Advanced USB
FastestUSB debugging · Android 8+
The fastest copies. Changes on the phone show up in seconds.
Up to 11.5× faster than MacDroid
Your phone, one Finder window away.
Your Android phone in Finder. Over USB or Wi-Fi, with no cloud in between.
macOS 13 or later · Free to browse
Projects
Invoices
Notes
DCIM
Documents
Download
Movies
Music
Summer 2026
IMG_20260712_…
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IMG_20260713_…
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IMG_20260714_…3 items6 items18 items
Trip photos4
Copying 4 items to “Trip photos”…Copied 4 items
9:41
USB debugging connectedWireless debugging connectedPortLine on this Mac
ImagesVideos
IMG_20260712…IMG_20260712…IMG_20260712…IMG_20260713…IMG_20260712…IMG_20260713…AndroidYour phone
macOSFinder shows your phone
11.5×faster · 200 photos to MacUSB · 4.7 s vs 54.5 s
6.4×faster · 200 photos to MacWi-Fi · 19.6 s vs 2:05
1.7×faster · 10 videos to phoneMTP · 1:08 vs 1:59
12/12tests wonUSB, MTP and Wi-Fi
Speed test
Faster in every test.
Same Mac, same phone, same files. Pick a test to replay it.
USB debugging
200 photosPhone → Mac
1×
PortLineAdvanced USBDone
4.7s200/200
MacDroidADB modeDone
54.5s200/200
11.5×faster
4.7 s vs 54.5 s
| PortLine | MacDroid | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB debugging | 200 photos, Mac → phone | 12.8 s | 15.5 s | 1.2× faster |
| USB debugging | 200 photos, Phone → Mac | 4.7 s | 54.5 s | 11.5× faster |
| USB debugging | 10 videos, Mac → phone | 1:04.8 | 1:07.5 | 1.04× faster |
| USB debugging | 10 videos, Phone → Mac | 1:01.7 | 1:05.8 | 1.07× faster |
| File transfer | 200 photos, Mac → phone | 17.3 s | 19.4 s | 1.1× faster |
| File transfer | 200 photos, Phone → Mac | 13.3 s | 39.4 s | 3.0× faster |
| File transfer | 10 videos, Mac → phone | 1:08.3 | 1:59.4 | 1.7× faster |
| File transfer | 10 videos, Phone → Mac | 1:06.8 | 1:54.2 | 1.7× faster |
| Wi-Fi | 200 photos, Mac → phone | 13.0 s | 21.8 s | 1.7× faster |
| Wi-Fi | 200 photos, Phone → Mac | 19.6 s | 2:05.1 | 6.4× faster |
| Wi-Fi | 10 videos, Mac → phone | 1:34.8 | 2:25.9 | 1.5× faster |
| Wi-Fi | 10 videos, Phone → Mac | 17:52.1 | 20:38.1 | 1.2× faster |
Nothing Phone (3a) · MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) · MacDroid 2.10 · October 2026
Video
Watch the whole test.
3 minutes · no sound
It's Finder
Same photos, on the phone and in Finder.
Plug in, and your phone shows up in Finder's sidebar. Drag, Quick Look and Open work as usual.
- Your phone under Locations
- Photos still on the phone, with thumbnails
- Videos too
- Open in placeStraight from the phone, in any app.
- SpotlightSearch the phone's files.
- ThumbnailsShown without downloading.
More tests
Opening files and keeping up.
| PortLine | MacDroid | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Open the next file in a folder | 1 ms | 610 ms | 610× faster |
| Copy a 200 MB folder off the phone | 5.7 s | 41.2 s | 7.2× faster |
| Open a file alone in its folder | 133 ms | 864 ms | 6.5× faster |
| Read 200 small files | 6.7 s | 24 s | 3.6× faster |
| A new file on the phone shows in Finder | 1.5 s | > 60 s | > 40× faster |
| Everyday tasks completed | 52/52 | 28/52 | +24 |
A new photo on the phone
PortLine1.48 s
Waiting…✓ ShownNot shown after 60 s
MacDroid> 60 s
Waiting…✓ ShownNot shown after 60 s
Saved on the phone, in a folder open in Finder. Clock runs 12× after 3 s.
Nothing Phone (3a) · Android 16 · USB
The app
Connect once. It stays connected.
Every phone, how it's connected, and one click to Finder.
- Automatic picks the fastest connection
- One click to the phone in Finder
- Every file indexed for Spotlight
Connections
USB or Wi-Fi. PortLine picks the fastest.
Standard USB
Any phoneFile transfer mode
Works with almost any Android phone. Nothing to turn on.
Secure Wi-Fi
No cableWireless debugging · Android 11+
Pair once with a QR code. Encrypted.
Automatic picks for you. Connection guide
Open in place
Full-size previews, straight from the phone.
PortLine loads the next photos ahead, so browsing feels instant.
- Full-size preview
- The whole folder
Reliability
Pull the cable. The copy picks up where it stopped.
52 everyday tasks
PortLine52/52
- 52 done
MacDroid28/52
- 28 done
- 13 failed
- 11 blocked by an earlier failure
Pulled cable
The copy resumes, every byte checked.
No half files
A file appears only once it's complete.
Free space
Keep room on the phone and the Mac.
Any file name
Names Android rejects still copy.
A Trash on the phone
Deleted files can come back.
Big folders
2,000 files list in 3.4 seconds.
Activity
Every copy, in one list.
Size, speed, and anything that needs a look.
Backups
A backup is a folder on your Mac.
Pick phone folders. PortLine copies them to your Mac each time the phone connects.
How to back up an Android phone to a Mac
Privacy
Phone to Mac. Nothing in between.
- Your files stay between your devices.
- No account needed for free features.
- No advertising or app usage tracking.
- Email sign-in for website licenses.
Guides
How to move files between Android and Mac.
Guide · 5 min readHow to transfer files from Android to MacThree ways to move files from an Android phone to a Mac, and the fastest: open the phone in Finder over USB or Wi-Fi and drag. Step by step.Guide · 4 min readHow to transfer photos from Android to MacCopy photos from an Android phone to a Mac over USB, straight from Finder: find them in DCIM, preview them in place, import them into Photos.Guide · 3 min readHow to enable USB debugging on AndroidTurn on Developer options and USB debugging on Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nothing and other Android phones, and approve your Mac safely.Guide · 4 min readHow to connect an Android phone to a Mac over Wi-FiPair an Android 11+ phone with your Mac over Wi-Fi using wireless debugging and a QR code, then browse it in Finder without a cable. Plus Android 10.Guide · 4 min readAndroid phone not showing up on Mac: what to checkPhone not appearing on your Mac? Check the cable, USB mode, lock screen, USB debugging approval, other apps holding the phone, Finder settings and Wi-Fi.Guide · 5 min readThe best Android File Transfer alternative for MacGoogle no longer offers Android File Transfer for Mac. The alternatives compared: PortLine in Finder, OpenMTP, MacDroid and the cloud, with measured speeds.
All guides
Pricing
Browsing and downloading are free.
Free
US$0
Read-only, free forever
- Browse your phone in Finder
- Open and download files
- Spotlight search on the phone's files
- All three connections
Yearly Premium
US$11.40 / year
Read and write. One active Mac.
- Copy files to the phone
- Rename, move and delete
- Parallel downloads
- Everything in Free
Premium purchases open soon
Lifetime Premium
US$20.40 one payment
Read and write. One active Mac.
- Copy files to the phone
- Rename, move and delete
- Parallel downloads
- Everything in Free
Premium purchases open soon
Card required. After 3 days, US$11.40/year unless canceled before the trial ends. One trial per email. Cancel online; your files remain readable when Premium ends.
Prices in US dollars. Applicable tax is shown at checkout. Website and App Store purchases are separate. Terms of Use · Manage license & billing
Version 1.0.1 · macOS 13+ · Apple silicon & Intel
Questions
Does PortLine work with any Android phone?
Any phone with a File transfer (MTP) mode works over Standard USB, which is nearly all of them. Advanced USB needs USB debugging on Android 8 or later. Secure Wi-Fi needs Android 11 or later.
Do I need to enable USB debugging?
No. Standard USB works without it. USB debugging unlocks Advanced USB, which is faster and keeps Finder up to date within seconds.
Is the Wi-Fi connection encrypted?
Yes, on Android 11 and later: PortLine uses Android's paired wireless debugging, which is encrypted and tied to your Mac. The older Wi-Fi mode for Android 10 and below is not encrypted; use it only on a trusted network, or use USB.
Does anything go through your servers?
Files transfer directly between your Mac and Android device. Buying or recovering a website license requires an email sign-in. The license service stores your email, purchase references, trial eligibility, hashed sign-in credentials, an encrypted recoverable license key, and a random Mac activation identifier. Cloudflare hosts the service, Stripe handles payments, and Zoho Mail sends sign-in emails. We do not receive your full card details, file contents, or file names. The website edition also checks account.getportline.app for new versions; that request carries no license key or identifier.
How is PortLine different from MacDroid?
PortLine is a native Finder location that works the way macOS expects: files open in place, Spotlight finds them, and changes on the phone show up within seconds. In measured tests it reads and opens files several times faster, and in twelve recorded copies over USB debugging, MTP and Wi-Fi it finished first every time. The comparison page has every number and how it was taken.
What about Android File Transfer?
Google no longer offers Android File Transfer for Mac. PortLine's Standard USB mode covers what it did, inside Finder, and Advanced USB and Secure Wi-Fi go well beyond it.
What does Premium cost?
Website prices are US$11.40 per year or US$20.40 once for lifetime Premium. A three-day trial requires a payment card and automatically renews at US$11.40 per year unless canceled before it ends. One trial per email address. Applicable tax is displayed at checkout. Cancel future renewals through Manage billing; deactivating a Mac does not cancel billing.
Which macOS versions are supported?
macOS 13 Ventura and later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Open Finder. There's your phone.
Free to browse. macOS 13 or later.