount.app/blog/android-phone-as-external-drive-mac): Can an Android phone work as a USB drive on a Mac? Why mass storage mode went, what MTP changed, the options today, and the limits to expect.
- [Using your Android phone's SD card on a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/android-sd-card-mac): How to read and write an Android phone's SD card on a Mac: in a card reader, over the cable through the phone, and why an adopted card will not open.
- [Moving files from Android to a Mac without a cable](https://sidemount.app/blog/android-to-mac-wireless): Every way to move files from Android to a Mac without a cable in 2026: Quick Share to AirDrop, NearDrop, QuickDrop, LocalSend, the cloud and more.
- [How to back up an Android phone to your Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/backup-android-to-mac): What Google's own backup keeps and what it leaves out, which folders to copy to your Mac, and how to repeat the copy with rsync or an MTP app.
- [The best Android file transfer apps for Mac in 2026](https://sidemount.app/blog/best-android-file-transfer-apps-mac): Every way to move files between Android and a Mac in 2026: Finder mounts, MTP apps, Image Capture, AirDrop with Quick Share, LocalSend and the cloud.
- [How to copy your music library from a Mac to an Android phone](https://sidemount.app/blog/copy-music-mac-to-android): Where the Music app keeps your songs, which ones an Android phone can play, how to lay out the folders, and how to bring M3U playlists across.
- ["Could not connect to device": fixing the Android File Transfer error](https://sidemount.app/blog/could-not-connect-to-device): Why Android File Transfer says "Could not connect to device" on a Mac, and the fixes to try in order, from the USB mode to an app holding the phone.
- [The ._ files on your Android phone, and how to stop them](https://sidemount.app/blog/dot-underscore-files-android): The ._ files a Mac leaves on Android phones and SD cards are AppleDouble metadata. What they hold, how to delete them safely, and how to stop them.
- [FSKit: how apps add file systems to macOS](https://sidemount.app/blog/fskit-macos-26): What FSKit is, how it differs from kernel extensions and macFUSE, what macOS 26 added, and the System Settings switch every FSKit app asks you to turn on.
- [HEIC photos and HEVC video from Android, on a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/heic-android-photos-mac): Samsung and other Android phones can save photos as HEIC and video as HEVC. Macs open both. How to convert to JPEG, and when to change the setting.
- [MTP, the protocol behind File Transfer mode, explained](https://sidemount.app/blog/mtp-explained): What MTP is, where it came from and how it works, why macOS cannot mount an Android phone over it by itself, and what that means when you copy files.
- [Using rsync with an Android phone and a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/rsync-android-mac): Run rsync between an Android phone and a Mac: finding the phone's path, commands for photos, dry runs, --delete, and why -rt beats -a here.
- [How to transfer files from a Mac to an Android phone](https://sidemount.app/blog/transfer-files-mac-to-android): Move APKs, documents, films, music and ebooks from a Mac to an Android phone, by cable or Wi-Fi, and put each where the phone's apps will find it.
- [How to get photos from a Google Pixel onto a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/transfer-photos-pixel-to-mac): Move photos and videos from a Google Pixel to a Mac: Google Photos and its quality settings, Image Capture, the cable, and Ultra HDR on a Mac.
- [How to get photos from a Samsung Galaxy onto a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/transfer-photos-samsung-to-mac): Get photos and videos off a Samsung Galaxy onto a Mac: by cable, Google Photos, OneDrive or Quick Share, and the HEIF settings that matter.
- [How to move big videos from Android to a Mac, at full quality](https://sidemount.app/blog/transfer-videos-android-to-mac): Move big 4K, 8K and slow motion videos from Android to a Mac at full quality: why apps shrink them, the 4 GB trap, cable options, and checking the copy.
- [Does your USB-C cable carry data, and how fast?](https://sidemount.app/blog/usb-c-cable-data-transfer): How to tell whether a USB-C cable carries data and how fast: the markings, charge-only cables, USB 2 phones, and the speed your Mac reports.
- [How to get WhatsApp photos, videos and voice notes from Android to a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/whatsapp-media-android-to-mac): Where WhatsApp keeps photos, videos, voice notes and documents on Android 11 and later, why some apps cannot see them, and how to copy them to a Mac.
- [Pairing Android's wireless debugging with a Mac](https://sidemount.app/blog/wireless-debugging-mac): How to pair an Android phone's wireless debugging with a Mac: the six digit code, adb pair and adb connect, and what to do when pairing fails.

## Comparisons
- [SideMount vs MacDroid](https://sidemount.app/compare/macdroid): MacDroid and SideMount both mount an Android phone in Finder. Prices, modes, Mac requirements and where each is the better choice, checked October 2026.
- [SideMount vs OpenMTP](https://sidemount.app/compare/openmtp): OpenMTP is free and runs on older Macs; SideMount puts the phone in Finder for every app. What each does, where each is better, and the costs.

## Pricing and policy
- [Pricing](https://sidemount.app/#pricing): $1.99/month, or $19 once for life. 3 Macs each. Seven day trial, no card.
- [Privacy policy](https://sidemount.app/privacy): What leaves the Mac and what does not.
- [Refunds](https://sidemount.app/refund): Fourteen days, no argument.
- [Terms](https://sidemount.app/terms): What the licence covers, and what is not promised.