I’m trying to transfer some custom GPX tracks and audio files from my Mac over a USB connection. When I plug the watch in, it doesn’t mount as a regular external drive on macOS like older models used to.
I heard that people used to use Android File Transfer for this kind of thing, and that third-party apps like MacDroid might work too. How are you guys currently managing file transfers from a Fenix 8 to a Mac? Are there specific settings or apps that work best?
The Fenix 8 uses Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) instead of appearing as a regular USB storage device. Since macOS has no built-in MTP support, plugging the watch into your Mac won't make it show up in Finder.
Android File Transfer used to be the usual workaround, but it hasn't been maintained in years and tends to be unreliable or completely broken on newer macOS versions.
Your best option depends on what you're trying to transfer.
If you just need to update the watch, sync activity data, install maps, or manage supported music playlists, use Garmin Express. You don't need direct access to the watch's folders for any of that. Connect the Fenix 8 over USB and let Garmin Express handle it.
One thing to watch for: only one application can use the MTP connection at a time. Quit Garmin Express before opening a separate file-transfer app.
For manually browsing folders and dragging files onto the watch, MacDroid may work as a replacement for Android File Transfer. Its main advantage is that it can mount an MTP device in Finder so you can work with it more like a normal drive. I haven't personally tested MacDroid with the Fenix 8, though, so I can't confirm that setup firsthand.
You can skip USB entirely for courses, routes, and workout data. Import the GPX file through the Garmin Connect website or mobile app, then sync it to the Fenix 8 over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Don’t pay for an MTP utility until Garmin Express can detect the watch. First check the Fenix 8 setting under Watch Settings > System > Advanced > USB Mode and make sure it is set to MTP, not Garmin mode. Then connect it directly to the Mac with a known data-capable cable, avoiding docks and monitor ports. A cable can charge the watch perfectly while carrying no data at all.
Open System Information on the Mac and look under USB. If the watch is absent there, focus on the cable, adapter, port, and clean charging contacts. If it appears there but Express still cannot find it, check macOS Privacy & Security settings in case removable-volume access was denied, then restart both devices.
MacDroid makes sense later if you specifically need folder access. It will not fix a bad physical USB connection, so get Express working first, quit it completely, and only then try the MTP app.
A dismissed “Allow accessory to connect?” prompt can make a perfectly good cable look defective. On a Mac laptop with Apple silicon, unlock the Mac before plugging in the Fenix 8, then check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Allow accessories to connect. Set it to ask every time or allow automatically, reconnect the watch, and accept the prompt if it appears.
After that, open Garmin Express and give detection a minute. Don’t use Finder as the test, since an MTP device normally won’t appear there like a flash drive. If Express recognizes the watch, syncing and firmware updates should work even though Finder still shows nothing.
MacDroid is only needed for browsing folders or copying files manually. Quit Garmin Express completely before opening it, because two apps competing for the same MTP session can make the watch disappear again.
Don’t treat GPX and music as the same transfer job. Send GPX tracks through Garmin Connect, and use MacDroid only for compatible, non-DRM audio files since Apple Music or Spotify downloads cannot be copied over like regular MP3s.
A couple of GPX tracks and a folder full of audio are two different cases. For the GPX files, fighting with MTP is usually more work than the transfer itself. Import each track into Garmin Connect as a course, send it to the Fenix 8, then force a sync from the watch if it does not arrive immediately. Garmin supports sending courses this way, so no Finder access is needed.
Music is where the Mac workflow gets awkward. Garmin Express can transfer personal MP3 and M4A files, but on macOS it expects to work from your Music/iTunes library rather than letting you browse any random folder as it does on Windows. If your audio is sitting in Downloads, import it into the Music app first, make sure it plays there, then select the watch and Music in Garmin Express. Files downloaded for offline listening from subscription services still will not count as ordinary transferable audio.
I would only bother with MacDroid or another MTP browser if you regularly need manual access or have a lot of files that Express handles badly. @0xwidget4 is right about keeping the jobs separate. A folder browser is convenient for loose audio files, but it creates another opportunity to copy something into the wrong Garmin directory or delete files the watch needs.
If you do use direct MTP access for a route, the usual Garmin import location is GARMIN/NewFiles, not whichever folder happens to contain existing courses. After disconnecting, the watch processes the incoming file and moves or converts it, so seeing the original file disappear from NewFiles can be normal. Give the watch time to finish that processing before reconnecting it.
My practical order would be Garmin Connect for GPX, Garmin Express for MP3/M4A, and an MTP utility only when those two methods cannot do the job. That avoids paying for software merely to make the watch resemble an old USB drive, because on a Mac the Fenix 8 simply is not going to behave like one.
Don’t assume a Finder-mounted MTP app turns the Fenix 8 into the same kind of disk as an older Garmin. It is still an MTP translation layer, so tools such as rsync, folder mirroring, Spotlight, and editing files directly on the watch may behave poorly or not work at all.
Compared with old USB mass storage, the safer habit is to prepare everything locally and copy only the finished files. For GPX, Garmin Connect is slower but avoids folder and import issues. For loose, compatible audio, Garmin Express is the conservative choice, while an MTP utility is more convenient when Express refuses to see your folder structure.
If you use MacDroid or something similar, avoid bulk cleanup and never treat the Garmin folders like ordinary removable storage. Copy a small batch, let it finish, disconnect cleanly, and confirm the watch indexed it before sending the rest. That matters more with a large music transfer, where a failed MTP session can leave you guessing which files actually arrived.
Skip the whole MTP dance for the GPX side and you’ll save yourself a headache. Custom tracks belong in Garmin Connect, full stop. Import the GPX as a course on the web version, sync over Bluetooth, and it lands on the watch as a proper navigable course with turn prompts. If you drag a raw GPX into some folder over USB instead, you can end up with a track that shows on the map but doesn’t behave like a real course. @0xwidget4 already made the split between tracks and music, and that’s the part I’d actually build on, because treating GPX as a ‘file to copy’ is where most people burn an afternoon.
The audio side is where MacDroid earns its place, and only there. Everyone’s right that Apple Music and Spotify downloads won’t budge since they’re locked, but even your own MP3s or M4As need to be non-DRM and the watch is fussy about supported formats. So the tool makes sense for that narrow job. I wouldn’t pay for it expecting it to double as a general Finder mount for everything.
One warning nobody hit: the USB Mode toggle @crystalhive8076 mentioned is real, but flipping it around while troubleshooting can leave you confused about which app should see the watch. Set it to MTP once, leave it, and don’t keep switching. And keep only one app touching the connection at a time, which a couple of people said already and it’s worth repeating because it’s the single most common reason the watch ‘vanishes’ mid-transfer.
Honestly, if music isn’t part of your plan, you don’t need any third-party app at all. Connect for the tracks, Express for firmware and maps, done. Reach for the MTP utility only when you’ve got loose audio files that Garmin’s own tools refuse to handle.
For two GPX files, Garmin Connect is the sane route; for a pile of loose audio, try the free OpenMTP before paying for MacDroid. It explicitly supports Garmin devices, but it is still an MTP browser, not a true Finder-mounted disk.
