What’s the official native way to do file transfers on a Mac nowadays? I read some old forum threads recommending Google’s Android File Transfer tool because of how Garmin handles data, but apparently that app is dead/unavailable now. Someone mentioned an app called MacDroid instead. Appreciate any shortcuts or workarounds you guys have!
Your MacBook isn’t recognizing the Edge 840 as a regular drive because Garmin uses MTP instead of the older USB Mass Storage mode. macOS Finder doesn’t support mounting MTP devices natively, so the Garmin won’t appear like a flash drive.
Garmin’s official solution is to manage the device through Garmin Express.
Android File Transfer is no longer available, but MacDroid is a reasonable replacement. It adds MTP support on macOS, which lets you access the Edge 840’s files.
You can also avoid transferring files from the Mac entirely. Connect IQ apps, such as Strava Routes, can download courses directly to the Edge over the air.
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Garmin Express is the official route, but it is not a general-purpose file browser. For manual folder access, MacDroid fills that gap, but quit Garmin Express first because only one app can access the Edge’s MTP connection at a time.
Copying rides off your Garmin and sending courses back to it are different cases for MacDroid: device-to-Mac copying is free, while writing back requires PRO. That makes it useful for grabbing ride files without paying, but I wouldn’t frame it as a straight replacement for Google’s free tool without that caveat. (electronic.us) And “official” isn’t the same as “native” here: Garmin directs Mac users to Express, not a built-in Finder transfer option.
If your ride has already synced, you can export its original file from Garmin Connect’s website and skip USB altogether. I’d reserve MacDroid for when direct access is necessary, though installing another utility just to copy the occasional ride feels like unnecessary housekeeping.
Half the ‘my Mac won’t see the Edge’ cases I’ve watched come down to the cable, not MTP. A charge-only USB-C cable will happily power the unit while passing zero data, so no app on earth will mount it. Swap to a known data cable before you spend time on software. Realistic expectation: even with everything working, this will never feel as clean as dragging files off a thumb drive.
On the point from @hyperlogic about exporting the original file from Connect, that’s the route I’d lean on too for anything already synced. The FIT file you pull from the web is the same data sitting on the device, so USB becomes pointless for ride backups. Where that breaks down is routes you built or edited offline, or if you’ve turned off auto-sync, which is the one scenario where plugging in actually earns its keep.
If you do go the MacDroid path, the thing I appreciate is that it drops you straight into browsing without making you set up an account first, so a quick ride grab isn’t gated behind a signup. I wouldn’t install it for a once-a-year transfer, though. For most people the phone sync plus the occasional web export covers it, and the cable fix covers most of the rest.